Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1902-01-17

ness is courtesy! The lack of it
brings to many dead failure, while
before those who possess it in large
quantity all the doors of opportu-
nifty are open. You can tell what ur-
banity does not come from study of
books Of etiquette, although such
books have their use, but from a
mind full of thoughtfulness for 9TH
ers and a heart in sympathy with the
conditions of others. If those condi-
tions be prosperous, a gladness for
the success, or if the conditions be
depressing, sorrow for the unfavor-
able circumstances. All, this world
needs lighting up! To those of US
who are prosperous it is no credit
that we live in a state of good cheer,
but in the lives of 90 out of 1Go there
is a pathetic side, taking off, def
icit, an anxiety, a trouble. By
genial look, by a kind word, by help
full action, we may lift little of the
burden and partly clear the way for
the stumbling foot. Oh, what glori-
Gus art it is to say the right word
in the right way at the right time!
How reprehensible the behavior of
those who pride themselves on the
opposite quality and have a genius
for saying disagreeable things, using
sarcasm and retort not for lawful
purposes, but to sting and humiliate
and hurt! Didn't take him down ?'
Didn't make him wince?'' Didn't
I give it to him?" That is the spirit
of the devil, while the opposite is the
spirit of Christ.
The time must come when the world
Ill
tesy. Now courtesy between nations
is chiefly made of rhetorical greeting.
but as soon as there is a difference of
interest their ministers plenipoten tiary
are called home, and the guns of the
forts are put in position, and the army
and navy get ready. Why not cour-
tesy between nations that viii defer
to each other and surrender little
rather than have. prolonged acrimony,
ending in great slaughter? Room for
all nat lions of the earth and all styles
of government. What the world wants
is less armament and courtesy,
less of the spirit of destruction and
more of the spirit of amity. This CEN
fury has opened with too many armies
in the field and too many men-of-war
on the ocean. Before the century closes
to the plow and the last warship be-
come a merchantmen.
There is nothing worthy in the
thought that the earth will get too
crowded with popula ton if vast multi
tudes are not destroyed by war. When
our old world is full of inha bitants,
it will have fulfilled its mission, and it
will be put aside like old ship turned
into a navy yard and dismantled and
the worlds inha bitants transferred to
some other constella ton. The angels
in the song celebrated this coming in
ternational courtesy when in the Beth
lehem starlight they chanted: Good
will to men,"
If others lack courtesy that is no
reason why you should lack it. Re-
spond to rudeness by utmost alta bill
ty. Because some one else is boor
is no reason why you should be boor.
But how few show urbanity when bad
ly treated! Human nature says: "An
eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, re-
tort for retort, SANDER for SANDER,
maltre tment for maltrea tment." But
there have been those you and I have
known who amid assault and carica-
ture and injustice have maintained the
time Nothing but Divine grace in the
heart can keep such equilibrium. That
is not human nature until it is trans
formed by supernal influences. To put
it on the lowest ground you cannot af-
ford to be revengeful and malignant.
Hatred and high indignation are stages
CT unhealth. They enlarge the spleen;
they weaken the nerves; they attack
n C or, f0T -rl1
of apoplexy. Every time you get mad
you damage your body and mind and
soul, and you have not such surplus
of vigor and energy that you can af-
ford to sacrifice them.
So 1 applaud Christian courtesy. I
would put it upon the throne Of every
heart in all the world. The beauty of
it is that you may extend it to others
and have just as much of it-yea. more
of it-left in your own heart and life.
It is like the miracle of the loaves and
fishes, which, by being divided, were
multiplied until IL baskets were
filed with the remnants. 1t is like
torch, with which so lamps may be
lighted and yet the torch remain as
bright as before it lighted the first
lamp.
But this grace VIII not come to its
coronal until it reaches the heavenly
sphere. What world that must be
where selfshness and jealousy and
pride and acerbities of temper have
never entered and never will enter!
No struggle for precedence. No rival
nv between cherubim and seraphim.
No ambition as to who shall have the
front seats in the temple of God and
the Lamb. No controversy about the
place the guest may take at the ban