The Penn's Grove record., 1913-01-03
WIN BY KINDNESS
Is the Inspiration That ChaI-
lenges the Affection of All to
Whom 1t Is Shown.

HE grace OF kindness, how indts-
pensable 1t is to the completion
OF any human character When
Constable asked Turner to look
at n of his pictures and tell him
what vas wrong with it, the great
landscape artist peered at it for a
time, then ran a ripping line of brush
work right across the canvas and
made 1t live. Such a master touch
on the character of a man is this add
ed grace of kindness.
The inspiration Of a kind heart. De
prived of this virtue, the strength OF
the giant becomes an engine of wild
brutality. The more vigorous and
forceful the man is, the more damage
ne is likely to do in his ruth
less course through life unless re-
deemed by the inspiration Of a kind
heart. And under the influence of
kindness the most harsh of men will
reveal traits of humanity with which
he would eve have been credited. By
Marie Antoinette in her miserable prf-
son there stood every day n of the
soldiers Of the revolution. He had
watched the sad face of the discovered
queen, and her miseries touched his
soul to pity. During the hot days Of
that summer he went to buy for the
helpless woman a melon from one of
the fruitsellers of the streets. When
ne told the rude virago from whom he
purchased it that 1t was for the queen.
h picked the best from her stall
and handed 1t to him, saying: "Ah.
well, one woman may at least do this
for another. l shall take no payment
for it,"
To Those In Authority.
That authority which is bereft Of
Kindness may be effective in maintain
ing discipline, but will never get the
best service from subordinates. 1t is
not the fear of the knout which will
make the bravest soldier. Men may
be dragooned into silence, but for
the devotion which counts death a
tr1he, for the valdr which hesitates at
no peril, there must be the belief that
the commander cares for them and
has their welfare before his mind.
Whoever would manage men must
found his claim to control them on
their belief that he is affected by their
anxieties and takes delight in their
wellbeing.
To goodness this quality is indis-
p%ensable, but which fails to create af-
lection. It is rigid as a marble pillar
and cold as the polar seas. 1t never
deviates from the plain path, knows
nothing of the vagaries of weaker
men, and cannot understand the ap-
peal of penitence for compassion. Such
goodness repels rather than attracts.
1t may o US to a sullen awe.
but viii never weaken our hearts to
live Kindness alone can create that
fame.
/ hear it said that we are becoming
dangerously sentimental. This insis-
tence on the milder virtues is said to
be imperiling the virile qualities of the
race. | see no signs of degeneration
in that direction Nature is too
strongly allied to the brute beast to
permit US to grow at once into gen
tie saints. All the barriers that We
can erect are needed to keep out the
tide of fierce passion. 1t is not less
but more of this generous spirit that
we require.
Endure Only by Religion.
Moral qualities must be rooted In
religious experiences. What is the
genesis of this quality in the soul? Let
US admit that 1t may be found with
out religion. Accident Of birth. a
happy geniality of temper, immunity
from the more pressing idlls Of life,
may aid in its production. Are there
not those SO fortunately balanced in
mind and body that the storms Of the
soul seem to them unknown? Are there
not others whose days seemed passed
in quiet h~arborage, immune from the
troubles which others are compelled TO
meet? Yet, these people can be
found. But we must not go to them
for guidance. We might as well ask
Crusoe for information about the
Plague. Moral qualities are not to
be left to the accidents of birth or
temper; they must be rooted in re-
ligious experiences If they are to en-
dure-
The grace of kindness springs from
the love Of God for man. That for
giveness which has come to US SO free
ly through Christ must move us to the
exercise of pity for the weak and suf-
fering. Challenging a return of that
love, asking us to love God because
he has first loved US, it leads us easily
to entertain toward men that af-
lection by which We o~urselvesf have
benefited.
This quality WIN show itself In a
considerate thoughtfulness for others.
One of the poorest apologies for our
cruelties is our own lack CT thought
1t is no justification for the bitter
word that you did not recognize it's
bitterness. Speech was given to heal
wounds. not to make them tester. The
harsh dogmatism which recomnizes no
difference of opinion. and beats down
all opposition, cannot coexist with a
true kindness Of spirit-Rev. Arthur
C. Hill