The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-05-30

Furretxins 70 say Thank Yoa.
The International Sunday School Lss-
son for May 81 Il the 0rAfe1uA 81
mar1tan"-Luke 17:1-1s.
(BY WILLIAM =. EL1Ia)
Riding one day in q crowded Toxic
street car. CHANGED to see at my Zee.
several silver coins. aggreeatlne IN
value perhaps 80 cents. I picked them
up and, by signs. asked the woman De
side me, with q baby on ner necA. -
the money belonged to her. with evi,
dent amazement she looked ana louno
her money zone, and was ev1oentiy
irving to thank me- My stopping place
had been reached. and as l rose anu
left the car and started up towa[%
Uyeno park, I heard the gathering Oh
clogs behind me. Suspecting the cause.
I looked around and saw the woman 10
whom / had rendered this tr1fllng seEv-
ice-although that amount OF money
was not trifling to her.
walking slowly let her catch up 10
me. and she Fastening in front OF me
and facing me. made a series OF ela0-
crate bows almost imperiling tho oaoy
on her back 1 recognized tho Japan
csc word for thank you." repeated IN
what she was saying to me- $.
The trifling incident has remained
long in my memory. because II Is noI
often. in travelling about the worio,
that ono finds anybody taxing tne
pains to say thank YOU" l couio re-
call, If 1 cared to. literally hunGreas Q.
experiences Of doles given to beggars
and the needy of the orient, with never
a return token OF gratitude.
Recently I made an address peiore 2
mems club in . Baltimore church. 10
my establishment. I received shortly q
teiesram. more than one hundred words
long, signed by tho officers of the CLUB
and others, thanking me for the ao-
dress, and this was followed by numer-
GUS letters. cite tho fact simply De-
cause Of what It shows about one COM
pany Of men. in contrast with scores OF
other committees. who lose All inter-
est in a service rendered them after 1t
has been completed. One regrets to say
that oftener than not . public speaker
falls to receive any acknowledgement
Of his services. The mails are full Of
urgings to deliver addresses but few
are the thank yous'' that follow.
The editor Of Association Men told
me recently that he had heard
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 tho sort he had ever
received in all his ministry. An editor
or writer could tell piled up stories OF
the persons and causes he has served
with never a word Of acknowledge
ment or gratitude in return. man
recently issued in response to q cons1d-
cradle demand from pastors, PAM
phlet containing samples OF certain
church methods that had been found
successful. He spent one hundred and
nifty dollars in preparing the pamphlet,
not to speak Of postage. The requests
for 1t numbered hundreds. The mon
who said thank you" amounted to less
than a dozen.
story Of the ten leperD who were healed.
Of whom only ono returned to give
thanks. might be repeated almost in
definitely. Tho voice Of entreaty -
loud It Il y Ssaas at all the Of aen
helped. 1t IL rare that even ono comes
back to say 30.
Why Helpers Arc Discouraged.
InRratitude chills benevolences.
Everybody who has had experience in
securing funds for philanthropio 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
goes into the business Of philanthropy
because tho music Of gratitude sounds
sweet in his ears, will soon declare
disgust. Dvery helper Of his fellow
men, whatever his line Of service,
should at the beginning make up his
mind that he will not expect gratitude
and that he will not be daunted or
deferred by its lack.
Tho Ceremonious East.
In the Orient the business Of COM
munity-life has been reduced to q
science. People there have had q long
time in which to test the best meth
DDS Of getting along with ono another.
That IL Why ceremoniouens0 prevails
in the Orient. The people are potter
than We bFusque westerners can un-
derstand. because they have found po-
likeness removes the friction Of life
and oils the wheels Of human relation
likeness 70 lnsincere and purely for
NAL, 1t does nevertheless prevent irr1-
tation and promote the smoother rum
ming Of sooasD's machinery.
that are iaid upon children, fsw are
moro important than the sxhoFtA&ion
to mind your mannery." The people
Of this western world are prone to for
81 the pi.e: Of S,ssituds; F.vcrs and
paying Of dinner calls l. . disappear
ing fashion. In our prayers we give
moro time 10 pleading than to praise.
Ono small boy known to me has in
geniously formulated . comprehensive
phrase, which disposes Of the whole
subject. BY saying nightly in his pray
erA Thank you for all the things we
have to be grateful for"
The clear teaching Of the Old Testa-
mont and the New. and Of every mod
ern philosophy Of life. II that q SYM
metrical ana beautiful and effective
character needs the grace Of gratitude.
The Ispers b. tho wsysde.
The episo0D upon which this 49,
son In 0a0od was typical oriental
scene. Tho traveller 70 Jerusalam to-
day may And ., gfoups o1 aepefu, osveu
or eight In numbog. sitting by the 1T
tie bridge that crouseo the Kedron. be-
tween the city and the Mount Of
Olives. near the garden Of Gethsem-