River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1876-09-28
CHARITY.
For the JOUREAI

Faith. Hope, and Charity. these
three: and the greatest of these is
Charity How many of us, think
you, remember these most beautiful
words in every day life, and act in
the spirit of them F! Not very many
fear. If we did there would be fewer
cold looks, scOrnful speeches, and
averted faces; more kind words,
warm hand-claspS, and beaming faces.
Gods poor would cease TO crowd our
land, restitution and crime be done
away with, while joy and cOntentment
reigned in the places vacated by them.
Why do we forget all this SO easily
| Why act in a manner so contrary to
| this which could not fail to bring hap
piness into our lives and the lives of
all about us! An, whys
IT'S not hardness of heart. 1t can
not be that mortals would THROW away
their own happiness to destroy their
brothers. No, we would like to see
all about us bright and cheerful. Bat
we are afraid to do aught that may be
disapproved by that bug-bear of the
social world, Everybody. AS to who
he is, or if it be he or she, or any
| thing else pertaining to this mythical
parsonage. do not feel prepared to
say. Suffice it to say that Everybody
seems terrible tyrant, and is looked
up to, and bowed down to, in manner
perfectly astounding, by the conven-
tlonal worlds people. Here is wO-
man belonging to the class called ''m-
| fortunate. She was once u young
and innocent maiden, happy and be-
| loved, proud in the possession of u fair
and spotless reputation, of clear,
bright mind, heart full of the most
generous impulses, and capable of the
purest and most enduring love. In
short, most beautiful character. And
through the best and purest impulses
Of her whole being has she arrived
at the depth at which we find her.
She has loved, mot wisely, but too
well"
And noW-whO is there to lend a
helping hand Who will endeavor to
lift her from this "Slough OF des-
pond Z" Not |. would gladly help
her if | could, but Everybody would
look at me and say, Bah She is as
bad as the other" There would be
old adages brought to bear on the
subject, and birds of feather will
flock together would Everybody cry.
And behold a man lying at full
length i'm the gutter. Poor mistaken
creature! He has fallen from great
height. | knew him when he was
young. A more noble, upright youth
never lived. The sole stay and sup
port of widowed, aged mother, he
was loved and honOred by all who
knew him. But he was too generous
and impulsive, too DESTROYS of pleas
ing others. lie fell, a prey to the
worst emotions, victim to crime and
the horror it brings has become a foul
and loathsome object to look upon.
| And there is no one to lift him up.
No one cares To support his falteiing
steps, to try TO bring him back to the
position which was once his own.
| Everybody would sneer. Everybody
says. Gle has made his bed and must
lie in it." Think you that God would
approve of this cowardice for COW.
ardice it is No! For he says, 'And
if We have all these, (meaning all the
other christian graces,) and have not
charity, We are become as a sounding
brass and tinkliEg cymbal."
But thank God, there IS another
world to come where all wrongs shall
be righted. all suffering cease. There
We shall be judged, not by the verdict
of a sinful world. but Father good
/ and merciful; judged not as I'd the
| reputation we have borne here, but
according to our own merits. Where
each one OF us must stand alone, amt
where we shall at last rid ourselves OF
All fear of this awful Everybody,
whose power shall then then be gont
forever. $50
River Fails, Wis, Sept. 1915.