The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-05-28
A Practical Question.

- PRACTICAL QueStlon,
This fact then, I think we may take
for granted. Now comes a practical ques-
ton How are you and 1 going to treat
those people who have been unjust to us
in the past? There are scores of them
who have done us wrong. At the time we
did all We could to counterfeit this evil
Shall we continue to bear them grudge?
Shall we continue to be unforgiving and
to bear malice toward them?~ Oh, no.
Having done our best to counteract the
evil deeds they have done to us, we
should forgive and forget. Let each day
that Is dead bury the unjustices of the
past Twilight forgiveness in the store,
in the home, in the church, in our pro-
fessional careers and on the playground
and in the school room. May God help
me to show you that every resentment
harbored will curse you as well as curse
your fellow men. Perhaps when we at
tempt to pluck the notes out of our
brothers eyes we overlook huge beams
In our own.
There is so much bad in the best of us,
There is so much good in the worst Of
1t hardly behooves any Of us
To think Ill of the rest of us
anger In itself Is no sign once wrote
DR. Goulburn, but II has a tendency rap
idly to become so II it be harbored too
long. Like the mama of the wilderness,
1t corrupts and breeds worms If kept over
night in the close chambers of the heart
Then 1t will appear in the morbid shapes
of spite. malice and revenge. The Chris
tan rule is to throw 1t all away before
fermentation commences" Why? Because
inevitably If a person harbors Ill will
toward another he will focus his vision
simply and entirely upon the evil which
a man does and not upon the good he is
capable of doing and has done. He is like
a ranchman or a farmer who peevishly
goes forth and with his ak hews down
a whole orchard merely because the San
lose scale honeycombs a few trees. He
Is like lapidary who throws away a
valuable Jewel because he has found one
flaw in 1t. Because of some fault of
character because of some weakness of
nature. because Of some meanness be-
cause OF some poor little. petty. fault
finding disposition or some depreca tory
jealousy In the makeup of your friend
you are ready to turn your back upon
him and Jet the future part you as the
waves of the sea separate the new hem
isphore from the old.
Only First Offense.
One offense is often sufficient to break
un a lifetime of friendship. What Is the
matter, Mr. so-and-so?'' l ask Has any
one done you an injury? You look angry
enough to make somebody suffer- We'll.
/ should SLY So" you answer You know
my old friend. John Newman We have
been for wears tire closest Of associates.
We grew up together as boys. We have
had many business dealings In common.
Some months ago he came TO me and
sold: Harry I have a fine herd Of cat
tie out IN Western Kansas ! want YOU
to help me weather the winter through
LEM him $500, He has not only lost
every cent of 1t. but as for as can mako
out he lied to me about the cattle. He
never owned a horn Or a hoof He
sauandered my money In Wall street,
"Is that so? What are you going to do?v
Nothing" you answer. What can T
do except contemptuously leave him
alone?' Yes, you can do that If you will.
But tell me, friend, has John Newman
ever failed you before? I grant that he
was not truthful. ! grant that he did NOT
do right But are you going to let that
one act. that one sin. blot out the five
hundred good deeds he would do for Won
in the future II you would only forgive
him this once and give him another
chance?
Because a gun misses fire once or twice
or thrice shall the hunter throw II aside
as useless? Yet that is the way some Of
us deal with those who have done us
wrong Suppose you were in the position
of very dear friend of mine some years
ago. He took young man In his ernplov
and made him his right hand man in the