The Washington herald., 1910-10-02
NOBILITY OF LABOR.

NUD1L111 Or 1AOUh.
We do not discuss Kipling in literary
societies so much nowadays as We did
but the force his work has exerted on
The thought of the world is, we believe,
an increasing one. and back of even what
seems TO be his most hasty verse, there
is usually a striking moral Most of US
remember
AN sign for four pound ten a month and save
tae money clear.
An I'm in charge Of the lower deck an never
lose steer;
'sAn' believe in Almighty God. an preach His
gospel here
It Is from "Mulholland's Contract" the
tale OF a strange contract by which Null
holland. caring for crazy steers on a
cattle steamer. agrees, in a time OF great
danger. that if the Lord gets him TO port
alive
would exalt HIS name.
An praise His holy majesty till further orders came
II was not an unprecedented contract
We remember how Jacob. fleeing from
the wrath OF Esau, and sleeping with a
stone for a pillow. had vision. On
waking he vowed himself TO some such
contrao; as Mulholland's-thati If the Lord
would bring him back safe to his fathers
land. then shall the Lord be my God"
But 10 return TO Mulholland There IS
probably no calling at which a man may
a Rns
fuller Of great risks. and contains less
OF Joy than the task OF caring for cattle
on the cranky steamers that carry Amer
ica's surplus beef TO Europe Mulhol-
land down in the hold, had an inclination
10 religion. and when he made his vow,
with the fear OF death before him. he
thought that he might keep it by getting
out of the cattle trade and preaching
ashore. As he says
4 wanted to preach religion handsome, an out Of
the wet
But he came to see that his real work
lay where it had always lain. among the
cattle and the cattlemen. on Gods high
seas: and the value OF the lesson he
learned is that it emphasizes the fact
that II is the duty of all of US.
not to quit work and so to preaching the
Gospel. but 10 serve and glorify God
through the work that He has given us to
do in the world There is no surer or
better way 70 serve Him, to win thorough
happiness, or 10 secure that fine and
placid content that allows us a helpful
and hopeful outward look on life.
Prayer after all, is valuable only TO
ourselves. The best and the truest
prayers are those which we answer for
ourselves, by our own strife. our own
endeavor, or own work. It was Kipllng,
again. who wrote
1T seems to be that when we pray,
Grant this day that we run into no
kind OF danger we ought 10 lay our
stress on the run rather than on the
danger TO ask God not TO take away
the danger by altering the course OF
nature, but TO give us light and guild
ance whereby to avoid it."
To run away from danger; to fee temp
tation; 10 work out our own salvation
these are the duties that are laid upon
ell Of as, that are within our reach every
day
Most Of the sadness, the bitterness, the
disappointment of this life comes be-
rause of neglect of work, either because
man has no work to do-a condition
that may chance 10 both the rich and
the unfortunate-or because. having II
TO do, he does not do 1t with all his
heart: because he does not give the best
Of himself. his soul, his mind his con-
science TO the task God needs the best
work that a man can do. As the old
violin maker says in George Eliot's
poem
God needs best men 70 help him;
He could not make Antonio Stradiyari's yiollns
Without Antonio.
And. as Holland wrote
so long as a man has vitality 10 spare
upon work, it must be used, or II will
become source of grievous, harassing
discomfort man out Of work is a
dead man, even If he is the possessor
OF millions. The world walks straight
over him and his memory. Drive al
GeAACAi4aAAHa 81 4OAiE aS tue iianu Is strong
and steady, and do not think 10 rest this
side OF the narrow bed where the sleep
will be too deep for dreams and the
waking will open into infinite leisure"
We need not. perhaps. agree with Hoi-
land about that Infinite leisure" in the
next world, because such a thought would
appeal little 10 the man VINO has done
his work on earth nobly. without com
planning; feeling himself a weapon in
Gods hand for the betterment of the
universe. There has always been in the
unenlightened mind a desire toward idle
ness. to regard ii as an aristocratie priv
ilege: bet the true aristocracy, the true
nobility, Is found In the ranks of those
who remember 10 work, for the night
eometh. when no man shall labor" AS
Dean Farrar wrote
''our Lord wished 10 show that labor
is pure and noble thing; 1t is the salt
OF life; IL is the girdle of manliness; it
saves the body from effeminate Ian
guor and the soul from poIlutinE