Connecticut western news., 1904-11-03

m1EHt as well knOW II now ana 0D'e for all. Mother, l hate him. I hate father because l know father has no love for me-" What did your wife do? Did she begin to scold? Oh. no! She simply went up to her boy and put her arm lovingly around lis neck and said {: "Harry Why, Harry! Are you going to leave me? Would you leave your mother? Oh, my boy, you know not what you are saylng!" The boy start ed. The tears began to flow. He never even whimpered under your blows, but with his mother he just sobbed like q little child. Then she took his head upon her breast and began to gently talk to him. She told him how anxious you were to see him grow up to be good and true and brave. She told him that you had right to expect obedi- ence from him and that it grieved you to have to punish him. And while she talked his heart melted, and he was as soft as wax in her hand. That night in the quietude, of your room your wife said: Husband, never strike that boy again. You will rue the day that you do. You can get Harry to do anything If you are only gentle with him. But strike him, and some day he will either strike you back or leave home in anger forever"
 Gentleness Will Win.
 We all know that it is only by gentle, ness we have our greatest influence over our loved ones. Yet, strange to say when anything goes wrong at the store or in the home and we lose our tempers we nearly always turn our an ger against our own children or our own wives or our own husbands or our own brothers and sisters. If the cook is mean and suddenly leaves us in the lurch or the laundryman ruins our best washed dress or we become fatigued from the spring or the fall house clean ing or our clerks cheat us at the store, then we are very apt to vent our dis pleasure upon our helpless children or our wives or husbands, who have done nothing. The domestic squalls and up- heavals are often due entirely to out side causes and not to inside dissen- sions. Now, my friends, let us one and all learn to guard against speaking harsh words against those we love. Let us deal gently with those who are by our side and who are bound to us by the strong ties of domestic affec- tions.
 Remember that in the influence of the gentle life In the home we can serve God just as truly In the small things and In the little duties as in the great. Tn the effort to appreciate va rious forms of greatness," wrote Ed ward Howard Greggs, we must not underestimate the value of a simple, good life. Just to be good, to keep life pure from degrading elements, to make it constantly helpful in little ways to those who are touched by 1t, to keep ones spirit always sweet and avoid all manner of petty anger and irritability, that is an ideal us noble as it is diffi- cult" But that is an ideal which God will let us all reach if we daily go to him in prayer. That IS an ideal we all should try to reach, for in order to have our loved ones spiritually sweet we must set them an example and avoid all manner of petty anger and irritability. We ourselves must learn by practice to be true types of the Christians gentle life.
 Deal gently with father mother, hus- band, wife, brother, sister and child. Yes, but the text goes further than tlis. It bids us deal gently with those who are fighting us and our wUfk De- cause they do not see conditions as we see them We should deal gently with our enemies as well as our friends, with our defamers and with those who are doing all they can to destroy us. In the great coliseum of the worlds struggles we should never do as did the ancient aristocrats, brutalized by the spectacle of the gladiatorlal com- bat When the victor in one of these fierce fights had beaten his foe to the earth, he looked up to the spectators for q signal to tell him if his prostrate enemy was to be killed or to have mercy shown him. Then even women so far forgot the tenderness of their sex as to turn down their thumbs, which was the signal to finish the wounded man. We should always lift our thumbs up. We should not give the signal ito destroy" We should signal always ito save" no matter how much the prostrate foe may hate us and our work. If this Pauline com mandment bids young Timothy to be gentle with his friends, 1t also com mands him to deal gently with his enemies.
 Thousands of men are ready to say they will be kind and gentle to their friends. They are not ready, however, to say they will be kind and forglving to their enemies. They pride them selves upon the fact that they are good lovers. They also pride them selves upon the fact that they are good haters. If Il man does them kindness they store that fact away in the most secure treasure room of the temple of memory" They will wait, if need be, ten, twenty, thirty or even forty years to pay back that kindness. I was reading the other day of q noted eastern politician whom William c. Whitney many years ago beffiended. This politician, when young man, stood under the shadow of the peni- tentiary walls. Whitney came to his rescue. Twenty-Five years later Will liam c. Whitney was nightly in need of certain help. He went to this man and asked 1t. This famous poll tician turned and said: "Whitney, I have been waiting for nearly thirty years for the chance to repay you for that kindness you once did me. Now the chance has come. 1 never forget friend" He at once came to Whitney's rescue. But, though some people never forget a friend. on the other hand others never forgive an injury done by an enemy. They may have to abide their time quarter or even half d century, but when the time comes they are as vindictlve as though the past injury was of yesterday. Now, my text emphatically says: Deal gently with friends. Deal gently with the en- emy also." Love those who love you. Yes. But love those who hate you and