The Washington herald., 1911-08-03
DESIRE FOR SPIRITUAL GIFTS
EXPRESSEDBY MANYWOMEN
Wishes of Readers May Become Realities if They De-
sire Things Asked Strong Enough to Ac-
tualIy Strive for Them.
By JULIA CHANDLER MANI.

The wishes that lie rearest the hearts
of the readers of The Herald's Page for
Every Woven are a revelation of wis
dom.
In more than $50 letters received in
response to the invitation to write me
for what they would ask II they might
pray just one prayer, or make just one
wish, and have 1t granted, there have
been but two tnat have frankly asserted
a dominating passion for wealth just for
wealth's sake.
One silly young woman-who need not
have told me how very young she was,
because her letter cried out her mex
perience in its every line-wrote me that
her dearest wish was for all the money
she could spend in fine feathers and
higa living, and an older woman de-
cared that money was the one thing to
be desired. That was the Baltimorean' S
letter, which was published, and which
brought many answers of indignant de-
. nial of her accusation that other writers
of wishes who had not asked for money
were insinCere.
UnseIfsh In the Extreme.
There has been in every letter received
a tone of franknesS so strong that l
could not doubt their sincerity, and in
nine out of ten the wish that has been
expressed has been noble and unselfish
in the extreme, in many cases even in
cluding strangers and their happiness.
The following letter from Mrs. NJ. w.
Pyne % Florida avenue northeast, is a
striking example of the amount of con-
scientious thought that has been given
the subject under consideration, and the
earnestness with which the question OF
the one wish" has been answered:
Mrs. Pyne's Wish.
Let us consider for a moment the fol-
lowing beautiful lines in which the poet
Gray has stated a fact that cannot be
disputed:
The boast of heraldry the romp OF power.
And all that beauty all that wealth eer gave,
Await alike the inevitable hour
The paths of glory lead but TO the grave
Now let US follow the line of thought.
believe in the immortality of the soul;
that the span of my natural life, like
all human life, is as naught when COM
pared with eternity. Just try and COM
pare, in imagination. a century. which
is about the limit of mans age, with
forever and forever. Then answer
the question. Do we fully appreciate the
great-the all-important-attentio which
our immortal souls demand?
How many of us can look deep down
eternal happiness awaits our souls? How
many of us have at all times the moral
courage to seek and speak the truth. to
be just, to be honest to resist tempta-
tion, and TO do our full duty to God and
fellow-man, Have we a foolish expeCta-
ton of salvation without making use of
the necessary means to obtain It?
II believe that no better prayer can go
forth from the human heart and lips to
Almighty God than, From sudden and
unprovided death. o Lord deliver us
After mature consideration. and with
all the sincerity of a true Christian heart,
I have no hesitation in stating that my
single wish would be the eternal happi-
ness of mankind"
Desire for Spiritual Welfare.
Summing UP the debate, I would say
that I have never seen so great demon
stration of human desire for spiritual
welfare, so earnest a craving for char
acter building qualities and those things
which we may carry with us into eter-
nifty.
Mothers have wished to see their chill
dren grow strong in wisdom. lonely
hearts have dictated pleas for love and
home. Those who have asked that their