Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-25
Sunday Morning Talk.
Society's Debt to the Considerate Man.

Society's Debt to the Considerate Man.
We all know him or her, for the consid-
crate person is apt to be woman. l mean
the thoughtful, foresighted. large-minded
individual who Is truly considerable Of his
fellow-men. If he is guest at our house
he gives due notice to his comings and go
ings, and is appreciaive of even the little
that we do for him. II we are stopping
at his house he plays the part of host TO
perfection. anticipating our every want.
Generally speaking he is the man wo-
man who remembers that the girl in the
kitchen who may hail from a region 1900
miles distant may be a bit lonely now and
then who passes his newspaper he leaves
the train to the man in the locomotive who
bethinks himself of some kinsman or former
schoolmate just now needing a letter warm
with the old-time affection. who gives a
friendly word to the bootblack he drops
the coin into his hands.
Consideration goes a step farther than
kindness. rs jenkins a kind MANI" Sure.
He never struck his wife or said a harsh
word to his children. He has good inten-
tons toward all the human family But all
the same, Jenkins is far from being Il con-
siderate man. His kindness is passive rath-
er than active. working girl was telling
me the other day of her longing for half
holiday weekly and when l suggested that
she ask her employer-a parson, by the way
for 1t, she replied: We'll, he is real kind,
but in matter like this | should feel ever
so much better If he would think of it him
self without my going to him.
Here are at the heart of the secret
of considerateness. man who never stops
and thinks will never be consderate man.
If he is on the rush to get a car or meet
an appointment, If with elbows out he is
constantly battling for the first place he is
not likely to take the rights and wishes OF
others into account. The Scripture says
'fRleSSRi ia haf he -
Do you ever stop to reflect seriously not
upon the problem of poverty but the life
of the poor, to take the dimensions of their
joys and sorrows to imagine how you would
get along with their meager resources and
cherries surroundings to put yourself in
their place when sickness or accident be-
fall them?
Considerateness Is the essence OF all sue
cessful approach to the great Industrial
problems of our day. 1t is not primarily a
question of the ten-hour day or the eight
hour day, of the open shop or the closed
shop of limited output of profit-sharing.
Even the considerate man might hesitate to
take a definite position on all these ques-
tons for all parts of the world Perhaps
he will accomplish more in the long run by
maintaining non-partisan attitude at the
same time leaving no one in doubt that his
sympathies first, last and always with
the men who do the hard and dangerous
manual work of the world in order that all
their fellow-men may have coal to burn
and shoes to wear and bread to eat.
True consideration is born out of deep
sense of the spiritual values of human re-
lationshipS. You not going to take pains
to brighten the lot of q fellowman unless
you see In him something more than so
many pounds of flesh and blood. II that is
all he is why put yourself out to increase
his sources of pleasure. But II you see on
his face the impress of the divine hand that
fashioned 1t and If you feel in your own
heart the impulse of great love-why then
you will become a considerate man before
you know 1t.
And how great the reward from cultivat-
ing in the garden OF our souls this modest
little flower. consideration. To all who will
nurture 1t I.owell's words apply:
Blessing she is God made her so,
And deeds of weekday holiness
Flow from her noseless the snow
Nor hath she ever CHANGED to prov
That aught easier than bless
IT'D. PAgSNs.