The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1891-09-18
BLESSING OF KINDNESS.
DE-. Taimage Discourses on a Neces-
sary Virtue.
The Apostle Paurs IzxPorisncs-Kindnesl
One OF the Best Of TFaIss-Ita Influence
For Good-Fhe saViOur's WOndrOus
Goodness.

kindness" Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage
took his text from Acts xviii ?: '"Ths
barbarOus people showed us no little
kindness" He said:
Here we are on the Island Of Malta,
another name for Meiita- This island,
(which has always been an important
commercial center, belonging at differ
emit times to Phuenieia. to Greece. to
Rome. to Arabia, to Spain, to France,
now belongs to England The area of
this island is about one hundred square
miles. It is in the Mediterranean sea.
and OF such clarity of atmosphere that
Mount A1tna, 100 miles away, can be
distinctly seen. The island Is glorious
ly memorable, because the Knights of
Malta for long while ruled there, but
most famous because of the apostolic
shipwrecic. The bestormed vessel on
which Paul sailed had 'iaid to-
on the staPboard tack and
the wind was blowing east
northeast and the vessel drifting prob
ably mile and a-half an hour, struck
at what is now called St PauPs bay.
Practical sailors have taken up the
Bible account and decided beyond con-
troversy the place of the shipwreck.
But the island which has so rough
coast is for the most part a garden.
Richest fruits and a profusion of honey
characterized it in Paurs time as well
olives grow there. When Paul and his
comrades crawled up on the beach,
saturated with the salt water and hun
cry from long abstinence from food,
and chilled to the bone, the islanders,
though called barbarians because they
could not speak Greek, opened their
doors to the shipwrecked unfOrtunates.
Every thing had gone to the bottom
of the deep. and the barefOoted, bare
headed apostle and ships crew were in
"a condition to appreciate hospitality
My text finds the ships crew ashore on
Malta and around a hot fire drying
themselves. and with the best prOvis-
ions the islanders can offer them. And
they go into government quarters for
three days to recuperate, Publius, the
ruler, inviting them, although he had
severe sickness in the house at that
time, his father down with dyseutery
and typhoid fever Yes, for three
months they stayed on the island
watching for ship, and putting the
inequalities OF the islanders to a severe
test. But it endured the test salts
factorily. and it is recorded for all the
ages of time and eternity to read and
hear in regard to the inhabitants of
Malta: 1.-THE barbarOus people showed
us no little kindness"
Kindness! What great word that is
It would take a reed as long as that
which the aPocalyPtic angel used to
measure Heaven to tell the length,
the breadth, the height of that mag
nificeut word. It is a favorite Bible
word, and it is early launched in the
book of Genesis, caught up ia the book
of Joshua, EN- braced in the book of
Ruth, sworn by in the book of Samuel,
crowded in the book of Psalms, and en-
throned in many places in the new
Testament Kindness! word no
more gentle than mighty. It is strong
enough to throw an archanReL But it
will be well for US to stand around it,
and warm ourselves by its glow as Paul
and his fellow voyagers stood around
the fire on the Island of Malta, where
the Maltese made themselves immortal
in my text by the way they treated
these victims of the sea 1.-THE baFbar-
Gus people showed US no little kind
ness p"
Kindnessi All definitions of that
muitipOtent word break down half way.
You say it is clemency, benignity, gen
erosity; it Is made up of good wishes, it
is an expression of beneficence it is a
contribution to the happiness of others
Some one else says: why, can give
you definition Of kindness: it is sun
shine of the soul. 1t is affection peren-
NAL, it is q cIimacteric grace, it is the
com binatiou of all graces. It is com
passion. 1t is the perfection of gentle
manliness and wOmanliuess It can
not be defined. But we all know what
it is, for we have felt its power. Some of
you may have felt it as Paul felt it, on
some coast of rock as the ship went to
pieces, but more of us have again and
again IN some awful stress of life had
either from earth or Heaven hands
stretched out, which showed MS no
little kindness.
There is a kindness of disposition,
kindness of word. kindness of act, and
there is Jesus Christ. the inpersonation
OF all OF them. Kindness! You cannot
afford it, you cannot play it as part;
you cannot dramatize it BY the grace
of God you must have it inside yeu. an
everlasting summer, or rather q com
binstion OF June and October, the gent
atty OF one and the tonic of the other.
1t cannot dwell with arrogance or re-
venge, or maievolence. At its first ap-
pearance in the soul all these Amslelz-
ties and Gergishites, and Utilities and
Jebusitss must quit, and quit forever.
Kindness wishes every body we'll. every
man we'll, every woman well, every
child well, every bird we'll, every horse
well, every dog well. every cat
we'll Give the spirit full swing and
you would have no more need
of societies for prevention of cruelty
20 animals, no more need of protective
sewing WomenS association, and 1t
would dali every sword until it would
not ent skin deep, and unwheeI every
battery till it could not roll, and make
gunpowder of no more use in the world
except for rock blasting or pyroteehnic
celebration
Kindness is a spirit divineIy inn
planted. and in answer to prayer. and
then to be sedulously cultivated until
Il fills ali the nature with a perfume
richer and more pungent than migRon-
cite. and, as IL you put tuft OF that
aromatic beauty behind the clock on
the mantle, or in some corner where
nobody can see-it, you ind people walk
ing about your room looking this way
and that and you ask them, what are
you looking for?" and they answer.
where is that fiovver?" So If one has
in his soul this infinite sweetness of
disposition. its perfume will over V7helm
everything.
But are you waiting and hoping for
some one to be banixrupted or exposed.
or discora fitted. or in some way over
thrown, then kindness has not taken