The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1905-05-05
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Rambling Thoughts

During the past quarter OF cell
tury, while | have been communing
with the readers Of the "Farm Jonr-
nal" through the medium of printers
ink, have made wide circle of
friends and acquaintances. have,
from time to time, received responsive
messages from every State in the I'm
ion, and they are mostly in accord
with some thought or word of mine,
and many Of them contain beautiful
sentiments of kindness and love. They
come from both men and women; but
the head of the Sidneys doesn't seem
to mind in the least these masculine
illusions of appreciation, SO long as
they hail from remote places. He
doesn't lie awake at night trying to
invent means to fight man at long
range.
These sympathetic letters have been
a great pleasure and help to me, and
have taught me to knew, better than
of yore, how human kindness sends
one on his road rejoicing, and inspires
the tired worker to renewed exertion
and to higher appreciation Of human
nature.
have thought sometimes, as the
years rolled by, that l have said all |
have TO say and had better stop; but
the kind interest of my unknown
friends, as expressed in their letters,
reassurcs me, and / take up the pen
again.
Who is there so fiat as not to relish
an honest word of praise-the word
fitly spoken that ''is like apples Of
gold in pictures of silver?" Who SO
ungrateful as not to value highly the
kind hand that has helped him in his
need, and made his load lighter to car
ry? Kindness is lever that moves
the world. Even williams know this
and ply their trade Of extortion by
flattering words and pacific manners,
sometimes even protesting the religion
of Jesus Christ for the purpose of de-
frauding men. 1t is hard to tell the
true from the false-the man who
comes to you in sleeps clothing from
the one who is guided by unselfish
love for his fellow men.
True, we shall know them by their
fruits, but we have need sometimes to
know them ere their crop Of evil has
been gathered and exhibited to the
world. Everybody is ready to cry
down the sinner when his guilt has be-
come known, but not all are ready to
help remove the stumbling blocks
from a weak brothers way, and make
it easy for him to dc right, and hard
to do wrong. Nothing unusual to see
men of good standing in the commun-
ity going along in business
with those whom they know in their
hearts are net to be trusted, seeing
them deoeiving others with false pre-
lenses, and retaining them in positions
they are unworthy to fill-without the
moral courage to chide or corro ct them
in their wicked ways, or to give a
word of friendly warning to some
prospective victim of their wiles.
Ladies Of spotless regulations swing
back their hospitable doors and take
into their parlors the man of we'll
known tarnished character, not worthy
to he accorded a place in the social
circle among innocent and unsuspe Ct
iny girls; while many true man of
honest worth is denied such privilege,
because, pclchance, he has not a fat
tering tongue, a rich father, or grace
ful carriage in the dance.
Little children before they are OLD
cnnuyI, to b" influenced by tn, ir eld-