Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-05-29

goes into the business of philanthropy
because the music of gratitude sounds
sweet in his ears, will soon declare
! the business 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 its lack.
The Ceremonious East
In the Orient the business of com
munitylife has been reduced to a
science. People there have had a
long time in which TO test the best
methods of getting along with one
another. That is why ceremonious
ness prevails in the Orient. The peo-
pie are politer than we brusque west
erners can understand. because they
have found politeness removes the
friction of life and oils the wheels of
human relationship. Even though
much of their politeness is insincere
and purely formal, it does neverthe-
less prevent irritation and promote
the smoother running of societys
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
| forget the place of gratitude. Favors
and courtesies go unacknowledged.
| The paying of dinner calls is a disap-
pearing fashion. In our prayers we
| give more time to pleading than to
praise. One small boy known to me
has ingeniously formulated compre-
/ hay Ci ixra hro + TT, L
whole subject, by saying nightly in his
prayers, THANK you for all the things
we have to be grateful for
The clear teaching of the Old Tes-
! lament and the New, and of every
modern philosophy of life, is that q
| symmetrical and beautiful and effec-
tive character needs the grace of
gratitude.
The Lepers by the Wayside
The episode upon which this lesson
| is based, was a typical Oriental scene
| The traveller to Jerusalem to-day may
| find a group of lepers, seven or eight
in number, sitting by the little bridge
that crosses the Kedron, between the
city and the Mount of Olives, near the
garden of Gethsemane.
OF all the abject figures on earth
| the leper is the most pitiable. The
| memory of them remains with the
traveller as a nightmare, as he sees
them still putting their fingerless
hands to their foreheads. bending low
and crying, as in India, "Salaam,
Sahib." The Mission of Lepers is one
of the most appealing of all Christian
/ philanthropies.
The gentlehearted Master Himself
could not resist the call of the group
of ten lepers whom He met outside
of the village, as He travelled south
toward Jerusalem along the Jordan
| Valley They cried with raucous i'm
portunity, bowling themselves to the
| earth as they spoke, or holding forth
their manned members, Master, have
mercy on u.s." OF course Jesus heard
and answered In a brief word He
bade them go and show yourself
unto the priests" which was accord
ing to the Mosaic law.
The lepers took Him at His word.
They didn't. wait for written instruc-
tions, or for formal credentials; they
set forth, in the self1shness of need,
each of his own priest. In the act of
faith they received the reward of
faith. "As they went they were
cleansed." If they had sat still, they
would have remained lepers until they
died. Obedience in action brought de-
| liverance.
| A Literary Classic
Only one, however and he a Sa-
maritan whom good Jews regarded
as heather, returned to thank the
benefactor who had delivered him
from a living death. Luke's own
words tell the story most vividly:-
"And one of them, when he saw that
he was healed, turned back, with a
loud voice glorifying God; and he fell
upon his face at His feet, giving Him
thanks; and he was Samaritan. And
Jesus answering said. Were not the
ten cleansed? but where are the nine I?
/ Were there none found that returned
to give glory to God, save this
stranger? And He said unto him,
Arise, GO thy way; thy faith hath
| made thee whole"
1 There never was a father who was
not pleased when child showed ap-
/ probation for fatherly deeds of love