Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1901-09-28
title kindness"
Most Potent of Words.

Kindnessl What great word that
isl II would take reed as long as
that which the apocalyptic angel used
to measure heaven to tell the length,
the breadth, the height, of that muni1-
cent word. 1t Is favorite Bible word,
and it is early launched in the book of
Genesis, caught up In the book or
Joshua, embraced In the book OF Ruth,
sworn by In the book of Samuel. crown
ed in the book OF Psalms and enthron-
ed in many places in the New Tesla
ment Kindness! A word no more
gentle than mighty. expect 1t Will
wrestle me down before get through
with It. 1t Is strong enough to throw
nm archangel. But it will be well for
us TO stand around It and warm our
selves by its glow as Paul and his fel-
low vOyagers stood around the fire OH
the island Of Malta, where the Maltese
made themselves immortal in my text
by the way they treated these victims
Of the sea. The barbarous people
SDOh cu us DO lIlllc
KIndnessl All definitions OF that
multipotent word break down half
way. You say it Is clemency benigni-
ty, generosity; 1t is made up Of good
wishes; II is an expression Of beneii'
cence; ii is a contribution to the happi-
ness of others. Some one else says:
why, I can give you a definition OF
kindness. 1t Is sunshine Of the soul; II
Is affection perennial; 1t Is climacter-
lc grace; II Is a combination OF all the
graces; 1t is compassion; 1t Is the per-
fection of gentle manliness and wo'
manllness." Are you all through? You
have made a dead failure In your def.
milton. 1t cannot be defined. But we all
know what 1t is, for we have all felt Its
power. Some Of you may have felt II
as Paul felt 1t Oh 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 lmpersonation or
all of them. Kindness. You cannot
affect it; you cannot play 1t as part;
you cannot enact IT, you cannot drama
tize IT, BY the grace Of God you must
have 1t inside you. an everlasting sum-
mer. or, rather. combination OF June
and October, the geniality of the one
and the tonic Of the other 1t cannot
dwell with arrogance or spite or re-
yenge Oh malpvOleuce. AT its first ap'
pearance i'm the soul all these Amale'
kites and Gcrgishites and Hittites and
Jebusites must quit and quit forever.
Kindness wishes everybody well, every
man well. every woman we'll. every
child we'll. 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 prevention OF cruelty to animals,
no more need OF protective sewing
women's associations. and 1t would
dull every sword unit! II would not
cut skin deep and unwheel every bat
terry till 1t could not roll and make
gunpowder OF no more use In the world
except for rock blasting or pyrotechnlc
celebration.
But are you waiting and hoping for
some one to be bankrupted or exposed
or discounted or in some way over
thrown? Then kindness has not taken
possession Of your nature. You are
wrecked on a Malta where there are
no oranges. You are entertaining a
..-. 80 ,,,,Itt,o Lindnacc that Kindness