The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-07-11
WHERE CHARITY BEGINS.

Its Most Earnest Work May Be liz the
Home, but II Should Not End There.
Charity itself consists in acting
justly and faithfully in whatever Of
fee, business and employment per-
son is engaged in.-Swedenborg.
When we we're tiny tots we were
taught to repeat: "Faith, hope and
| charity; the greatest of these is
charity"
The r,cuning was only vague to US
then, or perhaps there was no mean
ing at ALL We lisped the words in
childish fashion because we were told
they contained lesson we must learn,
Or Ne worked them in cross-stitch on
canvas for motto" to hang in the
sitting-room. But now that we are
older grown We have learned that the
greatest of .hcse" at least some of
US have learned it, maybe through the
sorrows of others, if not our own-"is
charity
And part of the teaching concern
ing charity, too, in our childhood was
that it began at home. Some of us
learned that part Of the lesson to re-
member it always, and others Of US
forgot it quite soon, because it was
not put Ito practice, and others Of
US allowed L e charitable spirit to go
no furth r than the confines of home.
But while charity may begin at home,
it should not stop there. And because
it often does is the Why of this bit Of
sermon.
The average woman is charitably
inclined. Sometimes she puts aside
this inclination and yields to the
temptation to think unkindly Of her
friends and neighhors when she could
just as we'll think the best of them,
and so / am moved to grow bit
preachy, because I am sending an an
swer in this to the question somebody
has asked me: care women more
charitable than men?"
Both men and women have many
chances to be charitable but rather
think those that come to women out
number those that come to men. 1t
would be hard to answer the question
with simple eyes" or 'no," because
the ground upon which men and wo-
| men daily stand in such matters is an
uneven one.
Swedenborg's idea of what charity
consists in is broad one, and if we
accept it as viewpoint from which it
is we'll to look, we may conclude that
there is no bound or limit to the field
in which daily charity should dwell.
A mans opportunity to bestov
charity oftentimes comes in such way
that it is big, and great aud grand, and
he IS proud Of the opportunity. But
20 g Sonan there comes; more often
than the big onee, opportunities that
are so small .hey are vexing. But
after all it is the ittle things .of, life
that count, andwhile petty things are
always more or less trying it isn't al
ways inst wise 20 shink Of them of NC
account and not worth while.
There is the charity that prompts
one to say nothing when only i'll Of
one might be said, and the charity
that prompts one to boldly take the
part Of another who is being criticised
harshly and undeservedly. And there
is the charity that prompts a woman
at home to be gracious neighbor, to
willingly and with smile lend cup
Of sugar to help out the cake that is
being made next door. OF course, in
this day, when there are neat. little
stores at almost every corner, and tele.
phones 10 our houses so We may easily
call up our grocers If we do not care
to walk block to give an order. there
is not really much excuse for "bor-
rowing In fact, we nowadays look
upon the neighbor who "runs short"
and appeals to us to help her out as
rather a careless housekeeper. And
unless We are very charitably inclined
women. we indulge in little frown
when we are interrupted in our reading
to go back TO the. kitchen for lemon
for our neighbor's waiting little girl.
There are, indeed, times, though,
when chances for the greater charities
ccne to every woman. Perhaps the
small everyday affairs That I have