Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1908-03-06
THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE.

One day, as DR.. Leighton Parks,
now rector Of st. Bartholomew
Church, New York, was in his study.
q young Japanese called upon him.
When the maid opened the door,
the young man entered very abrupt
ly, and said, "Sir, can you tell me
how to find the beautiful life?"
DIR. Parks answered. do you wish
to talk with me about religion?"
mo, sir, l merely want to find out
about the beautiful life"
Have you ever read the Bible?"
Eyes, sir, / have read some, but !
don't like the Bible"
Have you ever been to Church,"
Eyes, / have been twice, but ]
don't like the church. l am trying
to find the beautiful life. Many Of
your people do just as our Japanese
people do; they are bad, they cheat.
and tell lies, and yet they are all
Christians. That is not what / want.
i do not want your religion. But
there Is something / want, i cannot
tell what it is; call it the beautiful
life, and they. told me perhaps you
could tell me about It,"
Where did you ever hear about
it?"
II never heard about It, but ! saw
a man in a clearinghouse in San
Francisco, soon after landed-a poor
old man, not an educated man like
myself, who have studied in a uni
versity in Japan, and now am study,
Ing in one OF your great universities;
a poor man he was, carpenter, but
he had what all my life have want.
ed. ! have thought it might be in
the world, but ] have never seen II
in my own country. call 1t the
beautiful life. How can ] find 1t?
This old man went about helping
everybody; he was always happy; he
never thought about himself. knew
him three weeks. and watched him
all the time, and felt that / must
have what he had. have seen some
other people who have had it. / do
rot know what It is. 1t. cannot be
your religion, because you do not all
have it,"
DR.. Parks read him the thirteenth
chapter of the First Book of Corin'
thians-that beautiful love chapter
that means so much to us, and ask
ed:
Els that it?"
The japanese said, "Yes, perhaps
II sounds like It; but how can / gel
it?"
Then DIR. Parks took that wonder
full story of the perfectly beautiful
life. and tried to ten him very sim
ply, and said:
Now, you have just to follow ths'
Life"
And then. as he was obliged to go
he gave him q copy of the New Tesla
ment. The Japanese asked:
"Can you not give me a more mod
ern book? You know, the japanese
are very up-to-date."
But he said, mo, 1t is not In any
other book. although / can give you
some other books that win help you
but this is the one Book you need
You may study 1t. and pray that ligh
may be given you to live this beauti
| full life."
DR.. Parks heard nothing from thu
young man for year or two, ant
then received letter saying:
Il am called back to my own coun
try to an important position. Befor'
/ ga l must see you. May call at {
certain hour?"
AS he could not be at home at tina
hour, DIR. Parks wrote that he woul,
see him the following day. But whel
the following day came, the man di'
hot appear, and he gave him up. Tn
next day, however. just at noon, h
burst in as he had done before, yer
abruptly, saying:
"My train leaves at two o'clock
must take that train to catch tn
steamer at San Francisco, to go bac
10 my own country. have somethin