The Washington herald., 1913-05-04
THERE IS NOTHING SO
KINGLY AS KINDNESS
By FRANCES SNAPPER.

In one Of the big buildings in the heart
OF New York there are many artists.
Among the number with studios there a
while ago there were two whom the artist
colony had noticed more or less.
One was an old man, the oldest artist
in the Academy of Design, with his sue
cesses and his failures well in the past;
the other woman, young, with her fu-
ture beautifully opening before her and
with her name already written pretty well
up among successful painters.
The old artist some years ago had laid
aside his busy paints and brushes. but
still kept his workshop the same as in
his younger days. and often went to the
studio building to chat with other paint
ers about the art he loved.
OF late years II had grown quite diff
cult to converse with him, so his fellow
artists say, and few Of them ever gave
up their time for bit of talk with the
man whose career was behind him.
But not SO with the young woman. The
old man drifted to his studio almost
daily. and not once did he fail to look In
upon the busy woman worker. And she
Why. she always found time in her most
hurried hours to pause for q discussion
of some picture that had challenged his
admiration. some artist Just pushing his
way to the front, or possibly one who
was already there.
Grateful Appreciation.
But a month or so ago the man laid
aside the tools of life, and his studio was
closed forever. And. in grateful appre-
citation Of the gracious attention from q
busy worker he left to the woman artist
all his real estate holdings at Honesdale.
Pa, which were not inconsiderable.
of the life that Is finished. her fellow
workers in the building say that 1t was
not that she did so much, rather that
they deemed it worth while to give so
little of their time and their thought to
a man whose work was all over and who
was hard to talk to. at best. They say
now he deserved more attention. and OF
her they add that she never failed him.
When one reads-as one does more or
less frequently-of an act or several acts
of kindness cast upon the human waters.
returning many fold by and by, somehow,
In the reading, there seems to be mer-
cenary tag to the story. But 1t 10 be-
cause the end is in plain view-the end
dealing only with practical appreciation.
Self Set Aside.
If one might view the act itself, its
inherent beauty would stand out sweet
pretty showing of self set aside. There
are not so many who will take the time
and the pains to stretch out hand OF
fellowship across the space that sep
arates one human being from another
when it chances that the distance between
does not appeal at all Most of folk are
ready enough to lend hand and a very
willing ear to those who lure through
their own rich personality. or for some
more significant person. But to pause in
the work of busy day to help brighten
the hours and to soften the infirmity OF
one who seemingly has nothing to give
in return-it is then that the grace steps
in.
1t is nothing at all to do what one wants
to do: II is much to render service where
service is unattractive. Yet one sup
poses that is a pretty sure test of real
gentlewoman.
And one thing is quite certain. The
man or the woman of that fine type Is
not looking for substantial rewards. They