Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-11
DISCOVERING SAINTS.
Sound Wisdom Shown in Medieval
Times in Selecting the
CANDIDATES FOR CANONIzATION.
Deeds of Helpfulness the Foundation of
Christianity.
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF UNITED HELP
WRITTEN ron THE DISPATCH,


There was good deal of sound wisdom in
the old way of discovering saints. That
ancient custom of canonization was simply
very dignifed and ce-emonious way of say
ing Here is good Christianr"' And be-
fore they said that about any man they first
inquired if he had done any miracles. No
man could be canonized, and have "Saint''
written before his name, unless it could be
shown that he had wrought miracles. Now
we may have our own opinion of those
medieval miracles. We may believe, If we
will, that the miraculous part was only
gliding put on by the devout
Imagination. But this, at least, is
true that underneath the miracle was
plain, homely deed of helpfulness. That
was the foundation; that was the reality.
And the name miracle was an old way, we
will say, of making this homely deed of
help emphatic; of writing an admiration
mark after it. and Of putting superlative
adjective before 1t. "Here is a man." they
said, or meant to say, "who has been emf
nently helpful. Lookl Is he not a good
Christian? Is he not the kind of Christian
We ought all to be?" And so they called
him saint. That was their way Of declar-
ing that Christian must be helpful.
You may perhaps remember that ! was
commenting last Sunday in this column
upon the man whom our Lord sent home,
telling him that if he wanted to be dis
ciple genuinely he must 60 at once and
HELP SOMEBODY,
and that the best place for him to begin his
Christian task of helping was in his own
village amidst his own neighbors, in his
own family at home. "Rsturn to thine own |
house and show how great things God hath |
done unto thee"
find Christ's silence here, as in many |
places, worthy of note. The Lord said little |
about how Christian should be helpful. |
He prescribed no method. He measured |
out no regulations. He told the man to go |
home and show what God had done for him,
but He directed him no further. He left |
the rest to the man.
Christ always declined to set down rules
for people. Peter came once and asked for
a rule about forgiviug. His patience had |
been a good deal tried. He felt that his
temper had been strained almost as far as it |
would stand, and he wanted to know if there |
was not Christian limit to forgive
ness. "How many times must
forgive my brother?'' "Seventy times
seven," Christ said. That was the
Hebrew way Of saying times without
number. A lawyer came and asked for
rule about this very matter of helping.
"What people must help? Who is my
neighbor?" Christ made no answer to that
question. In the place of it He put another
aud deeper question. "Who is neighborly?''
And that He answered. The Lord came to
help men. Not by setting up rules for them,
but by making different men out of them. |
He tried to change their lives by changing |
their hearts. He wanted to fill this mans |
soul with the spirit of' helpfulness. and He |
was content to let that spirit find expression |
in the mans life, as the vital spirit of a |
plant finds expression in branches and fruit. !
STRIVE TO BE HELPFUL.
I believe that the Lord wants us to strive |
after this spirit of helpfulness, |
that will make us helpful everywhere and |
all the time. Whoever has this helpful |
spirit will .be waiting constantly for
chance to do kindness. 1t is not the great
kindnesses that do the most good to people.
The great kindnesses bring with them often
a feeling of obligation which takes away
their charm. They are so great that we
forget that they are kind. 1t is the little
things which everyone can do that really |
help and make life sweet. A pleasant
word, smile of recognition, little act of
courtesy, book or q flower sent to some
body who is sick or in trouble, a kindly
welcome to o stranger, the habit of having
\ pleasant way of doing things-it is these,
these little things, which enter into every
hour of every day-these help. 1 am
afraid that some people are like the great
guns in certain ports along the Dardanelles,
which are all pointed one way. Let
squadron anchor in that particular direc-
ion and then those guns may be good for
something. But all the rest of the time
hey keep black silence. Whoever has this
helpful spirit is helpful all around.
I notice that the Lord told this man to go
home. Return" He said, ito thine own
louse." The first step toward helpfulness
s to
UNDERTAKE THE NEAREST DUTY.
Probably there is no place where it is
harder to be helpful than just the place in
which the Lord set this man-in ones own
louse. Your own home tests your helpful
less. This is a good thing to think about
this word "Return to thine own house."
observe further that the Lord told this
nan that his message to his fellow men was
o be found in his own experience. The only
vord of one which helps is the word which
omes out of our own heart and life. st. :
Paul was thankful for the sorrow that had
mbittered his life-he thanked God for it
because it made him helpful. When he
poke to a man in pain or trouble, or distress
# mind, or grief for sin, he helped that
the man realized that here
poke one who knew what he was talking
bout. The Lord didn't tell this man to go
each theology, explain the scriptures, ,
,reach the gospel. He sent him to tell men !
vho wanted friend how he had '
ound friend My brother, that is !
vhat your long sickness, or your bitter
- g j., I