Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1889-03-16
DANGLING HANDS,"
Robert coilyer's Mother Couidn't Abide
Them. because OF What They signiaed.

Robert coiiyer's Mother Coulin't Abide
Them. Because Of What They signifed.
What lasting influence good, earn
est, rugged minded woman can leave
behind heri This has frequently been
borne in upon my mind when l have
heard Robert Collyer begin, "My good
mother used to say" and then give
some nugget of wisdom or common
sense that was a good and sufficient
text for whole sermon, or q sufficient
''clinchcr" for some able moral argu.
ment Of her sons. One of her say
ings, that no doubt she repeated often
enough TO keep il alive forever, was
this: II can't abide dangling handsw
Don't you hear her saying itl Don't
you see her saying it-shc, whose
hands never danglcd in all her lifel
That cant abide" is an old fashioned
phrase. but il seems TO mean more than
our modern cant endure, does il noti
Ono Of the dictionary meanings of
abide is ito dwell" II is very hard
TO dwell with dangling hands. An
other definition is ITO be patient WITH"
and it is equally hard to bc patient
with dangling hands. Whyi Not
because they may not be beautiful.
They are often small. shapcly and
white. Not because they are doing
disagrccable things, for they are doing
nothing. Then whyl Well, because
they are not just hands alone, but are
also part Of a human being, and that
human being, man or woman, is the
disagrccablc thing about the hands. if
may be allowed TO use somewhat
peculiar. involved language. You all
know what mean.
Dangling hands stand first of all for
lazincss, and who can ''abide" thati
The lazy person not only does nothing
for others. but she does nothing for
herself. Things must be done. The
lazy person is always the last ono TO
wish things left undonc that pertain
TO her comfort and ease, and SO some
one else must take up and do what
should be the work of those dangling
hands.
Again, dangling hands mean self
ishncss. II we go through life doing
nothing with the instruments given us
to use, some one loses something;
blessings are not dropped along the
way, stones and bricrs are left in the
paths Of struggling fellow mortals that
helpful hands should gather out"
warming fires go unkindlcd and some
one is cold. the dark shutter is not
flung wide open to let the blessed sun
shine in, and some poor, suffering one
sits in the dark. Is not this muchl
Dangling hands mean shiftlcssness.
Opportunities slip by, bits Of happiness
and materials for comfort go TO waste,
pleasures and duties get lost, better
things than gold slip through the
cracks Of lifc's floor and are never seen
again, the zcst of living is gone, life 10
ilavorless. There is q sort Of opinion
prevalent that if one does nothing evil,
he is good. II is not always true.
So far us the doing nothing evil goes,
he is all right. but he must also do
good il he would be good. We can
not stand still. If we are not march.
ing forward we are marching back.
ward. II we stand with dangling
hands, good life slips by MS and we are
left behind, and we mighta as well have
turned our backs and ilcd-better, !
think.
\ homely old provcrb here comes to
mymind, Handsome is that handsome
does, and so, III no sense can dangling
hands be beautiful, no matter how
perfect their symmetry or fair their
color. II our hands and our faces do
not stand for something beautiful
within, then 10 the clear, far seeing
eye they are not beautiful. Let us all
say, and mean it rs we say it, the
good words of Madame Collyer: II
can't abide dangling hands, s"-Juniata
Stafford in Good Housekeeping.