Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-05-28
FORGETTING TO SAY THANK YOU.
The international Sunday School Les
son for May 81, 10 1.-THE Grateful
Samaritan"-Luke 17:11.19.
REVIEW OF SUM

Inc INTERNATIONAL sunday School Les
son for May 81, 10 1.-THE Grateful
samaritan"-Luke 17:11.1s.
(By William T. Ellis.)
Riding one day in a crowded Toxic
street car, CHANGED to see at my feet
several silver coins, aggregating IN
value perhaps fifty cents. picked
them up and. by signs, asked the wom-
an beside me with baby on her back.
If the money belonged to her. With
evident amazement she looked and
found her money gone, and was evil
IDENTIFY trying to thank me. My stop
ping place had been reached, and as
rose and left the car and started up
toward Uyeno park, heard the clatter
ing of clogs behind me. Suspecting
the cause, l looked around and saw
the woman to whom had rendered
this trifling service-although that
amount of money was not trifiing to
her,
Walking slowly let her catch up
to me, and she Fastening in front OF
me and facing me. made series of
elaborate bows, almost imperiling the
baby on her back, l recognized the
Japanese word for thank you" re-
peated in what she was saying to me.
The trifiing 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
CARS and the needy of the orient, with
never a return token of gratitude.
Recently l made an address before
mems club in Baltimore church. To
my establishment, received shortly
a 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. l cite the fact
simply because of what it shows about
one company of men, in contrast with
scores of other committees, who lose
all interest in service rendered them
after it has been completed. One re-
grets to say that oftener than not a
public speaker fails to receive any
acknowledgment 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 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 received in all his ministry. AN
editor or writer could tell piled up
nd
has served with never word of
acknowledgements or gratitude In return.
A man recently issued, in response to
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 hun
ldreds. The men who said thank you"
amounted to less than dozen.
So modern versions of the masters
story of the ten lepers who were heal
ed, of whom only one returned to give
thanks, might be repeated almost In
definitely. The voice of entreaty Is
loud. 1t is surprising when the voice
of gratitude is heard at all. OF ten
helped, it is rare than even one comes
back to say So
Why Helpers Are Discouraged.
Ingratitude chills benevole4ces.
Everybody who has had experience in
Recurring 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
lit 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 the music of gratitude sounds
sweet in his ears, will soon declare
the business a failure and retire in
disgust Every 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 de-
tered by it's lack.
The ceremonious East.
In the orient the business OF COM
munity-life has been reduced to a
science. People there have had long
time in which to test the best methods
of getting along with one another. That
is why -ceremoniousness prevails in the
orient. The people are potter than
we, bursque westerners can under
stand, because they have found polite
ness removes the friction Of life and
oils the wheels Of human relationship
Even though much Of their politeness
is insincere and purely formal, 1t does
nevertheless prevent irritation and
promote the smoother running of So
ciety's machinery.
OF all the stereotyped injunctions
that are laid upon children few are
more important than the exhortation
to mind your manners" The people
of this western world are prone to for
get the place OF gratitude. Favors and
courtesies go unacknowledged. The
paying of dinner calls is disappear
ing fashion. In our prayers we give
more time to pleading than to praise.
One small boy known to me, has in
geniously formulated a comprehensive