The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1908-09-10
Frngnlents.

Gather up the fragments that re-
main, that nothing be lost. - st.
John 6:12.
The day was far spent, the night
was at hand. The great multitude
which had followed Jesus out into
the country were ready to dispense to
seek shelter until the morrow. Null
tiplied by the Bread Giving Hand. the
five small cakes and two tiny fishes
had satisfied the hunger of the 5000.
with words of thanksgiving and
praise they were about to depart.
The disciples had gathered around
the Master to accompany Him to some
evening resting place. There yet re.
manned, however, In the mind of
Christ something to be done. A few
words conveyed His desire to them:
Gather up the fragments that re.
main, that nothing be lost"
In them is found one of the most
precious and comforting thoughts OF
the divine revelation. In the econ
omy of God nothing Is wasted. Christ.
despised and rejected of men, knew
the futility and folly of human con-
tempt. He knew the worth of the
thing for which nobody cares, which
every one disdains. The fragments.
In the eyes of the satisfied multitude,
in the eyes even of the chosen few,
were worth nothing. They were to
be thrown aside, abandoned, trodden
under foot of men. But Christ knew
that they would feed some hungry
souls who had not enjoyed the advar-
tages of the 5000 in being In close
touch with Him. He knew their use.
The material providence in His
thought suggests the spiritual provi.
dence In His soul. ''If God so clothe
the grass of the field shall He
not much more clothe you, o We Of
little faith?"
Here Is a wretched woman of the
town, painted, tawdry, brazen; here
Is poor, ground down, stunted, i'll
nourished toiler; here Is sickly, ig.
norant. impudent child of the slums;
here Is an idle. selfish, depraved
woman of fashion; here Is a hard
bitter, conscienceless procurer of
child labor; here is a wretched, per.
verted bomb thrower here is a blood
less, soulless. heartless oppressor of
industry-human fragments. worth
less In the eyes of good men, to be
trodden under foot ruthlessly, or to
be dealt with vigorously by the law
on either hand. What does Christ
say about them?
We are all made in the image OF
God. God has right to expect from
each one OF us representation OF
Himself What broken, mutilated
monsters we show to the all-seeing
eye of the Fatherl If we could see
with His power of vision, with what
horror we would shrink from the i'm
ages presented, what. disgust would
fill our soulsl Yet God wants every
, one OF those human fragments.
Christ's prayer, Christ's hope, was
that none of them might be lost The
Image may be distorted and marred,
but it is still Gods image There is
some of the divine in every human
being. Men cannot see it, but God
can. He would fain have nothing
lost, and nothing will be lost unless
II deliberately loses itself.
What is the lesson of this compre-
hensive inclusive prayer-nay. COM
mand of Christ? 1t is the old lesson
Of kindness one to another, of gentle
consideration of our fellows, of try
Ing to discover the good in humanity
rather than exploit the bad. It Is a
condemnation of arrogance and self.
satisfaction. 1t is Lesson of brother.
hood In its active sense. II says t.
us, Judge not"
Gather up the fragments. An
gentle reader, are you not, after all
only a fragment yourself for Cod:
| gathering Cyrus Townsend Brady
In the New York Sunday Herald