Washington State journal and Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1906-1907, 1907-05-22
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Miss Candace's Light.
Nobody ever thought Of Miss Candace
West as intellectual, but doubtless had
any one supposed that she would take
literally the text, Let your light 30
shine," half a dozen worthy and we'll
meaning friends would have FASTENED
TO try to convince her that 1t did not
mean wasting kerosene oil every night
to light the bit Of road In front Of her
house when she could 80 Ill afford to
do it.
Miss Candace never forgot the way
the command flashed upon her. She had
finished her frugal Sunday dinner, and
her tiny house being in Immaculate
Sunday order, she sat down by the
window, as she always did. to read her
three chapters. She always read the
Bible through in order, but 1t must be
confessed that the prophecies and the
epistles were a difficult duty. Now she
had come to Matthew again, and was
reading with the simple unquestioning
interest Of child. And then she came
to it-"Let your light 50 shine before
men,"
Miss Candace started and turned her
eyes to the narrow, unlighted little
street before her door.
'Why, never thought Of that" she
exclaimed.
But having thought Of It, she never
questioned the matter. The only prob
lem was to think how she could save
enough oil to burn till 10 O'Clock every
night. Miss Candace thought till 10
O'Clock would be long enough, it was 20
seldom that anybody passed at night
30 her duty began. and as the weeks
passed. the lighting Of her lamp became
q humble act Of worship.
One. day the minister's wife called,
and learned about the light, and the
tears came to her eyes a. she listened.
"Dear Miss Candace," she said, II
wish that we all lighted our bits Of
road as we'll a. you d."
Five years later Miss Candace died.
In all those years she had kept her
lamp lighted, although, 20 far az she
knew, nobody had ever needed It She
had never thought to iHQuire about that
part Of It
At her funeral the minister spoke Of
her lamp. 1t had probably done no
material service. he said, but no one
could estimate the moral influence of
1t. As he ended, there was little stir
In the company, and q young woman
rose.
1T isn't customary for friends to
speak. know" she said, "but must
Some Of you here may remember me ;
was Maggie Anderson. You used to
call me wild, and I was But none Of
you knew that almost ran away with
a man I'VE years ago.
II knew what 1t meant, but was
hard and bitter and didn't believe in
any one, and l agreed to meet him on
q certain night.
"When the time came I slipped out,
out never got to him. Do you know
why? l couldn't pass Miss Candace's
light. tried again and again, but
each time shrank back because fen
as II it would show how bad l was,
and yet at the same time, when l
looked away from 1t, was afraid to go
around through the dark. 1t seemed to
me as If that light somehow came
straight from heaven, and II I crossed
It I should be lost.
II went back, and a few days after
that got work In Canton. I am mar
ried now, and happy, but II 1t hadn't
been for Miss Candace's light Oh,
I wish had come back and told her !!
always meant to some time
Youths Companion.
ssThou Shalt Remember"
In the great review Of Moses, re-
corded In the Book Of Deuteronomy.
the phrase occurs again and again !:
Thou shalt remember" In fact, the
Bible continually calls % to dwell
upon the loving kindness Of the Lord.
Torgetfulness Of God 10 branded a one
Of the worst Of sins-indeed, the point
OF departure for most Of them. This u
no Idle admonition. Our memories are
sometimes weak where the goodness Of
God u concerned, and very tenacious
in regard to our own miseries. It II
due to God and to ourselves that we
remember the way He has led u.
Nothing will keep the soul alive to
all its duties 20 much a. the living pre-
servstion of the memory Of Gods good
ness to us There IL no better founda-
ton for our hope Of the future than
this. The mercy Of the past becomes
an argument for more mercy in the fu-
ture, Because Thou hast been nv