Year: 1870

| have the reputation OF being reckless
ly generous nian-which is not so and
have great many friends who like to in
crease that reputation by saying to every
poor dog that comes to them for help.
MIR. Beecher is a very kind hearted
man go to him and he will look into
your case" | suppose there are FIVE
hundred cases in the course ola year, Of
persons who come 10 me and say they
were sent by members of my society, who
assured them that was kind man. |
always say to such persons, "Who sent
you ?" They say, "Mr. So-and-so sent
me-" Il say "Did he give you anythngp"
II they say that he did not, say Then
| shall not give you anything. Go right
back and tell him to do something for
you and send me letter. over his own
signature, assuring me of the fact, and
then will do something for you.


Ofcourse do not suppose that any of
you ever did such thing! Of course,
know that any of you would yourselves
give TO persons in need that applied to
you for help. instead Of sending them to
me. But when there is such an organ
lied system of beggary, one is perplexed
10 know what to do.


But there is a hopelessness in this mat
ter of administering help. arising from
the consciousness that in SO many cases
one is deceived by applicants for aid.
There is this feelag often II have
given away hundred dollars this month
and am pretty sure ninety five Of il have
been squandercd. and what thankless
business giving is, where in nine times
out OF len what You give is undese:ved
and thrown away -


Then right on top Of that will come the
case OF person apparently in distress,
OF which | will say" am sure this is all
right; :" and will give five or ten dollars,
as the case may be and befole the person
gets ont Of the house something or other
will turn up, something will appear on
the surface, that will satisfy me that
have been taken iH again.


always pity the next two or three
| folks that come after that They get
punished for the imposition that has been
pIacticed by others OH me And then |
turn upon myself and say, "A pretty fell
| l.yt
eases and you refused to help them
because you were 50 stupid as to be TAX
en- in by those artful cases And there
it is. A u,an that is full OF feeling cam
not help being imposed upon.


suppose do siop over sometimes.
Well never saw Il pan just full CT milk
that did no, slop over. II yon do not
want any stopping over. lake Il pint Of
milk and put it in II big bucket. There
will be no stopping over then. And n
man who has pint of feeling, in IN enor-
nous bucket, never slops over. But il
man is full of feeling up TO the very
brim. how is he going TO carry himself
without spiling over? He cannot help
it. There will be dripping over all the
time. And rs every flower or blade of
grass rejoices when the rain IaIls upon it
So every recipient along the way in which
man with ovcrIiowing generous feeling
walks. is thankful for his bounty.


How to carry 4 nature full of feeling.
and administer without making mistakes
TO not know, YOU do not. nobody does,
nobody ever did and nobody ever will;
SO we must take it and get along rs best
we can. Life is 4 kind of zigzag any
how; and we are obliged To resort to cY-
pedenls, and make experiments, and
learn from our blunders, whichare ineyi-
table. We find out a great deal more
ficm mems mistakes than from their
successes.


But after all, | am not sorry that have
been imposed upon, and that have trust.
ed men that were not woythy to DC trust.
ed. am not sorry that have been
duped. Ii falls out from al abundance
of generous feeling. 1t is the mistake OF
!, disposition that think is Il great deal
better to have, with all the impositions
which il suffers. than that kind of cold
caution which prevents you venturing
anything on the side of kindness, because
YOU always want 10 be safe.


| was much impressed with what once
heard my father say Ills chance sayings
have been like rudders to me ali my life
long. A man whom he had betriended
and done great deal for, turned against
him, and acted very meanly. One day
father came home very much excited about
it. and expected he was going to blow
out-tor he shook his head in peculiar
way that he had when his feelings were
very much wrought up. He said. (raising
his hand, and bringing it down slowly.
but with great emphasis well, whenI
have acted honorably toward man, and
he goes away and acts meanly toward me,
am never sorry that acted honorably
toward him.


Now, think that was sign Of nobility.
He had great many Of those signs in
him.


Mover be sorry. then, for any generous
thing that you ever did, even il il was be-
trayed. Never be sorry that you were
m.yn,,;n,ous ;f tho man WAS mean after