The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1901-11-05
THE POWER OF KINDNESS
DR.. TaImage Says a Spirit of Amity and
Good Feeling is 10 Be Commended.
Victory Through Good wnl-Most Potent
OF Worlds
fCnnrrirht for I

lie kindness"
Here we are on the Island of Malta. an
other name for Melita. This island, which
has always been an important commercial
centre. belonging at different times to
Phoencia, 10 Greece, TO Rome, to Arabia,
10 Spain. TO France, now belongs to Eng.
land. The area of the island is about 100
square miles. 1t is in the Mediterranean
Sea, and of such clarity of atmosphere
that Mount Etna. 100 miles away. can be
distinctly seen. The island is goriously
memorable because the knights of MALTA
for long while ruled there. but most fe-
nous because of the apostolic shipwreck.
The bestormed vessel on which Paul
sailed had laid to" on the starboard tack,
and the wind was blowing east-northeast,
and, the vessel drifting probably a mile
and half an hour, she struck at what is
now called st. Paufs BAY. Practical sail
ors have taken up the Bible account and
decided beyond controversy the place of
the shipwreck. But the island, which has
so rough coast, is for the most part
garden. Richest fruits and PROPULSION of
honey characterized it in Paul's time as
well as now, The finest oranges, figs and
olives grow there.
When Paul and his comrades crawled up
on the beach, saturated and hungry from
long. abstinence from food and chilled to
the bone, the islanders, though called bar
barians because they could not sneak
wrecked unfortunates. Ny text finds the
ships crew ashore on Malta and around a
hot fire and with the best provision 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 dangerous illness. Yea, for three
months they stayed on the island watch
ing for ship and putting the hospitality
OF tho islanders to n severe test. But it
endured the test satisfactorily, and it is
recorded for all the ages of time and eter-
nty to read and hear in regard to the in
habitants of Malta, The barbarous people
showed us no little kindness"
Kindness! What a 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 munihcent word 1t is
favorite Bible word, and tits early launched
IN the book of Genesis, caught up in the
book OF Joshua, embraced in the book of
Ruth, sworn by in the book of Samuel,
crowned in the book of Psalms and en-
throned in many places in the New Tes-
lament. Kindness! A word no more
gentle than mighty. 1 expect it will wres-
Tie me down before get through with it.
1t IS strong enough to throw an archan-
gel. But 1t will be well for US to stand
around it and warm ourselves by it's glow
as Paul and his fellow voyagers stood
around the fire on the Island of Malta,
where the Maltese made themselves inn
mortal IN my ext by the way they treated
these victims of the sea. The barbarous
people showed us no little kindness"
Kindness! All definitions of that multi
potent word break down half way. You
say 1T Is clemency, benignity, generosity;
1T Is made up of good wishes; 1t is a con-
trbution to the happiness of others.
Some one else says: why, can give YOU
a. definition of kindness. 1t is sunshine of
the soul; 1T Is affection PERENNIAL; it is a
chmacterIc grace; 1T is a combination of
perfection OF gentle manliness and wom-
anllness. Are YOU all through? You
have made a dead failure in your defni-
ton. 1t cannot be defined. But we all
know what 1t is, for we have all felt its
power. Some of you may have felt it as
Paul felt 1t 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 us no little
kindness"
There is kindness Of disposition, kind.
ness OF word, kindness of act, and there
Is Jesus Christ, the impers onation of all
OF them. Kindness! You cannot affect il
you cannot play it as a part; you cannot
enact 1T; you cannot dramatic it. BY the
grace OF God you must have it inside you,
an everlasting summer, or, rather, COM
binatlon OF June and October, the genial
ity of the one and the tonic of the other.
1t cannot dwell with arrogance or spite or
revenge or malevolence. At its first APP
pearance IN the soul all these Amalekites
and Gergishites and Hitttes and Jebu-
sites must quit and quit forever. Kind
ness wishes everybody well, every child
well, every bird well, every horse well
every dog well every cat well
GIVE this spirit full swing, and YOU
would have no more need of societies for
~ 70 avnavr IL
need OF protective sewing women's asso-
elatlons, and 1t would dull every sword
until 1t would not cut skin deep and un-
wheel every battery till it could not roll
and make gunpowder OF no more use in
the world except for rock blasting or nv
rotechnic celebration.
But are you waiting and hoping for some
one 70 be bankrupted or exposed or dis
comhted or IN some way overthrow?
linen Kindness has not taken possession of
your nature. You are wrecked on a Malta
where there are no oranges. You are en-
PERTAINING guest SO unlike kindness that
kindness VIII not come and dwell under
the same roof. The most exhausting and
unhealthy and ruinous spirit on earth Is A
revengetul spirit or retaliating spirit, as /
know by experience, for / have tried IL for
nye or ten IN nutes at a time. When come
mean thing has been done me OF said
about me, / have felt II will pay him In
his own coin. / will show him up. The
migrate, the traitor the lar, the villainW
But i've or ten minutes of the feeling has
been so unnerving and exhausting i have
abandoned IT., and / cannot understand
new people can 60 about torturing them.
selves hve or ten or twenty years trying
TO get even with somebody The only
way you viii ever triumph over your enc.
mies ~ by forgiving them and wishing
them all good and no evil
As malevoience Is the most uneasy and
prohtiess and dangerous feeling. Kindness
IS the most healthful and delightful. And
TINS ls not an abstraction. AS i have tried
a lttle OF the retaliatory feeling. 90 I have
tried little Of the forgiving. / do not
want 70 leave this world until / have
taken vengeance upon every man that ever
did me wrong by doing him a kindness
Let us All pray for this spirit Of kind
ness. II viii settle a thousand questions
1t will change the phase Of everything. IL
Will mellow through and through our en-
tire nature. IL wall transform a lifetime
~ ne not feeling got up for occasions.
but perennial. That is the reason like
petunlas better than morning rlories.
They look very much alike, and IL i should
put M your hand petunia and a morning
glory you could hardly tell which was The
petunia and which the morning glory. but
the morning glory blooms only a few hours
and then shuts up for the day, while the
petunia is in az widespread a glow AZ ~
O'Clock at noon and o'clock in the even.
ing AZ at sunrisc. And this grace OF kind
meas IS not FpaSmodic 10 Is not intermit-
tent, it 10 not for a little while. but it ir-
radiates the whole nature all through and
Htence.
Kindnessl I am resolved 10 get it.
Arc yrr resolved % ~si it! It does not
come lv haphazard but through culture
under div.r. helm Thisties grow without
cuIfnre. Eorfv Mountain cage grass grows