The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-10-11
Sunday-School Lessons
FOURTH QUARTER, 1877.
The Beauty Of Quiet Lives.

IT is said that when Thorwaldsen re-
turned to his native land with those rare
and wonderful works of art which have
made his name immortal, chiscled with
patient toll and glowing inspiration, in
italy, the servants who unpacked them
scattered upon the ground the straw
which was wrapped around them. The
next summer, flowers from the gardens
in RoAe were blooming in the streets of
Copenhagen, from the seeds thus borne
and planted by accident. So Chrfst's
lowly, quiet workers unconsciously bless
the world. They come out every morning
from the presence of God and go to their
business or their household work. And
all day long, as they toll, they drop gen.
tie words from their lips, and scatter little
seeds of kindness about them; and to-mor.
row flowers from the garden Of God
spring up in the dusty streets of earth, ant'
along the hard paths of toll on which their
feet tread. More than once in the Scrip
ture the lives of Gods people in this
world are compared in their influence to
the dew. There may be other points of
analogy, but specially noteworthy is the
quiet manner in which the dew performs
its ministry. II falls silently and imper-
ceptibly. 1t makes no noise. No one
hears it dropping. It chooses the DARK
ness of the night when men are sleeping
and when no man can witness its beauti-
full work. I. covers the leaves with clus-
tiers of pearls. 1t steals into the bosom OF
the flowers and leaves II new cupful of
sweetness there. 1t pOurs itself down
among the roots of the grasses and
tender herbs and plants. And in
the morning there is fresh beauty every
where. The fields look greener, the
gardens are more fragrant, all lite CLOVIS
and sparklcs with new splendor. And
is there no lesson here as to the manner
in which we should seek to do good in
this world? Should we not strive to have
our influence felt rather than 10 be seen or
heard? Should we not desire blessings SO
silently and SO secretly that no one shall
know what hand cropped them? The
whole spirit of the Gospel teaches this.
When thou doest thy aims, let not thy
left hand know what thy right hand
doeth, that thine aims MAJ be in secret"
We are not to seek praise of men. We
are not to do good deeds to receive re-
wards from men. We are not to sound
trumpets or announce our good deeds
from the housetop.
Translated into modern phrase injunc-
tons would probably mean that we are
not to seek to have our names in fire
newspapers every time we give little
money to benevolent object. or relieve
some case of distress, or do some noble
act. They would seem to mean that we
should not desire publicity and human
praise for everything we do, and every
sacrifice we make, and every kindness we
show. They seem to imply, indeed, that
we should take pains not to have our good
deeds known at all, that we should seek
to do them SO silently and SO secretly that
the world would never hear any report Of
them. In other words, the spirit of these
divine teachings is that our lives should
be like the dew, blessing the world and
seeking no recognition, no notice, no
praise of men, working while men sleep.
when no eye can see, and no pen record
what we do.-N. y Observer.