Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1907-02-01
A PARABLE OF CHARITY

! pale man who was very lf-rlghteous
| He thought that his virtuous life was the
result of a high moral standard and n
disciplined will This made him very
harsh in his judgments Of other people,
| for nothing could persuade him that they
had to deal with any harder problems
than he, in bringing their bodies under
and overcoming inherited tendencies to
evil.
one day God met him in the person of
an old physician who was noted through
out that region for a deep knowledge Of
! life and n catholic charity for human
| inhrmties.
MY son." he said. Il hear that you
! have been harshy condemning some Of
your fellow men and declaring that you
could do better in their places"
Il could" he said.
an whose, for example?" asked the
doctor
I'm that artists, whose love Of the
! beautiful leads him to forget his obliga-
ton to the true and the good; in that
! filthy tramps who is turning to dust
! before he is dead; in that millionaire's,
| who is a glutton, wine bibber. and
! sensuaist, besides being avarlclous and
| unjust"
"And you think that in their places
| you could live as correctly as you do
now"
Undoubtedly"
do you mean If you lived in the
millionaire's body, as well as in his
| house?"
Beyond a question:"
so you do not think that the manage
! ment of great physical engine like his,
! full Of blood and nervous energy. a great
! brain fun of schemes and a great will
full of power. would be any harder than
| the running of that delicate mechanism in
| which you live, with its big bump of rev
| erence on the top of its head, its thin
neck and slow beating heart?"
Not a bit of it! why should it?
! Everything is a question OF a correct
moral standard and a disciplined will"
Would you be willing to try it?"
with the greatest pleasure"
| These words were scarcely out of his
mouth before he saw the physician give
| a mystic wave to his right hand, and
then felt himself suddenly torn out of
| his body like a tooth out OF its jaw, borne
swiftly through the air, and set down in
! place as new to him as the inside of
pipe organ. He hustled around a few
moments to get his bearings. and began
! to feel that his blood was running a good
! deal faster and more powerfully than
| ever before, that there was a tingling
sensation Of strength in his whole body
| which was new, that he was hungrier and
| thirstier than he had ever been in his
! life
1t was now noon and he seemed to be
! irresisubly hurried away to a club which
! he had always regarded with a certain
| horror. and in spite OF himself impelled
to order an enormous dinner with three
| different kinds of wine. When II was
| brought in, he devOured it all as raven
| ously as hungry lion, and then, leaning
! back, stroked his stomach with a bliss
/ full sense OF creature comfort.
After he had risen he met a number OF
men with whose faces he was familiar
| and began talking to them in a loud and
| aggressive voice. He felt for them all a
! sort of scorn. 1t would have been
| pleasure to get them into a tight corner
| somewhere and crush them-not because
| he was angry, but just to enjoy the ex-
! ercise of the strength which seemed to
| bubble up from within him.
A little further on he met a cripple on
! crutches, and. finding him in his way.
| gave him a shove. feeling a profound con-
tempt for everything weak and imperfect
What in the world is the matter with
| me?' he asked himself, as he saw the
poor fellow stagger and almost fail. Il
have never had such feelings as these
before. l must get the upper hand OF
| myself"
He was now approaching his office, and
| all sorts of schemes to increase his
| wealth began to revolve in his head
! Opportunities OF the most tempting kind
| presented themselves to his thought, and
| when he entered his elegant private room
| he found a man awaiting him who was
promoting great trust"
His first thought was one of repulsion
| for he had always hated and opposed
! combinations. But this was different.
He was now on the inside! He remem-
! bered having heard some one say. "Opln-
| Ions which man is prepared to maintain
| at the cost Of others, but not OF himself
! count for nothing This memory brought
a blush of shame to his cheek; but the
! fascination of the project became abso-
| lutely irresistible. He did not want the
! money but he did want the excitement
and the glory! Yes. he would take a
! thousand shares!
AS the door closed on the promoter, it
! opened on the financial agent OF n hos
! pital.
Toward the man he felt an unwavering
| repugnance. 1t seemed to him as II he
| wanted to throw him down the stairs
| Tor he had come to ask for money He
could tell that by looking at him. What
! right had this beggar to demand those
dollars which he had accumulated my
the hard knocks of his life? Sympathy
| Tor the suffering! What did they suffer
| for? He didn't suffer. Sympathy for the
| poor! What made them poor? He wasn't
poor He never asked man for a dollar
! Why should they ask him? No! He was
| busy. Leave the room instantly" he
| cried.
That night after dinner he started out
alone. Wild, ungovernable impulses
| surged through him Desires which had
! only fitted in the sub conscious realms OF
! his soul were upon him with Irresistible
| force They swept him along. He was
ike straw in a river He had a vague
! consciousness Of having been suddenly
| lifted out Of dog cart, from the low seat
| or which he had been safely driving n
| little donkey, and placed in the cab of an
| engine with six-foot drivers The steam
| was rising in the boilers, and he trem-
| Died as he looked at the gauge Cool
| her or, for Gods sake" he cried to the
| fireman, who only threw in IA bushel of
| coal and opened the hampers. The mon
ster was running down a couple of shin
! ing rails like a whirlwind, and he couldn't
ma the lever. In front of him We're sig
! nails which he did not understand Every
! thing seemed to reel and rock around
! him. There was a ringing in his ears
| ana all the while the passions rising in
| the boiler drove him on and on and on
lie never told the story of thar night;