Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1870-06-30
SOWING SEEDS OF KINDNESS.
BY HENRY WARD BEECHER.


TIE sun was going down upon Flor.
ence as she sat with her mother upon the
verandah, and her face was sad, though
the sunlight fell full upon it.
Mother, ] am sorry that / ever had
anything to do with Mary Arlington"
"Why so, my child?"
Because she only uses my kindness for
her own selfshness. / have helped her
in her lessons, and got her off when she
was in trouble with her teacher, Miss At
kins, and you know that let Miss Atkins
think that had broken the rules, rather
than that she should be. exposed. And
| she has never thanked me And know
that she says hateful things about me be-
hind my back. am tired of being kind
to, her and getting nothing for it but her
swell, my dear, did you act kindly for
the sake of getting something back for it
Ought we not to act generously for our
own sake, even more than for others
sakefn
al don't see any use in being generous
when it only makes people worse2"
But our Master says@'If ye love them
that love you, what reward Tor merit) have
yer Do not even the publicans the same5'
1t is very pleasant to receive kindness for
kindness. But no one is acting as Chris
tian that is not willing to show kindness
and self-denial to those who are ungrateful
and selfish" "tiir sIs4l
Nothing more was said this time.
Florence had the matter upon her heart
all the evening, and was glad when bed
time came, that.she might sleep of all her
troubles - - I
She soon fell asleep and began TO dream.
Now Dreamland is Fairyland. All manner
of queer people are moving about in
Dreamland, and very remarkable things
happen there. Florence had gone TO
sleep without shutting her-ehamber win
dow, and the wind must have been q lit
tie cool for she dreamed that the snow
lay upon the ground. And she saw a
man with large bag slung diagonaIy
across his breast sowing some kinds Of
seed It seemed very strange to her to
see him casting seed on snow, and 30 she
dreamed that she asked him, q VIII the
seed come up in the snow p
When he heard her, he turned his face,
and she thought she never saw a farmer
with so noble q countenance. His eyes
were large and sad, and yet there was
look in them Of calm hopefulness.
1--WE SOW our upseed grass on the snow,
in hopes that by and by the snow will
melt, and the seed, sprouted by its moist
ure, will come up" And fixing his eyes
gently upon her, as if he would mark the
effect of his words, he. said, They who
in this world would SOW the seeds of good
ness, must do as we farmers do, and often
H ~
She awoke-so plainly did his voice
sound In her ears. Rising, she closed the
window, and again fell asleep.
In a short time she began dreaming
more strangely than before.
She thought that she saw poor wo-
man, who was living upon piece of very
hard and rocky ground, trying to plant
thereon some flower seeds. But every
time she opened her hand the wind seem
ed to puff them away. At last, when her
seed was almost gone, Florence thought
that what had seemed to be the wind
began to look like birds, and little by lit
tie they changed to beautiful spirits; and
the seed that would have fallen on the
rock, and threw it upward; and the seed
seemed to fly up and up till it wasall gone
out of sight. t'e -
While She stood looking up, she thought
that the skies opened and she looked
through and saw those beautiful spirits
planting the very seed that had been cast
forth out of the palsied hand of the poor
old woman. No sooner did they touch
the ground than they sprang up again
into all manner of beautiful doWers-more
beautiful hundred times than any lilies
or roses, or jessamines, that she had ever
seen on earth. ...zg!,s-
AS she stood admiring the wonderful
sight, she turned and saw the very same
person oy ner sloo Inab naQ Dosn sowing
grass seed on the snow. But now he was
clothed radiantly, as if the brightest
clouds had been made into garments; and
his face, that was beautiful before, seemed
to her more beautiful than all the flowers.
Then he looked very kindly upon her,
and said, "My dear child, do you not see
that only here and there q seed fell to the
ground and came up, but that all the rest
went through and were planted in heayenf
So it is with kindness among men. The
earth catches few only of the seeds OF
kindness sown, but all the rest go through
and are planted in heaven. And so moth
ing good is ever lost"
At this he laid his hand upon her head,
and such a thrill ran through her body
that she sprung and awoke. Her mother
it was who had touched her, saying,
I" Come, Florence; it is morning. The
birds are calling you. Come"