Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-05-29
FEW THANK YOUS"
ARE HEARD TODAY
Sunday School Lesson Is on Luke's
Story Of The Grateful
Samaritan
VOICE OF ENTREATY LARGE
Ellis Tells Why Helpers Are Dis
couraged; Chill Ingraitude
Cause
The International Sunday School Les
son For May 81 Is s'The Grateful
Samaritan."-Luke II: 11-19
by William T. Ellis

Riding one day in a crowded Toxic
street car, I CHANGED to see at my
feet several coins, aggregating ir
value perhaps fifty cents. I picked
them up and, by signs. asked the
woman beside me, with a baby or
her back, if the money belonged to
her With evident amazement she
looked and found her money gone
and was evidently trying to thank me
My stopping place had been reached
and as l rose and left the car and
started up toward Uyeno Park, I heard
the Gathering of clogs behind me
Suspecting the cause, I looked around
and saw the woman to whom I had
rendered this trifiing service-al-
though that amount of money was not
trifiing to her.
Walking slowly I let her catch up
TO me, and she Fastening in front OF
me and facing me, made a series of
elaborate bows, almost imperiling the
papy on her back. l recognized the
Japanese word for "thank Won" re-
peated in what she was saying to me,
The trif1ing incident has remained
long in my memory, because 1t Is not
often, in travelling about the world.
that one finds anybody taking the
pains to say thank YOU" | could re-
call, If | cared to, literally hundreds
OF experiences of doles given to beg
gars and the needy of the Orient with
never return token of gratitude.
Recently I made an address before
a mems club in a Baltimore church.
To my astonishment, I received short
ly telegram, more than one hundred
words long, signed by the officers of
the club and others, thanking me for
the address, and this was followed by
numerous letters. I cite the fact SIM
ply because Of what it shows about
one company of men, in contract with
scores Of other committees, who lose
all interest in a service rendered them
after it has been completed. One re-
grets to say that oftener than not a
public speaker fails to receive any ac-
knowledgement of his services. The
mails are full of urgings to deliver ad-
dresses but few are the thank yous'
that follow.
The editor of Association Men told
me recently that he had heard a
stranger preach an excellent sermon,
and wrote him a little note expressing
his personal gratitude. To his amaze
ment the minister replied that this
was the first letter of the sort he had
ever reCelNeQ III all MS ministry. An
editor or writer could tell piled up
stories of the persons and causes he
has served with never word of ac-
or gratitude in return
A man recently issued, in response to
a considerable demand from pastors,
a pamphlet containing samples of GER
tain church methods that had been
found successful. He spent one hun
dred and fifty dollars in preparing the
pamphlet, not to speak of postage. The
requests for it numbered hundreds.
The men who said "thank you"
amounted to less than a dozen.
So modern versions of the Masters
story of the ten lepers who were
healed, of whom only one returned to
gave thanks, might be repeated almost
indefinitely. The voice of entreaty is
loud. 1t is surprising when the voice
of gratitude is heard at all. OF ten
helped, it is rare that even one comes
back to say so.
Why Helpers Are Discouraged
Ingratitude chflls benevolences.
Everybody who has had experience in
securing funds for philanthropic pur-
poses has met frequently the man
who refuses to give further, because
of the ingratitude which he has met
in the past.
OF course, this is unreasonable, but
it is an existing fact, none the less.
We should not render service for the
sake of receiving praise, but solely
from a motive of love. Anybody who