Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-04-30

nent kindness or devotion to another. |
1t is affection. 1t is tenderness. 1t Is
the bond which binds mother to child |
and husband to wife and brother to sis
ter and friend to friend" That Is tho
definition which have abridged from
different dictionaries. That definition
means this: Love Is the strange pow
or born In the human heart. which, like
n long arm, reaches out and draws an
other life into that heart and makes
the Joy and the happiness Of that other
life more important than the JOY and
the happiness Of its own life" In 9th.
err words, 'love is the power which
will make human tree graft upon IT,
self other human branches. and then
that original human tree shall live sim
ply for the purpose OF bearing luscious
fruit for the benefit Of some other hui
man life" In other words. true love
finds It's happiness in the benefits which
that human life can bring to other
lives rather than for the benefits Of its
own selfish life.
r. Tho Grating Of Trees.
"How do you graft one tree on an
other?' asked an old California hor-
ticulturist. We'll" he answered. "that
depends upon the tree you intend to
graft. If were going to graft lemon
tree upon an orange tree what"
| INTERRUPTED. Are nearly oil our LEM
on trees grated upon the orange tree?"
YES" he answered; NEARLY all. If
were going to graft n lemon tree upon
an orange tree, ! would 20 out to my
orchard in sprlngtime and cut slender
branch off my lemon tree. From this
branch would cut the healthicst bud,
making the grating bud about three
quarters of an inch long. Then would
cut the bark Of an orange tree about
two years old and gently press the
lemon bud into the bnrk. Then ! would
dramatically seal the woods together
with wax. Then, when the lemon bud
took root and got to growing fully,
would cut off the orange tree Just
above the lemon bud, so TINT all the
strength Of the trunk Of the orange tree
would be conserved to develop the lem
on branch and the lemon fruit as 1t
ought" Alb, yes | said to myself while
my friend was talking; the orange
tree has its branches cut Off so its
trunk can produce sustenance for the
lemon branches. And that IS love. We
are the human tree and will have TIE
branches Of our own selfish desiI es
amputated in order that we may bf ar
fruit in the lives of our fellow men,
That is the whole definition Of love in
a nutshell.
Tell me, friend. is your life life OF
| love? Are you the human orange tree
with the lemon buds grated into your
! bark? Have you had the selfish limbs
/ of your own life cut off? Are you
standing like the trunk Of the orange
tree in the center Of the multitudinous
orchards Of the world with your own
name forgotten and obliterated that
the honor and the glory Of Christ may
shine in the lives Of your dear ones
Are you driving your roots farther and
farther into the ground in order to
gather up the rich nourishment Of the
soil to nourish and feed hundreds of
buds which have been grated on your
foundations? If you are, then you
have the priceless characteristics which
God honors above all other virtues;
then you have love-purified love, tri.
umphant love, divine love; then you
are like the Lord God Almighty him
self, for God is love and love Is God.
Loves First Duty.
Now, If the whole essence Of love II
to put the joys and the blessings and
the happiness of others above all self
ish happiness and joys and blessings
what is then in its crudest form the
first duty OF love? First, never tc
give another pain; never do anything
which will bring the tear to the eye
or the culver to the lip or the sob tC
the aching heart. 1t does not take
much to wound the sensibilities Of an
other. And, If your first duty of life is
to learn not to hurt yourself so the
first duty of love should be never tc
hurt or to wound the feelings of an
other.
Now, 1t was no easy matter to learr
how not to do yourself 4 physical dam
age when you We're young. 1t was
only by painful experience that those
laws of caution We're mastered Fol
instance. when you were boy you
had great habit Of balancing upor
the chair in the dining room. You
father again ard again warned you t.
stop. Iie told you that you would hur
yourself But there was a fascination
in making that chair tip back. Yol
felt like n trapeZe performer in mid
air. Hut one day you lost your balanc,
and fell backward and struck you
:, head against the montelpiece. The GU
was deep, the blood flowed. and 70,
have scar upon your head to thi
. day. Then after that you never bal
anced upon 4 chair, because you knew
your father was right. Or take tina
old habit you had of sliding down tn
: hansters Of the staircase. 1t was grea
fun until your hand slipped and yol
: fell stunned upon the floor below. o
DO YOU remember that toy cannon
You asked your mother If you coulC
have one, and she sold you were To-
young, but you thought differently
and you went and bought one on tn
Ely. When you were about to pla,
!. Bunker Hi! the cannon went of Mt tn
wrong time, and instead OF knocl,in
down the toy soldiers your face re
{ ceived the charge, and your fathe
l and mother had to sit for hours dig