The National tribune., 1910-12-22

IN r. VAN DYKE has resigned his
profesSorship at Princeton. No
~ reason has yet been given for
this, but it is presumed that his literary
duties now claim so much of his time
and attention rs TO compel him to cut
out something, and Princeton has been
made the unfortunate victim. DR.. Van
Dyke stands in a small group at the
head Of American letters We have no
more popular writer in his class. His
brain teens with exquisite thoughts
and fanCies, which he expresses in sim
pie and beautiful English. 1t is diff
cult to decide which is the more beau
tiful. his poetry or his prose. Much of
his prose Is pure poetry, for that mat
ter. In the current number OF Harper's
Magazine is a Christmas story of DR..
Van Dykes which no one should fail to
read. To the oYerconfldent Christian II
is a rebukc, while to the modest work
er in the Lords vineyard 1t is a word of
inestimable comfort. A brief outline
of the story is this: A man has acquired
all the desirable gifts of life by the
most irreproachable of methods.
Wealth, love of family. honors, respect,
all have been accorded him. He thinks
he is a Christian on account of his
moral life and his good deeds, but plain
ly shows in a conversation which he
has with his son that his charities his
church-gong, his strict business integ-
rity, everything. have been practiced,
because he had the common sense to
see that they paid" and not from any
real desire to serve the Lord. Well, on
Christmas eve he drops to sleep in his
richly furnished library and has a
dream. He finds himself in this dream
on broad road filed with people, all
going in the same direction. He recog-
nizes among his feIiow-traveIers only
two men whom he had known before.
a village doctor and an obscure book
keeper. Finally they come to the en-
trance of a city, white. wonderful, ra-
diant Here they are met by a guide,
who is to conduct each to his allotted
home. From one beautiful street to
another, where the houses. tho differ
ing in size and richness, are all charm
ing. he leads them, dropping one mem
Der of his party here and another there
until all but our hero have been pro-
vided for. He is amazed to think that
a person of his prominence should have
been SO treated and asks if no mansion
has been reserved for him. He is told
that there has been, and he requests
the guide to take him to 1t at once
They leave the beautiful city, and come
to a sort of suburb, where the houses
are much smaller and simpler, tho at
tractive in their way. Past these they
walk until finally they reach an open
| field. .hbare land lonely looking with
sparseS thin grass and no flowers about.
| In the center Is a tiny hut which looks
as if ito had been made of odds and
ends and has sort of shamefaced air
| about ito THE guide points to the hut,
and says to the shocked man: This is
your mansion" Speechless with Won
der and, indignation. the man regards
| him for q moment, and then asks for
an explanation. Has his long service
amounted to, nothing? is he to be Civ
en- no, credit, for the churches, school
houses, hospitals, etc., he has built, for
! his deyotionn to his family, his honest
business, dealings, ETC.? "Ah." the
guide replies. but you got the credit
| and banefit Of that service on the earth:
the material you sent u.s." But how
came J here at ALL" he said brokenIy.
since my lifa has been so little worth
while?" Thru the mercy of.the King"
is the solemn reply of the guide Moth
| ing counts here but that which is truly
given. Only that good which Is done
for the love of doing 1t; only those
plans in which the welfare of others is
| the master thought; only those labors
in which the sacrifice is greater than
the wages; only those gifts in which
the giver forgets himself" The man
| now sees for the first time his soul as
1t really is. A great humiliation and
despondency fall upon him. Then he
wakes up and is a different man from
That time on, Of course. It Is a story
told In DR.. Van Dykes simple, beauti-
full language. and it's reading should
give us pause. Do we want a hut or a
lovely, noble mansion set in amar-
anthine gardens when we arrive in that
glorious kingdom? 1t remains with us
alone to decide.