The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1906-11-09


ings Of the northern military chieftan
In leaving General Sherman lifted hi
hat as he said, Madam, you are the
best bred woman | ever met" But
though General Sherman may have
thus spoken to the southern lady, there
are thousands and tens of thousands OF
such men and women as she was Nc
matter among what social elias ses the
Christian worker may go. he will find
that everywhere the human heart is
beating with gentleness and kindness
Everywhere people will go out of Their
way to do him a favor, as the bar.
barians cared for Paul and the ship.
wrecked crew struggling to land from
the Alexandria corn ship.
Kindness as a Magnet.
But, if the human heart is ready to
greet you kindly, how much more is ii
willing to be kind to you after you
have been kind to it. Kindness is a
magnet. II attracts; it does not repel.
1t draws the best which is in every
nature with whom it comes in contact.
1t will break the hard crusts of selfish
ness. 1t will make even adamantine
hearts move with sympathetic life.
Some years ago at Willet's Point Gen
eral Charles King, a United States
army officer, took an old cannon which
had outliYed it's usefulness as a de-
stroyer, and he wound it round and
round with ten miles of copper wire
| rThnn "a N
electric battery. The result, said an
eyewitness, was most astounding The
old gun which once hurled it's missiles
of death at an enemy now made the
iron balls leap toward its gaping
mouth. Instead of crushing out human
down and lifted up to its muzzle
massive metallic weight of many tons.
Wonderful, wonderfulr' you say Not
nearly as wonderful is the lifting pow
er of that magnetic cannon as is the
drawing power Of gospel kindness. No
sooner does the world see that you love
it and want to serve it and to help it
than at once that world will redouble
its kindnesses and open the arms of love
to greet your gospel message. And
Christ himself recognized it's power
when he said, II, if be lifted up, will
draw all men unto me-" OF course
am talking about the human heart as
whole and not about the human heart
as in individual exceptions. Now, to
prove what l say is true, turn to this
story of Paul's intercourse with the
Maltese barbarians
Scene the first: 1t Is a dark night
The wind is blowing hurricane. Ev-
cry one who can be indoors is in shell
ter. But l think in the early morning
shepherd is going out to find lost
sheep. He is herdsman on the island
Of Melita. One of the sheep slipped
ing her in the storm. AS the shepherd
climbs the cliffs overlooking the sea he
mutters: God pity the sailor. God
pity the ship caught in such Il sea-"
Then he puts his hands to his eyes and
looks of to watch the tossing, tum-
bling pillows. No sooner does he do
this than he cries: ALAS, there is a
ship! She is heading toward the rocks
She is helpless. Unless we help the
crew they are lost" | see him running
to the village, calling: Help! Help!
Help! Help! There is a ship being
driven upon the rocks. Help! Helpr'
At once the men respond to his call |
Those barbarous people act just as the
old Long Island farmer acted before
4, n RI ,4o% t,,1
built when the John Milton was wreck
ed near East Hampton. They ran with |
the ropes They tied themselves to-
yether like Alpine climbers to reach |
out into the surf and draw the drown
ng men to shore. They did this mere
y for humanity's sake. They did this
Is most people of every nationality !
living along the coast would help
crew. They would have
saved Paul. no matter to what nation
llity he might have belonged. That is
he first scene.
PnuPs Gratitude.
But no sooner was PauPs blood
iglow and he knew that his friends
we're safe than he tried to find out
low he could help his rescuers. While
ne is warming himself by the fire he
hears one OF the barbarians say, Ibid
Publius is very sick?' "Who did
you say was sickP' "Why, the gov
,rnor's father" the barbarian replies.
Then" says Paul, 81 will go and heal
him." No sooner does Paul do this
han the Melitians bring to him all
hose who were physically afflicted
Then what happened? Why, those
1arbarlans just opened the doors of
heir homes. They said to Paul:
Come, Paul; come right in. Every
hing that we have is thine" Cannot
we are willing to be food for the hun.
cry, clothes for the naked, eyes for the
blind, medicine for the sick and a
helping friend to the helpless. Kind
ness will win kindness. Sacrifices will
grasp the hand of sacrifices, and gospel
owe will receive from the heart every.
where kindly responses.
Died For His Newspaper.
Would that by our self sacrifice we
Ill could teach men that we love them
Ind would do anything and everything
% save men, even as Christ's sacrifice
las taught us that he loves us. During
he dark days of a Partisan riot a
voung reporter, Matthew Donzelot by
lame, was sent by the Petit Journal to
eport the uprising. The mob, like
tampeding herd Of cattle, broke loose
md swept down the street to where
he young man was. The stones were
lying, and death was everywhere.
Run for your life, Donzelotr' cried
me of his friends. "Run or you will be '