Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-06-19
THE RIGHT SPIRIT.
How George Began Learning to Do Mis-
siOnary Work at Home,

Rap, rap, rap!
1t was Uncle George Watkins pound
ing on the sole Of q shoe he was mend
ing, and it was young George Watkins
who, on his way to school, halted, one
noon, at the little shop where his uncle
presided. Uncle George was a funny
looking shoemaker. The top of his head
was bald, and it shone as if it had been
polished. At the. sides We're two tufts
Of gray hair that stuck out like little
wings. He always wore spectacles
when at his work. They were gold
bowed, and had been given him by his
Bible class.
"You don't often see a shoemaker's
eyes in gold-bowed s%pectacles," Uncle
George had said; land they may think
I'm a millionaire shoemaker, but they
are all I've got. Fact is, though wear
ing gold-bowed sp~ectacles, l can't af-
ford to buy silver ones. So l must
yea what I've got"
Uncle George had o shaven face, and
clear, fresh, youthful compilations; and
altogether, when you saw the shining
gold, the little wings, the round face,
you thought of a cherub that had been
detained here after a flight to u earth,
and had grown a bit old. And wasn't
Uncle George a good man! I do be-
lieve the cherub was inside, though
only q shoemaker was outside.
"Well, George, are you gong to school
this morning."
eyes, uncle"
"When you get all through studying,
and are grown up, what are you going
to do then"
II think I'll be q missionary. I
would like to be one now, and 90 off,"
| said George in a tone of great humility
andoelf-sacrifice. This was one of his
fancies. He had wondered his mother
had not seen it, and sometimes re-
marked: 81 think my son will be a
missionary to China"
"Well, if you were going off to-mor-
row, would your missionary work at
home be all done SO that you could
go?"
my missionary work?"
"Yes!"
81 don't know"
Didn't l see your mother bringing,
this morning, wood from the sheda"
"Well, she said she would"
"Did you take your fathers dinner
to him at %noon?"
Mother said it was only across the
| street, and she could 60"
"Did you get the mail:?"
1.-The p%ost-of1ice is Gully at the corner,
and she thought she could run there"
"And the groceries, did you order
them for home?
''She didn't ask me-"
"You must not wait to be asked. You
must offer to do. Missionaries don't
wait till people beg them to act. Only
think of a missionary waiting to be
asked!!"
"When 1 como to think of it, uncle,
| remember mother thought she could
do it tonight just as we'll"
Your sister Nelly is sick. Did you
60 upstairs to see if she wanted any
thing2"
"Mother-said she was going in a
minute"
'sSeems to me that those who mean to
be missionaries must show a mission
airy, self-sacri1icing spirit, and help at
AOi1S VI CAOJ oaA' S1oC OLC hAi!1t
| OF missionary work. Why, those who
are missionaries are really helpful at
home"
81 don't know but that out West"
continued Uncle George, ''the mission
aries do the washing for their wives.
Some OF them, poor fellows! scrub
round fearfully. Boys that are going
to be missionaries ought to help at
bone all they can; and if they will,
they can"
Rap, rap, rap!
The would-be missionary left his
uncle's shop with a Inundated air.
George was q sensible boy. He knew
what his uncle meant. He was well
aware that he had been selfish at home.
He was not naturally a very generous
boy, but then he had u conscience.
There are two kinds of generous people
in the world; those who by nature real
ly enjoy giving and doing, and those
who must make it a duty to give and
do. 1t is not an easy thing for the lat
ter class; but spurred on by a good
conscience, they accomplish much in
the end. George was II Of the con-
! scieuce-givers and conscience-doers,
and his sense of the right did not fail
him now.
When he went home, he said: 'Ill
be a missionary tonight, and help all
l cam He reached the house. He
entered the kitchen. His mother sat by
the window, and she was knitting.
Cares had given a little stoop to her
| shoulders and wars had tnuched her