Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1900-12-26
A MISSION OF JOY

- A"'e DSSh IOI 1Ou
and wide," she said. as she took Joy
hand and put il to her lips ~ wal
you to go to the places where I ha'
been. want you to visit the factori,
where young girls ton year after yea
without much hope, without muc
comfort; I want you to go to the clos
courts where poverty and crime lurl
L want you to smile on those poor sis
tiers for whom the world has no pit
AMI no love. l vast you to give pleIs
ure to those who have had no pleesur,
for all these long years. Take som,
Of the young children into the country
show them the beaulie. of Nature. Let
them wander through the dafold
woods which you and I loved. Lei
them pluck The yellow flowers. They
will feel all the better and all the hap
pier for pIucking these yellow flowers.
Let them gather mosses-the greenest
they can find. Teach them the sorg
OF the birds. They will carry thai
music in their hearts and it will be q
pure joyto them"
| So Joy went into the factories,
amongst the toilers, amongst the out
4
casts, amongst the poor and wretched
They looked up from their wretched-
ness and saw JOYS gracious presence.
She brought hope into their lives and
a'tive sympathy. Some of their faces
clught the expression of her face; lips
which had never learnt to Smile, now
learnt from her. Hardened hearts
yielded to her. That which Sorrow |
cou d not teach. Joy was teaching;
the beauty of holiness, the unconquer-
ableness of hope, The loneliness of truth.
Joy took the chi dren into tue coun.
try and they pluckeC the daffodils ano
v'olets and primros es, and they gather
cred berries aud moss.s and richly /
tinted leaves, They listened to ;l,I
singing of the birds. Their hearts
were filed with gratitude and wonder,
They had not known how fair the
world was until Joy came amongst
them.
Sorrow heard of joys noble work
and blessed her for It.
"Let me ever give place to JOY" she
thought. "Ihe world mas no need of
me-"
One light she dreamed that she went y
o the halls Of Death and asked to be h
shown into the presence Of the Lord
If Death.
"Why art thou here?" asked the .
1crd of Death gravely as che stood te- r
ore him, her head bowed and her arms
olded in front Of Ter. lii
81 have come for thee to lay thy al
old hand on me-" she whispered, 81
'ish to die. 1 wish t. free the world s,
my dark presence. wish my very
anne to be forgotten"
But the Lord of Death answered 'D
lus; When thou diest, Joy m asst die
So" Surely thou dost not wish her 80
die when she is doing her good work.
Lat would the world do without JOY? TIL
nd If l lay my cold hand on thee, 1 ill
ust needs lay it on Jay. For as the
mt implies the darkness, and as the lou
y implies the night, SO Joy implies
'rrow, and Sorrow implies Joy. Thus
gu 'eest ye are inseparably bound up
5elher' Together ye came into the Pc
'rld, and together ye must leave the POI
rid. What is thy choice, Sorrow? To
lit thou live or die bee
81 will livel" cried Sorrow, SO that the
y, my twin sister, may live eyermore. "oS
r The world has need Of her smiles, frs
laughter, and all her loving inAu. Il
'e. 0, Lord Of Death, this is my no
'.ee-live for eveIm ne" ma
Ard S PROV awoKe, remember ng be-. III,
en-. In her heart there was that ant
lnge gladne which comes Of sacri- Gol
. She sought out her sister, She
rcely lecogn zsd her, for there was
Oauty on J US face which Sorrow 7
never before seen so clearly deGn- =.
$1OI
You WI never know DEATH" SAID bed
low as she looked proudly at he DUR