Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-06-02
: Tinelitp. y
Bp Keh. Dr. flopn 0M. CONTAINS.

A man is faithful because he loves and
feels and struggles. Life is splendid
thing with all It's opportunities and ex-
periences, with heart within and God
o'erhead. and the early love endures
only growing stronger and deeper and
higher as the years pass on. Isn't it q
delight to meet old people whose inter-
est in men and things and in God is
always fresh as it was in early life? ]
heard the other day of an old lady of
1O4 years who took as much delight in
living child finds, and in her all
the good emotions OF childhood were
enriched and enlarged. And some one
told me Of Fanny Crosby, the dear hymn
writer, ninety-four years old. how she
is full of sunshine. and enters into the
daily events of life with happy enthusi-
asm. And why not? If We have the first
love OF God and truth and nature and
humanity fresh and pure. then the eter-
nal issues of an endless life have already
begun their flow through our beings.
ana we are not so many years old.
but so many years young To be
true to God and to love and worship
Him with delight IS as natural as breath
Ing. To be faithful in things, little and
great. is simply to be ourselves; We can
not be false or careless unless we go
against our nature. To be true to our
friends is instinctiye; infidelity has no
place because the power of friendship
has grown and is sacred. TO be honest
in serving and speaking, whether in the
presence or absence of those whom we
serve or of whom we speak, is easy; the
heart works and speaks and the body
obeys.
What helps US in the gaining and hold
ing of this fidelity? First, looking after
iltie things Who sweeps room as
In Gods sight makes the room and the
action fine:" says George Herbert. And
the blessed Master says: He that is
faithful in that which is least Is faithful
also in much" (St. Luke. 16:10.) The
arycr Of vs~xI
little words Is sure TO lead to careless
ness in life and character. Friends we
are so apt to forget this. We speak
words lightly, not knowing that they may
leave wound which may never heal,
A work poorly done or sighted may bring
to ruin the larger works built upon it.
So the home life is the nursery of the
| larger life in the world. and Character
! Is made or marred in the little atmos-
phere of household living. So the honest
| man of affairs was shaped in the early
school of exact truthfuness where a
| lie was taught to be a horrible thing.
| So married lives are wrecked because
husband wife or both have trified
with little affections all along the way
| and so lost an appreciation of true loyalty
| and fidelity. We must take the little
foxes" the little foress and dangers OF
| life. and treat them as of high mpor-
! lance. Never trifie with a prayer. an af-
lection. duty. Throw the whole soul
| into everything-keep nothing back-and
the early love will grow and hold and
i shine until the whole being is light and
/ knows no darkness at all.
/ We want to fight meanneSses. Nothing
so surely weakens personality and SO de-
stroys fidelity as to act mean part to-
ward another or toward a worthy cause
1t is meanness that kills genuine love
\ 1t Is narrowness that kills enthusiasm
| 1t is the entertaining of a cramped judg.
| ment that destroys hope. And wher
these are gone, one after the other, the
power of fidelity ceases and the man has
lost his crown. The whole thing is in
/ evitable. The picking, complaining
| grumpy. critical creature can no more bs
faithful than water can run uphill. The