Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-01-16

TIhhciSco buNc an American. L ne
American pushed him off the sidewalk
until he fell into the mud. The China.
man on rising began to brush Off the
mud and said to the American. "You
Christian; me heather. Goodby." A
stranger entered church in one of
the cities and was allowed to stand n
long while, although there was plenty
| of room. No one offered a scat. The
stranger after awhile said to one of
| the brethren, What church Is thisf"
| The answer was, "Christs church, sir"
us he IMP said the stranger. The Of
fccr of the church understood what
was meant and gave him a seat We
want more courtesy in the churches,
more courtesy in places of business,
more courtesy in our homes.
But heart courtesy must prccede
hand and head and foot courtesy. Gull
tivatlon of it should begin In the IA
TIERS housc. You often notice that
brothers and sisters are often gruff
and snappy and say things and do
things that they would not have the
outside world know about. Rough
things are sometimes said in house
holds which ought never to be said ut
all - teasing and recrimination and
faultfinding and harsh criticisms. which
will have their echo thirty and forty
and fifty years aftcrward. In the slcct
driven by that cast wind no sweet
flowers of Kindness and gcniality will
grow. Let children hear their parents
picking at each other, and those chill
drcn will be found picking at each
other, and far down the road of life
viii be Hcn the same disposition to
pick at others. Better than this habit
OF picking ut children, which 50 many
parents indulge in. would be one good
healthy application Of the rod Better
a shower that lasts few minutes
than the cold drizzle of many days
We never get over our first home, how
ever many homes we may have after
ward.
Cultivate Christian Grace.
Let us all cultivate this grace Of
Christian courtesy by INDUCING in the
habit Of praise instead of the habit of
blame There are evils in the world
that we must dcnounce, and there are
men and women who ought to be chas-
tiscd, but never let us allow the OPP
portunity Of applauding good deeds
pass unimprovcd The old theory was
that YOU must never praise people lest
we make them vain. 40 danger Of
that. Before any of us get through
with life we will have enough mean
and icnoble and dcprcciating and ly-
1
humble. God approvingly recognizes
n system Of rewards as we'll as of pun
iShmcnts.
When you hear good sermon, stop
after the bcnedictiOn and tell the pas
tor, though YOU never saw him before
that day, Your sermon did me good"
When a mechanic does n good piece OF
work, tell him it is well done. When
a physician brings you out Of a peril
Gus illness, stop him in the street and
say, doctor. you saved my life"
When you hear Of business man in
some heavy stress Of financial weather
helping Trailer craft into the harbor,
90 into his counting room and say, Il
hear you have been helping your fell
low business man to Outride the tenn
pest of panic, and l came in to thank
you for the good advice you gave and
to let YOU know that all good citizens
appreciate what you have been doing"
Go down the street tomorrow and
thank somebody. There are hundreds
of people who never get thanked at all.
Plenty of severe criticism, plenty of
faulttnding, plenty of misinterpreta-
ton. plenty Of depreciation, but as to
gratitude that is market in which
the supply does not equal the demand.
In the cultivation of this habit Of
Christian courtesy let us abstain from
joining in the work Of defamation.
Every little while society takes after
n man. and it must have a victim. If
you had 4 roll OF all the public men of
this generation or Of any generation
who have been denounced and despoil-
ed of their good name. it would take
you long while to call the roll. 1t is
a bad streak in human nature that
there are so many who prefer to be-
lieve evil instead of good concerning
any one under discussion. If good
motive and bad motive have been
possible in the case in hand, one man
will believe the conduct was inspired
10y good motive, and ten men will be-
lcve it was inspired by a bad motive.
The more faults Il man has OF his own
the more willing is he to ascribe faults
to others.
. Speak Well OF One Anothc-.
, What curse of cynics and pessi-
, mists afilicts our time afllicts all time.
, There are those who praise no one I'M
, iii he is dead. Now that he is clear
under ground and a heavy stone is on
top Of him there is no possibility of his
ever coming up again as rival. Some
of the cpitapAs on tOmbstoncs are so
fulsome that on resurrection day n
man rising may, If he reads the cpl
, taph, for the moment think he got in
10 the wrong grave. Speak well one
Of another. and If you find yourself in
, circles disposed to SANDER and abuse
be for the time as dumb as the sphinx
= which, though only few yards away
= from the Overshadowing pyramid Of
t Egypt, has not with its lips Of stone
|. spoken one word in thousands of
years.
f There are two sides to every mans
- character u good side and an evil
% .tJn ubo r1od roo o,Ir @bo o,ooJ n -