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 i^ THE KINGDOM OF 
 
 ":nev]-:r: grow old':
 
 ''Of Such is 
 the Kingdom'' 
 
 And Other Stories from Life 
 
 By Richard L^ Metcalfe 
 
 Illustrations by Franklin Booth 
 
 Fourth Edition 
 
 1907 
 The Woodruff-Collins Press 
 
 Lincoln, Nebraska, U. S. A.
 
 Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1906, by 
 
 Richard L. Metcalfe, in the office of the Librarian 
 
 of Congress at Washington, D. C. 
 
 Copyrif^hted 1907, by Richard L. Metcalfe.
 
 h ' c) 
 
 }> ' 
 
 I i 7 
 
 To My Mother, 
 
 THE SWEETHEART OF MY YOUTH;' 
 AND 
 
 To My Wife, 
 
 THE SWEETHEART OF MY YEARS: 
 
 156397'i
 
 IN THE BEGINNING 
 
 Carlyle wrote: "If a book come from the heart 
 it will contrive to reach other hearts; all art and 
 author craft are of small moment to that" ; and this is 
 the only excuse I have to offer for the publication of 
 this Uttle volimie. 
 
 R. L. M.
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 In the Kingdom of "Never-Grow-Old" . . Frontispiece 
 
 "My Heart's a Beatin' Hard for My Daddy to Come 
 Home" 
 
 "Course it Wasn't Stealing" 
 
 "The Fine Old Soldier Passed Down the Valley" 
 
 "The Boy and His Sweetheart" 
 
 "No Fro Rocks" 
 
 "With the Wet Shivering Dog in His Arms, the Man 
 Applied for Protection at the PoUce Station"
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 "Of Such is the Kingdom" 7 
 
 In the Kingdom of Never Grow Old _ _ 13 
 
 "And a Little Child Shall Lead Them" _. 17 
 
 A "Stolen" Flower 22 
 
 The Literature of the Children 24 
 
 Pansies for Thoughts 32 
 
 The Foundations of Peace 39 
 
 Portsmouth and San Francisco 48 
 
 V/hen the "Master" Knocks 57 
 
 The Great Whispering Gallery 64 
 
 "Going Down the Valley" 69 
 
 Kneeling Among the Lilies 76 
 
 The Mystic Chords 80 
 
 The Story of the "Ninety and Nine" 84 
 
 The Majesty of the Mother's Love 91 
 
 The Dreams that Come True 99 
 
 When the Boat Has Touched Shore 106 
 
 "The Great World's Altar Stairs" 112 
 
 The Freemasonry of Sentiment 118 
 
 "Greater Love Hath no Man" 125 
 
 The Old Churns^ Living and Dead 129 
 
 The Blind Man's Prayer 133 
 
 The Cup of Cold Water 137 
 
 The Higher Tests of Manhood 143 
 
 Revival of the Old 148 
 
 "Scattered at the Feet of Man" 153 
 
 "No Fro Wocks" 158 
 
 "The Bravest are the Tenderest" 160 
 
 Killing Men 167 
 
 Governor Hogg's Monument 171 
 
 "A Grand Old Man" 174 
 
 Burdens of the Christmas Season 179 
 
 The Value of Little Things 183 
 
 Milestones on Love's Pathway 187 
 
 Mending God's Law 191 
 
 A "Lonely" Heart 195 
 
 "Jun" 201 
 
 Keeping Christmas in the Heart 204 
 
 The poem on page 98 was written by Robert Cameron Rogers, Buffalo, 
 N. Y., and has become famous in the song called "The Rosary."
 
 N A Pullman car going out of a western city 
 the berths had been made down and many 
 of the passengers had retired. A party of 
 convivial spirits had concluded its session in 
 the smoking room, and its members were making 
 their way to their berths. The foremost man found 
 his passage- v/ay along the narrow aisle checked by 
 a pair of tiny legs, and looking down he saw a 
 little child kneeling at its mother's berth. Profound 
 silence reigned in that car. The men in the rear 
 pushed forv/ard in order to see what had checked 
 the progress of their leader. Exchanging significant 
 glances, all of the members of this party removed 
 their hats and reverently bowed their heads while 
 there floated through the car — and doubtless upward 
 and onward, and onward and upward — the sweet 
 childish treble of : 
 
 Now I lay me down to sleep, 
 
 I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to keep; 
 
 If I should die before I wake, 
 
 I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to take. 
 
 That was a lesson — out of the mouth of a babe 
 — in Christian reverence. 
 
 A very little girl sometimes grew absurdly rhe- 
 torical during her evening prayers. On one occasion
 
 8 ^^ Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 she had one of her "funny streaks" and delivered 
 her invocation in jerky sentences that grated harshly 
 upon the mother's ears. Several times she was 
 admonished, and finally the mother said: "Ellie, 
 if you do not say your prayers right, I will not permit 
 you to say them at all." The little girl looked up, 
 and v/ith her fine eyes flashing fire, declared: "Well, 
 I dess dese is my prayers; I dess dey ain't your 
 prayers." 
 
 That was a lesson in religious liberty. 
 
 A father carrying a sweet-faced child not yet three 
 years of age, stepped upon the rear platform of a 
 street car. The car was crowded, and several women 
 were pressing for places. Some of the men were 
 not displaying great gallantry, and as the father 
 started to enter the car, everyone was startled, as 
 well as amused, when the baby, with his arm encir- 
 cling his father's neck, leaned over and looked him 
 in the face, saying: "Let the ladies in fust, daddy; 
 let the ladies in fust." 
 
 That was a lesson — from a babe — in poHteness; 
 and it produced immediate results in that crowded 
 car. 
 
 A terrific storm was raging, and in one home two 
 of the larger children of the household were greatly 
 frightened, both giving way to sobs. A five-year-old 
 lad, who was not in the least disturbed by the storm, 
 soon wearied of the cries of the older children, and 
 blurted out: "Oh, stop your bawlin' ! Don't you 
 s'pose God knows his business ?" 
 
 That was a lesson— out of the mouth of a babe — 
 in simple faith.
 
 *' Of Such is the Kingdom " 9 
 
 One of the best known of the district judges in a 
 western city, long ago learned to leave his dignity 
 upon the bench, and to forget it while recuperating 
 in the sunshine of "The Kingdom." Not long ago the 
 judge left his home in the morning before his infant 
 child had awakened. Rousing from his sleep, the 
 little one rubbed his eyes, and calling to his mother, 
 asked, "Where's my daddy?" He was told that 
 the judge had gone to his daily labors. "Did he kiss 
 me before he went away?" asked the child. 
 
 The mother replied in the aflfirmative. 
 
 For some time the little one lay still and then 
 called: "Mamma, come and feel my heart." 
 
 The mother, with some curiosity and considerable 
 anxiety, complied with the request, and asked: 
 "What's the matter with your heart?" 
 
 The little one replied: "My heart's a-beatin' hard 
 for my daddy to come home." 
 
 That was a lesson in love. 
 
 Men may learn much from these little ones. Un- 
 fortunate, indeed, is the man who does not know 
 what it is to be greeted by a little child; who has 
 never felt the warm embrace of two little arms, and 
 who has not been privileged to gather inspiration in 
 the presence of the great love and the perfect sincerity 
 of "one of the least of these." 
 
 The prettiest stories that have ever been written 
 have been about children; the most beautiful songs 
 that have ever been sung are the children's songs. 
 Art and literature are heavily indebted to the inspi- 
 ration of the child, and in the more practical life the 
 busy man who has learned how to live finds his best
 
 10 *^ Of Such is the Kingdom " 
 
 recreation in the companionship of children. "I love 
 these little people," said Dickens, "and it is not a 
 slight thing when they who are so fresh from God 
 love us." Some one has said that children have not 
 been sent for the mere purpose of keeping up the race, 
 but that they were given to enlarge our hearts; to 
 make us unselfish and full of kindly sympathies and 
 affections; to give our souls higher aims; to call out 
 all our faculties to extended enterprise and exertion; 
 and to bring round our firesides bright faces, happy 
 smiles, and loving, tender hearts. "My soul," said 
 the same writer, "blesses the Great Father every day 
 that He has gladdened the earth with little children." 
 How often, in the homes of the world, has that 
 same song of gratitude been sung! How often have 
 careless men and reckless women been drawn from 
 the danger line by the recollection of the little one 
 whose future is dependent upon them! 
 
 Recently a number of men from various walks of 
 life were assembled in a hotel corridor. They en- 
 gaged in a discussion of the scriptures, and it developed 
 that many of these men had been careful readers. 
 Someone asked for opinions as to the most beautiful 
 passage in the Bible. Several learned responses were 
 given. One man, well known among western plains- 
 men, and one who was not suspected of being a great 
 student of the Bible, surprised his companions by say- 
 ing: "Boys, there are just two things in that old book 
 that I never get tired hearing of. One is the story of 
 that little fellow, Samuel; and I shall never forget the 
 picture in my good old mother's Bible, showing Samuel 
 sitting in his little bed, and, in response to God's call, 
 saying, 'Speak, Lord, thy servant heareth.' "
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom " 11 
 
 "But," continued the plainsman, "the prettiest pen 
 picture ever drawn is to be found in the tenth chapter 
 of Mark." 
 
 His companions thought to test him, and one of 
 them asked: "How do you know it is in the tenth 
 chapter of Mark?" 
 
 "I'll show you," said the plainsman; and going to 
 the check room, he delved into a capacious gripsack, 
 and drew forth a well fingered Bible. Standing in 
 the center of that group of men, the plainsman read: 
 
 And they brought young children to him that 
 he should touch them; and his disciples rebuked 
 those that brought them. 
 
 But when Jesus saw it, he was much dis- 
 pleased, and said unto them: Suffer the little 
 children to come unto me, and forbid them not, 
 for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say 
 tmto you: Whosoever shall not receive the king- 
 dom of God as a little child, he shall not enter 
 therein. 
 
 And he took them up in his arms, put his hands 
 upon them and blessed them. 
 
 Impressed with the plainsman's unsuspected famil- 
 iarity with the scriptures, his companions agreed that, 
 after all, their unlettered friend was not far from the 
 right when he said that the Sweetest Singer of all the 
 ages gave to men the sweetest song of all the years 
 when He took them up in his arms, put his hands 
 upon them and blessed them, saying: Suffer the
 
 12 "Of Such is the Kingdom *' 
 
 little children to come unto me, and forbid them noti 
 for of such is the kingdom of God. 
 
 "They are idols of hearts and of households; 
 They are angels of God in di^uise; 
 His sunlight still sleeps in their tresses, 
 His glory still gleams in their eyes; 
 These truants from home and from heaven 
 They have made me more manly and mild; 
 And I know now how Jesus could Uken 
 The Kingdom of God to a child."
 
 " Of Such is the Kingdom »' 13 
 
 IN THE KINGDOM OF NEVER GROW OLD 
 
 IHAT IS a pretty scene in a simple little 
 play where the happy Irish lover throws 
 open the gates of "The Kingdom." This 
 Irish lover, a man who had learned, as 
 Francis Murphy would say, that "it's time enough 
 to be dignified when you're dead," had ever kept 
 in touch with the children, and had not permitted 
 himself to become a stranger to the things that 
 delight the children's hearts. By chance he meets 
 a charming girl with whom he falls desperately 
 in love. He mentions the famous old tale of 
 "Three Bears and Silver Locks," and his sweet- 
 heart asks him if he is interested in such stories. 
 He confesses that he has made a practice of staying 
 the ravages of time by keeping in touch with the 
 simple things of life, and mingling with the little 
 ones. He tells her that it is just such things as 
 these that keep men and women young, adding that 
 these pastimes are merely journeys to "The King- 
 dom." The girl drops into a seat and says, "Tell 
 me the story of 'Three Bears and Silver Locks.' " The 
 young Irishman begins the tale, and when its con- 
 clusion is anticipated by his fair listener, showing 
 that she has a familiarity with such stories, her 
 lover takes a seat beside her, and with a fine display 
 of enthusiasm, says: "You are one of us; you, too, 
 are of the Kingdom!" 
 
 Stage folks have no monopoly in the touring of 
 this kingdom — The Kingdom of Never Grow Old.
 
 14 ^* Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 There are many busy men and women in this world 
 today, as there have been busy men and w^omen 
 in the past, who make frequent journeys to those 
 hallowed precincts. "And a little child shall lead 
 them" is not all a prophecy; it is history. Some of 
 the world's strongest men have been led by little 
 ones; not led from the path of duty, but kept in 
 that path by the influence which the association 
 with little children had upon their lives. Several 
 years ago when Benjamin Harrison, then president 
 of the United States, visited Omaha, he addressed 
 a great gathering of children upon the high school 
 grounds. Always happy in his speeches to men. 
 General Harrison showed that he was, as well, a 
 children's orator. He knew how to command their 
 attention; he knew how to touch their hearts; and 
 president though he was, he made the bold con- 
 fession, then and there, that he had made it a practice 
 to seek the company of little children in order to 
 obtain the relaxation necessary in a busy career, 
 and that in the company of these little ones he 
 had found the very best in life. 
 
 The man who confines his association to grown 
 folks, ignores opportunities for developing the mind, 
 for rejuvenating the soul, and for renewing faith in 
 mankind. In the marts of trade there is selfishness 
 and brutality; in the political arena there is hypoc- 
 risy and insincerity; in the social circle there is 
 double dealing and lack of candor; but in the temple 
 of childhood there is sincerity and truth; in The 
 Kingdom of Never Grow Old there is relief from 
 the meanness and the malice of the world.
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom " 15 
 
 He who would seek rest from the toil and the 
 anxiety of a busy life may find it if he but cast dull 
 dignity to the winds, and cultivate the acquaintance 
 of the little ones. The weary man of business renews 
 his lease upon Ufe, and warms the cockles of his 
 heart; he is brought closer to nature, closer to truth, 
 closer to God— as he strolls in the sunbeams that 
 dance among the trees and flowers thriving about 
 the palaces of nature in The Kingdom of Never Grow 
 Old. 
 
 In the ballads and the tales of the nursery there 
 are lessons of life and of love; lessons of philosophy 
 and of logic; lessons of truth and of poetry; there is 
 simple eloquence and real earnestness. Those who 
 have not accustomed themselves to wander in this 
 kingdom are not able to appreciate these things, 
 but many whose feet are famiUar with the ground 
 will bear testimony to these claims. 
 
 There are men who could not, with patience, sit 
 through an evening of Wagner; men who do not 
 know one of music's notes from another, and yet, 
 if one doubts that there is music in the hearts of these 
 men, let him, some winter evening, peer through 
 the portals of "The Kingdom," and he will be given 
 a touch of the soul of music, compared with which 
 the products of "The harp that once through Tara's 
 halls," are hardly worthy of mention. Some of 
 these notes may grate harshly upon the ears of the 
 Wagnerian; the disciple of Thomas may imagine 
 that he detects indications of discord; the follower 
 of Beethoven may assert that all is not harmony; 
 but those who, like the Irish lover, are of "The King- 
 dom," will be able to grasp the celestial character
 
 16 ** Of Such is the Kingdom " 
 
 of the melody. There is real music in the "patty 
 cake, patty cake" of "the baker's man;" in the "trot, 
 trot, trot," on the journey to "Banbury Cross"; in 
 the "hey diddle, diddle" of "the cat and the fiddle"; 
 in the "Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye, 
 four and twenty blackbirds baking in a pie," or in 
 "Onery, orry, ickery, Ann; Fillison, FoUison, Nich- 
 olas, John; Queevey, quavey, EngUsh navy, rinktum, 
 tinktum; Buck." 
 
 The incident of the little child whose heart was 
 "beatin' hard" for its "daddy to come home," re- 
 minds us that as the forget-me-nots of the angels, 
 strewn before the footsore man, make life's pathway 
 easier to tread, these little "heart-beats" make them- 
 selves felt over the broad expanse that separates 
 the nursery from the counting room, spur men to 
 greater effort, and inspire them to nobler purpose. 
 
 The man in the Kentucky hemp fields, who had 
 wandered in a maze of doubt and skepticism, was 
 so impressed with his new found affection for a 
 noble woman that he finally planted his feet firmly 
 upon "faith's foundation stones" because he con- 
 ceived that there must be a good God, else there 
 could not be such a holy love. Within the radius 
 of the child's pure affection, within the embrace of 
 the Uttle arms, within the feel of the little "heart- 
 beats," there is no room for doubt, there is no place 
 for skepticism. The purity, the love, the faith of 
 "one of the least of these" points as unmistakably 
 to divine origin as the needle points to the pole. 
 
 Love and faith, and hope and charity, all these, 
 as well as rest and recreation, await those who would 
 make the happy pilgrimage over hallowed ground — 
 in The Kingdom of Never Grow Old.
 
 ^'MY HEART'5 A BEATIN' HARD if ^ 
 ll; FOR . MY U\DDYTOCX )ME HQMEfl| A 
 
 -%.c^
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom " 17 
 
 AND A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM 
 
 NE page of a Chicago periodical edited by 
 one of the ablest newspaper men was 
 recently devoted to the following: 
 
 IN MEMORIAM— Bom March 20. Died 
 March 24. His coming was a joy to his mother 
 and me. His going has helped us to under- 
 stand some things we did not know. 
 
 To some this language may need translation; but 
 it will be understood by the loving parents of living 
 children, and it will be self-interpreting as it strikes 
 a holy and sympathetic chord in the hearts of those 
 who have loved and lost. 
 
 "Language grows out of life — out of its agonies 
 and ecstacies, its wastes and its weariness. Every 
 language is a temple in which the soul of those who 
 speak it is enshrined." How many, many, fathers 
 and mothers whose souls are enshrined in the temple 
 where was spoken this eloquent memorial to a Uttle 
 one, whose coming revealed the very heights of love 
 and whose going showed what death really is! 
 
 The boy in his teens thinks he loves when for the 
 first time he makes bold to go "gathering the myrtle 
 with Mary, Mary whose heart he knows"; the youth 
 thinks he loves when he presses the engagement 
 ring upon the finger of his sweetheart, and seals it 
 with a kiss; the young man thinks he loves when he
 
 18 ^^ Of Such is the Kingdom " 
 
 leads his bride to the altar. And they all do love 
 in their own way, and in the way of the moment. 
 
 But wait imtil the baby comes! There is love! 
 There the love for the bride is increased a thousand- 
 fold, and consecrated in the love for the mother, while 
 in the new-found affection for a little child portals 
 seem to have opened upon new and strange yet holy 
 ground. How the world laughs at the antics of a 
 man who for the first time finds himself to be a 
 father! But who cares for the good-natured laugh- 
 ter of the world? Certainly not the man who, after 
 hours, and perhaps days, of keen anxiety for the 
 fate of his sweetheart, who has gone into the valley 
 of death's dark shadow in response to love's stem 
 call, has been assured that "all's well." He has ob- 
 tained a glimpse of real life; in his horizon there 
 is not one single cloud, the birds are singing, there 
 is music everywhere. He breaks from his work and 
 finds himself hurrying to the bedside of the old love 
 and to the cradleside of the new love. As a rule he 
 is undignified in his haste; but what does a new- 
 made father care for dignity? He rather enjoys 
 the jests of his associates; for just as the young 
 lover likes to talk about his sweetheart, the older 
 lover likes to talk about his babe. It is a striking 
 fact that although history may repeat itself, as it 
 has in many homes, though child after child may 
 be bom, it is the same old story. The same birds 
 are singing, the same music everywhere for the father 
 who finds himself hastening to his home to greet 
 one of those who have been likened to God's apostles 
 sent forth day by day to preach of love, and hope, 
 and peace. Wait imtil the baby comes, and that 
 is love!
 
 ** Of Such is the Kingdom '' 19 
 
 But if you would learn even more than that of 
 love, wait until the baby goes! There is the voice- 
 less grief that "whispers the o'er-fraught heart and 
 bids it break." But there is the grief that makes 
 the tie that binds two hearts closer than any mar- 
 riage words yet spoken by a priest; the thing that 
 "knits two hearts in closer bonds than happiness 
 ever can," for "common sufferings are far stronger 
 links than common joys." 
 
 Do we not know that a grave can not be so small 
 that it fails to find in the parents' hearts the place 
 which in God's infinite wisdom has been set aside 
 for the memorial to every child of love? The parent 
 obtains new interest in every day's development of 
 the child from birth to the limits of babyhood; he 
 obtains new interest in every year's development 
 of the boy, whether it be from kilts to knee pants, 
 from knee pants to long trousers, or from smooth 
 face to the first touch of downy beard; and every 
 tmn carries a new sensation to the parent's heart. 
 How often, also, has the sentence passed between 
 father and mother as they anxiously bent over the 
 sick child's bed: "He's just at the age when it will 
 be hardest to lose him." But it is because the 
 parents love best the child that is sick that they 
 think death at that age would be the "hardest." 
 At any age, and at all ages, from babyhood even 
 unto manhood, the death of a child calls into the 
 parent's heart, and the parent's heart, always on 
 guard in the child's interest, makes prompt and 
 grief-stricken response. 
 
 Let those whose hearts do not yet wear these 
 scars imagine what they would do if asked to choose
 
 20 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 lone of their children whom they could best spare. 
 There is an old story, told in homely verse, that 
 illustrates this point well. A father and a mother 
 had been offered a house and land, if in return from 
 out their seven children one child should be given 
 to the donor. Poverty seems to have pressed 
 heavily upon that home, and seven mouths to feed 
 brought great responsibilities. The mother sug- 
 gested that they choose among the little ones as 
 they slept; so, walking hand in hand, they surveyed 
 the inmates of their household. First to the cradle 
 where the baby slept; then "beside the trundle-bed, 
 where one long ray of lamplight shed athwart the 
 boyish faces there, in sleep so pitiful and fair"; and 
 then from one to the other, from the first-born to 
 the "Benjamin" of the flock, the father and mother 
 went, declaring beside each sleeping form: "Not 
 this one; no, not this one." Then turning even to 
 where "poor Dick, bad Dick, the wayward son, 
 turbulent, reckless, idle one," slept in spite of a 
 conscience bad, they asked: "Could he be spared?" 
 and answered: "Nay, He who gave, bade us befriend 
 him to his grave; only a mother's heart can be pa- 
 tient enough for such as he." The homely verse 
 tells us that v/hen the tour of inspection had been 
 concluded, "they wrote in courteous way they could 
 not drive one child away." 
 
 There is, indeed, not one to spare, until there 
 comes the command to which all mortals must in 
 sorrow bow. Keen though that sorrow, large though 
 the responsibilities which the child brought, great 
 though the sacrifices it required, we would not, if 
 we could, part with the sorrows, if by doing so we
 
 *' Of Such is the Kingdom " 21 
 
 must blot out the great fact that a little child came 
 into our lives to teach us the way to love, to show 
 us the way to live, and to tell us the way to die. 
 
 And there a Uttle child shall lead them! There 
 many a little child has led them. There the boasted 
 knownothingism of the agnostic or the proud decla- 
 mations of the infidel leave men helpless and 
 hopeless, while the faith of the mothers points un- 
 erringly to the skies. There, "as the disciples 
 found angels at the grave of Him they loved, we 
 could find them, too, but that our eyes are too full 
 of tears for seeing." There — even in the darkest 
 night of death — "hope sees a star, and listening 
 love can hear the rustle of a wing."
 
 22 "Of Such is the Kmgdom " 
 
 A "STOLEN" FLOWER 
 
 OME time ago a newspaper cablegram told 
 of the depth of grief and tenderness shown 
 by a Paris street urchin. That cablegram 
 follows: 
 
 "Every Sunday for three months past a little 
 boy of twelve has been observed in a cem- 
 etery kneeling at a grave marked only by 
 a wooden cross. One Sunday he knelt longer 
 than usual, weeping convulsively. At last he 
 looked about him. Near by was a richly carved 
 tomb with fresh lilacs and other beautiful flow- 
 ers on it. He gazed at the tomb several 
 minutes, then went to it, took the greater part 
 of the flowers, and was carrying them to the 
 poor little grave, when he met a policeman, 
 who asked what he was doing. The child 
 dropped his burden in fright. On being taken 
 to the police station, he explained in piteous 
 fashion that three months ago he lost his brother 
 whom he dearly loved. On looking at his grave 
 and seeing those around all covered with flowers 
 he thought how cold he must be and had taken 
 the flowers to cover him." 
 
 A beautiful incident, indeed. Something like it 
 occurred not long ago at Prospect Hill cemetery 
 in the city of Omaha. Teddy and Lee, two little 
 brothers, were wandering one Sabbath day among 
 the graves of that old resting place. None of their
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 23 
 
 loved ones lay in that city of the dead, but they 
 were, nevertheless, interested visitors to that solemn 
 place. 
 
 Prospect Hill is filled with flowers on the Sabbath, 
 and there was no exception to the rule on this par- 
 ticular occasion. 
 
 In their stroll these lads came across one little 
 grave that was conspicuous because of the absence 
 of any marble slab. No blossoms rested upon this 
 little mound. 
 
 Teddy, the younger brother, a lad of perhaps 
 seven years, hastily looking about him to see that 
 no one was watching, slipped over to a grave that 
 was covered with costly roses. He selected two 
 beautiful flowers, and, holding them under his coat, 
 crept up to the neglected little grave, and, as ten- 
 derly as a gentle woman would soothe the dying 
 moments of her child, he placed the flowers upon 
 the tiny mound. 
 
 The two brothers hurried away. Not a v/ord 
 was exchanged until they reached the street outside 
 the cemetery grounds. 
 
 Then the younger, addressing the elder brother, 
 said: "That wasn't stealing, was it?" 
 
 Promptly the reply cams: " 'Course it wasn't. 
 Don't you 'spose that little baby had just as much 
 right to a flower as some of them grown folks?" 
 
 It wasn't stealing, either, as every man of blood 
 and brain will cheerfully testify.
 
 24 '* Of Such is the Kingdom " 
 
 THE LITERATURE OF THE CHILDREN 
 
 [EWSPAPER dispatches said recently that 
 under the auspices of certain educators, 
 nursery rhymes are to be stricken from 
 the list of things suitable for the minds of 
 children. Some writers made vigorous protest, and 
 in doing so spoke for the countless thousands 
 who are not too dignified to confess membership 
 in the free and independent order of the simple- 
 hearted, and who do not have their heads so high 
 in the clouds that they have failed to observe the 
 things that have moved the world, and have moulded 
 men and women for the world's betterment. 
 
 Why should the nursery rhyme be abolished? 
 Because it sounds foolish to the abolitionist? Apply 
 that rule rigidly, and there will be little left in liter- 
 ature but the cyclopedia, and — carried to its logical 
 result — the rule would soon leave the cyclopedia a 
 mass of shreds and patches. 
 
 The nursery rhyme is an essential part of a child's 
 education, and it is indispensable to the parent who 
 fraternizes with his offspring, and finds pleasure 
 in the simple songs and tales that delight the child's 
 heart. It may be defended on broad educational 
 lines, or, so far as it interests — and instructs by 
 interesting — the children, on literary merit, even as 
 it may be justified by the pleasure it gives to the 
 children, and the softening influence it has upon 
 the character of the adult who learns it, loves it, 
 and doesn't care to forget it.
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom " 25 
 
 Education does not begin with Shakespeare, nor 
 with Browning, nor even with the alphabet. In 
 the language of one who may be counted among the 
 champions of the nursery rhymes: "Education 
 begins with a mother's look, with a father's nod of 
 approbation or a sign of reproof; with a sister's 
 gentle pressure of the hand, or a brother's noble 
 act of forbearance; with handfuls of flowers in green 
 dells, or hills and daisy meadows; with bird's nests 
 admired, but not touched; with creeping ants and 
 almost imperceptible emmets; with humming bees 
 and glass bee hives; with pleasant walks, with shady 
 lanes, and with thoughts directed in sweet and kindly 
 tones and words to Nature, to beauty, to acts of 
 benevolence, to deeds of kindness, and to the source 
 of all good— to God Himself." And the nursery 
 rhyme does all that. 
 
 The men and women of today were reared on 
 nursery rhymes, and after recognizing all their 
 merits and demerits, they are really a fine lot of 
 people. We recognize the educational principle of 
 the nursery rhyme in the kindergarten, in the his- 
 torical novel, and in the art — for it is an art — which 
 some men and women writers have of "humanizing" 
 animals, describing their ways, their wants, and their 
 characteristics in stories told by the animals them- 
 selves. We may even say that the principle is 
 recognized in poetry, for the poets who have left 
 their imprint in politics as well as in Uterature are 
 those who have written of the simple things of life, 
 and written in a simple way, directly, as it were, 
 from the heart of one human being to the heart of 
 another human being.
 
 26 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '^ 
 
 Some men can swim as soon as they strike water, 
 but most of us must first wade. Some instinctively 
 turn to Browning, but most of us must be led up 
 gradually, perhaps first drawn in that direction by 
 coming in contact with vagabond sentences, or by 
 having its beauties pointed out by some master hand. 
 Men are often led to a study of literature by a speech 
 or sermon that has presented some literary fact in 
 a captivating way; and the historical novel has its 
 uses, because it has often aroused the interest of its 
 readers and prompted them to search the pertinent 
 history — which search will, by the way, show that 
 some of the authors of these novels take a great 
 many liberties with history. 
 
 David Swing said that the writings of Shakespeare, 
 of Homer, of Milton, passed into all languages, 
 because the great thoughts of those writers belong 
 to the human heart; that "all the thoughts of Hter- 
 ature spring from the soul, that is, from the emotions, 
 from the sentiments, rather than from the intellect 
 alone"; also that literature is "nothing else than 
 thought ornamented." That being true, the nursery 
 rhyme is entitled to rank as literature. To be sure, 
 it is not entirely satisfying when one has passed the 
 age for which that Uterature was prepared; although 
 even the well lettered man may yet derive, at times, 
 great enjoyment in reading or reciting these merry 
 jingles to little ones, just as the professor in algebra 
 might find pleasure in unravelling the mysteries of 
 the multiplication table to one to whom that table 
 is yet a puzzle, or as the disciple of Byron, of Moore, 
 of Coleridge, of Wordsworth, or of Tennyson might
 
 '* Of Such is the Kingdom >> 27 
 
 find pleasure in leading the young along the paths 
 made beautiful by the pen of humbler poets. 
 
 Froebel, the founder of the kindergarten, is known 
 the world over, and in centuries to come little chil- 
 dren will lisp his name as that of one of the great 
 benefactors of the human race. Froebel said: "What 
 the child imitates, he begins to understand. Let 
 him represent the flying of birds, and he enters 
 partially into the life of birds. Let him imitate the 
 rapid motion of fishes in the water, and his sympathy 
 with fishes is quickened. Let him reproduce the 
 activities of farmer, miller, and baker, and his eyes 
 open to the meaning of their work. In one word, 
 let him reflect in his play the varied aspects of life, 
 and his thought will begin to grapple with their 
 significance." 
 
 There are little boys who are required by thought- 
 less parents to play alone — if, indeed, their pastimes 
 may be dignified with the name of play. But few 
 rays of sunshine are permitted to fall into their 
 lives. They are strangers to the children's rhymes 
 and tales, because within their parents' souls no 
 music dwells. When they are grown these children 
 may amount to something so far as real service to 
 the world is concerned, but if so it will be because, 
 sooner or later, in spite of the efforts of their emi- 
 nently practical parents, they have learned that 
 "Whatever mine ears can hear, whatever mine eyes 
 can see, in Nature so bright with beauty and light, 
 has a message of love for me!"— and that, by the 
 way, is one of these nursery rhymes which are to 
 be barred.
 
 28 ^* Of Such is the Kingdom " 
 
 The imagination of the child must be awakened. 
 The nursery rhyme operates upon the little one as 
 simshine acts upon the plant— "In the heart of a 
 seed, buried deep, so deep, a dear little plant lay 
 fast asleep. 'Wake!' said the sunshine, 'and creep 
 to the light.' 'Wake!' said the voice of the rain- 
 drops bright. The Uttle plant heard, and it rose to 
 see what the wonderful outside world might be." 
 And that is another of the rhymes that are to be 
 barred from the men and women of the future! 
 
 Some of the simplest verses have drawn the chil- 
 dren's attention to eternal facts. There are some 
 imobserving men who do not know that one partic- 
 ular little star seems to act as the moon's chief-of- 
 stafif. In a nursery rhyme the attention of children 
 is riveted upon this fact: "Last night I looked 
 out of my window just before I repeated my prayer, 
 and the moon with the star close beside her 
 was climbing high up in the air. Did God make 
 the Uttle star baby 'cause the moon was so lonely 
 up there? Yes, God made the little star baby 'cause 
 the moon was so lonely up there." 
 
 One of the prettiest thoughts relates to the 
 similarity between the color of the sky and the color 
 of the violet, and is conveyed in homely nursery 
 verse: "I know, blue, modest violet, gleaming at 
 dewy morn, I know the place you came from, and 
 the way that you were born; when God cut the 
 holes in the heavens, to let the stars shine through, 
 He let the scraps fall down to earth, and those Uttle 
 scraps were you." 
 
 There are many grown men and women who 
 could learn valuable lessons by a study of these
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 29 
 
 nursery rhymes. They cultivate sweet thoughts in 
 the hearts of the Httle ones, and inspire them to 
 good purpose. How would we instruct the little one 
 in love, in duty, and in courage in better form than 
 is given in the nursery rhyme: "Oh, Daffy-down- 
 dilly! so brave and so true, I wish all were like 
 you; so ready for duty in all sorts of weather, and 
 showing forth courage and beauty together." Or, 
 as in that other nursery rhyme: "Come, my love, 
 and do not spurn from a little flower to learn. Let 
 your temper be as sweet as the lily at your feet; be 
 as gentle, be as mild, be a modest, simple child." 
 
 How would we tell of purity, of generosity, and 
 of service in better form than: 
 
 The red rose says: "Be sweet," 
 
 And the hly bids: "Be pure;" 
 
 The hardy, brave chrysanthemum, 
 
 "Be patient and endure." 
 The violet whispers: "give, 
 
 Nor grudge, nor count the cost." 
 The woodbine, "keep on blossoming. 
 
 In spite of chill and frost." 
 
 How would we admonish contentment in better 
 way than: 
 
 Whichever way the wind doth blow 
 Some heart is glad to have it so. 
 Then blow it east, or blow it west, 
 The wind that blows, that wind is best. 
 
 One of the prettiest stories told to the children 
 is entitled, "To whom shall we give thanks?" The 
 author was so impractical that he undertook to give 
 thought and voice to many inanimate things. It is 
 related that a little boy quenched his raging thirst at
 
 30 ^* Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 a pump, and then gracefully raising his cap, thanked 
 "Mr. Pump"; but the pump disclaimed the credit, 
 and said that he only helped the water run. Then 
 the little boy offered thanks to "Cold Water"; but 
 "Cold Water" disclaimed the credit, saying that the 
 spring on the hillside sent him forth. The boy said 
 that then he'd thank the spring; but the spring in 
 turn disclaimed the credit, saying that it could do 
 nothing without the dew and rain. The boy said 
 he'd thank the dew and rain, but they also declined 
 to accept the honor, and said that without the sun 
 they were powerless. Then the boy turned to the 
 sun and offered "ten thousand thanks"; but the 
 sun "with blushing face," admonished the little 
 fellow not to thank him, because he drew the draught 
 from the ocean's mighty stores. Then turning to the 
 ocean, the boy offered thanks, but the ocean echoed 
 back, "No thanks to me," adding: 
 
 "Not unto me, but unto Him 
 
 Who formed the depths in which I lie, 
 Go give thy thanks, my little boy — 
 
 To Him who will thy wants supply." 
 The boy took off his cap and said, 
 
 In tones so gentle and subdued, 
 "0 God, I thank Thee for Thy gift, 
 
 Thou art the giver of all good." 
 
 These men who object to the nursery rhyme will 
 soon object to "baby talk," and then to coddling, 
 and then to playthings; and then instead of a lot of 
 bright-faced happy children, we will have an assort- 
 ment of dressed-up, intellectual midgets, who v/ill 
 want to talk to us of "the profoundness of profun- 
 dity," when we would prefer to have them tell us
 
 (( 
 
 Of Such is the Kingdom " 31 
 
 about "Onery, orry, ickery, Ann; Fillison, FoUison, 
 Nicholas, John"; and finally there will be no love 
 and no life for the baby, no life and no love for the 
 parent, and no fun for anyone other than the solemn 
 owls who seem to obtain pleasure only by denying 
 it to others. 
 
 Long ago we read: "The greatest truths are the 
 simplest; and so are the greatest men." This sen- 
 tence was once forcefully called to my mind. At a 
 private picnic party, perhaps seventy-five people — 
 among them many children — were gathered. In the 
 party was a man of wide experience, of great activity 
 and of recognized ability. When luncheon was 
 spread, he was invited to take the place of honor at 
 the head of the snowy cloth spread on the green 
 grass. I have heard that man deliver speeches that 
 swayed multitudes, but I was never so impressed 
 at once with his greatness and his simplicity as I 
 was by an act of his on that occasion. Looking 
 around the gathering, he asked: "Do you remember 
 the little verse in which we gave thanks at our last 
 picnic?" Many children, and some of the grown 
 folks, responded in the affirmative. It was one of 
 the prettiest sights imaginable when, with bowed 
 heads, the men, women and children joined with this 
 big, powerful man in repeating the simple words: 
 
 God is great, and God is good, 
 And we thank Him for this food. 
 By His hand must all be fed, 
 Give us, Lord, our daily bread.
 
 32 ''Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 PANSIES FOR THOUGHTS 
 
 |T WAS a little pansy, faded and crushed 
 between the well creased folds of a letter. 
 But it came as a message of love from 
 dear ones dead and gone, as an echo of the 
 long ago; it was a reminder of boyhood days, a 
 souvenir plucked from soil made sacred by memories 
 of the loved and lost. 
 
 A sweet-faced girl of the "seventies," now the 
 mother of a daughter of her own, had visited the 
 old home, where many little ones had spent their 
 happiest days; to several of the now grown-up "boys" 
 she wrote: "I went to Grandma's — now owned by 
 strangers — and had a drink out of the well. Seeing 
 the old place made me think of you, so I gathered 
 a few flowers to send to you, but they are so wilted 
 this morning, I will just enclose a sample." 
 
 A very welcome "sample," indeed! And how 
 appropriate that a little pansy, "purple with love's 
 wound," should serve as a messenger to make the 
 call to Dreamland, prompting the soliloquy: "This 
 is the place. Stand still, my steed — let me review 
 the scene, and summon from the shadowy past the 
 forms that once have been." 
 
 The Pansy! "That's for thoughts." Aye, and 
 tender thoughts they are! 
 
 "I send thee pansies while the year is young, 
 Yellow as sunshine, purple as the night; 
 
 Flowers of remembrance, ever fondly sung 
 By all the chief est of the sons of light;
 
 
 \' 
 
 <H,^.7^ 
 
 bf 
 
 ly
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 33 
 
 And if in recollection lives regret 
 
 For wasted days, and dreams that were not true, 
 
 I tell thee that the 'pansy freaked with jet' 
 
 Is still the heart's-ease that the poets knew. 
 Take all the sweetness of a gift unsought, 
 And for the pansies send me back a thought." 
 
 It is not a wild guess that if one who, like Sam 
 Jones, "don't care much for theology or botany, but 
 loves religion and flowers," were asked to name his 
 favorite blossom, he would answer in the words of 
 a woman who knew: 
 
 "Of all the bonny buds that blow 
 
 In bright or cloudy weather, 
 Of all the flowers that come and go 
 
 The whole twelve moons together. 
 The little purple pansy brings 
 Thoughts of the sweetest, saddest things." 
 
 Just how the name of "the heart's-ease" or 
 "pansy" happened to be given this little flower is 
 a matter for the imagination. 
 
 "Heart's-ease! One could look for half a day 
 Upon this little flower, and shape in fancy out 
 Full twenty different tales of love and sorrow. 
 That gave this gentle name." 
 
 Miss Deas, in her interesting little book called 
 "Flower Favorites," says: "From old Parson Her- 
 rick we gather that in his day the pansies were 
 among the sweet-smelling, old-fashioned flowers 
 that went to compose the bridal nosegay, and in 
 his quaint v/ay he relates how once pansies were 
 'frolic virgins who, for want of sweethearts, ran mad 
 and died,' whereupon
 
 34 *^ Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 " 'Love, in pity of their tears 
 
 And their loss in blooming years, 
 
 For their restless here-spent hours 
 
 Gave them heart's-ease turned to flowers.' " 
 
 A German legend is to the effect that once upon 
 a time the pansy had a delightful perfume; that, 
 growing in cultivated fields and sought after both 
 on account of its scent and supposed healing prop- 
 erties, the com and vegetables were in consequence 
 being continually trampled and destroyed. Now 
 this so grieved the tender hearted flower that it 
 prayed to the holy trinity to take away from it its 
 perfume. The prayer was granted, and from that 
 time the pansy is known as Dreifaltigkeit's Blume, 
 or "Flower of the Trinity." 
 
 Primarily the name "heart's-ease" belonged to the 
 wall flower. That it should have been transferred 
 as an alias to the pansy is explained by Miss Deas 
 on the ground that at one time both these flowers 
 were comprehended among the violet tribes. 
 
 The pansy has a greater variety of names than 
 any other flower. We know it commonly as 
 "pansy," and occasionally as "heart's-ease," but 
 Miss Deas tells us that among other names by which 
 it is known, are "The Lady's Flower," "The Bird's 
 Eye," "Pink of my John," "Kit-Run- the-Street," 
 "Flamy," "Cull-Me," or "Call-Me," "Seed Pansy," 
 "Horse Pansy" — horse signifying as a prefix simply 
 large. Nursery tradition sees in the center of the 
 pansy a Uttle woman, and in some parts of England 
 it is known as "Three- Pretty- Faces- Under- One- 
 Hood." In the north of England it is sometimes 
 called "Stepmother." In Germany it is frequently
 
 *' Of Such is the Kmgdom '» 35 
 
 styled "Stiefmutterchen," and in some parts of 
 Germany the yellow species is called "Schwagerin," 
 or "Sister-in-Law," typifying jealousy. In some 
 parts of the Rhineland the people give this little 
 floral favorite the fond name — in Bavaria bestowed 
 upon the honey-suckle — Jelanger-je-lieber, "the 
 longer, the dearer." 
 
 Though the simplest of flowers, the pansy is famous 
 in song and story. Shakespeare called it "Love in 
 Idleness." Leigh Hunt styled it "the garden's 
 Gem." Ouseley called it "the Angel of the Flowers," 
 saying: "The beauteous pansies rise in purple, gold, 
 and blue, with tints of rainbow hue, mocking the 
 sunset skies." 
 
 In George Chapman's "All Fools" this dialogue 
 appears: 
 
 Cornelia — "What flowers are these?" 
 
 Gazetta— "The pansy this." 
 
 Cornelia— "Oh, that's for lovers' thoughts." 
 
 Milton wrote of the "pansy freaked v/ith jet," and 
 called it one of the flowers that "sad embroidery 
 wears," naming it among those he v/ould have the 
 valleys produce in order to cover the hearse of Lycid. 
 
 Tennyson gave the pansy some attention in his 
 "Gardener's Daughter," and Bret Harte wrote in 
 "The Mountain Heart's Ease:" 
 
 "By scattered rocks and turbid waters shining, 
 
 By furrowed glade and dell, 
 To feverish men thy calm, sweet face upUfting, 
 
 Thou stayest them to tell. 
 
 The delicate thought that cannot find expression. 
 
 For ruder speech too fair, 
 That, like thy petals, trembles in possession, 
 
 And scatters on the air."
 
 36 *^ Of Such is the Kingdom " 
 
 Swinburne paid a tribute to this little flower when 
 he wrote: **Heart's-ease or pansy, pleasure or thought, 
 which would the picture give us of these? Surely 
 the heart that conceived it sought heart's-ease." 
 
 Robert Buchanan boasted of "Hugh Sutherland's 
 Pansies," telling how they grew: 
 
 "From blue to deeper blue, in midst of each 
 A golden dazzle like a glimmering star, 
 Each broader, bigger, than a silver crown; 
 While here the weaver sat, his labor done, 
 Watching his azure pets and rearing them, 
 Until they seemed to know his step and touch, 
 And stir beneath his smile like living things; 
 The very sunshine loved them, and would lie 
 Here happy, coming early, lingering late 
 Because they were so fair." 
 
 The pansy was not unknown to Shakespeare, and 
 in Hamlet he makes Ophelia, fantastically dressed 
 with straws and flowers, say: "There's rosemary, 
 that's for remembrance; pray you, love, remember; 
 and there is pansies, that's for thoughts;" Laertes 
 remarking: "A document in madness— thoughts and 
 remembrance fitted." 
 
 In "Midsummer Night's Dream" Oberon, the fairy 
 king, sends Puck, his favorite page, in search of "the 
 little western flower," in order that he may drop the 
 blossoms' Uquor as a love-philtre on the closed eyes 
 of Titania, his queen. The king, addressing his page, 
 says: 
 
 That very time I saw (but thou couldst not), 
 
 Flying between the cold moon and the earth, 
 
 Cupid all arm'd: a certain aim he took 
 
 At a fair vestal, throned by the west; 
 
 And loosed his love-shaft smartly from his bow,
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 37 
 
 As it should pierce a hundred thousand hearts; 
 
 But I might see young Cupid's fiery shaft 
 
 Quenched in the chaste beams of the wat'ry moonj 
 
 And the imperial vot'ress passed on, 
 
 In maiden meditation, fancy free. 
 
 Yet marked I where the bolt of Cupid fell; 
 
 It fell upon a little western flov/er — 
 
 Before milk-white, now purple with love's wound — 
 
 And maidens call it love-in-idleness. 
 
 Fetch me that flower, the herb I show'd thee once; 
 
 The juice of it, on sleeping eyelids laid, 
 
 Will make or man or woman madly dote 
 
 Upon the next live creature that it sees. 
 
 Fetch me this herb; and be thou here again, 
 
 Ere the leviathan can swim a league. 
 
 The pansy figures even in Bunyan's Pilgrim's 
 Progress. Christiana and her children, entering the 
 Valley of Humiliation, espied a boy feeding his father's 
 sheep. "The boy was in very mean clothes, but of 
 a fresh and v/ell-favored countenance, and as he sat 
 by himself, he sung. *Hark,' said Mr. Great-Heart, 
 *to what the shepherd's boy saith.' So they heark- 
 ened, and he said: 
 
 " *He that is down needs fear no fall; he that is low 
 no pride; he that is humble, ever shall have God to 
 be his guide. 
 
 " *I am content with what I have, little be it or 
 much; and. Lord, contentment still I crave, because 
 thou saves t such. 
 
 " 'Fullness to such a burden is, that go on pil- 
 grimage; here little, and hereafter bliss, is best from 
 age to age.' 
 
 "Then said the guide, 'Do you hear him? I will 
 dare to say this boy Uves a merrier life, and wears
 
 38 "Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 more of that herb called "heart's-ease" in his bosom, 
 than he that is clad in silk and velvet.' " 
 
 The pansy emblemizes the "content that is our 
 best having." Many of those who were boys and 
 girls thirty or forty years ago will remember a Uttle 
 story that appeared in one of McGuffey's readers; 
 it is a story that might well be read and re-read to 
 the children of today. It is related that one bright 
 June morning the king paid a visit to his garden, 
 and found there many complaints and great grief. 
 The king made inquiries of a number of flowers as 
 to the reason for their sadness. Discontent was the 
 lot of all save one. The rose, ungrateful for its own 
 great beauty and fragrance, was sad because it was 
 not like one of its neighbors. Another flower was 
 sad because it was not a rose. The apple tree was 
 sad because it could not bear peaches, the peach tree 
 because it could not bear pears. After the king had 
 made his way through the garden and listened to 
 complaint after complaint, he came to the little 
 pansy, every line of whose calm, sweet face spoke of 
 contentment. "Why are you so happy while all the 
 rest are sad?" asked the king. The pansy replied: 
 "Dear king, I am happy because I know you wish 
 me to be only a little pansy; and I am trying to be 
 the best little pansy that I can." 
 
 The most important lesson for the children of 
 today may be learned beside the pansy bed.
 
 " Of Such is the Kingdom '' 39 
 
 THE FOUNDATIONS OF PEACE 
 
 WESTERN newspaper recently printed the 
 
 following : 
 
 "A gentleman traveling through the 
 
 western part of the state a few day^ ago 
 stopped off to look at a piece of land that 
 was offered for sale at a bargain. In going to 
 the place it was necessary to cross a tract where 
 the prairie dogs lived. His companion had a 
 target rifie, and requested him to take a shot at 
 one of the little animals. He did so with deadly 
 result, and to the great disturbance of his own 
 peace of mind. The wounded beast barely had 
 strength to crawl into its den probably to suffer 
 and die. 'Thinking it over afterward,' said the 
 gentleman, and he was a gentlemen through 
 and through, *I couldn't figure out where I had 
 profited by taking the life of one of God's 
 happy creatures, and I made up my mind then 
 and there never to be guilty of such wanton 
 cruelty again. Even a prairie dog has a right to 
 Uve.' " 
 
 This is one place where figures won't lie. The 
 best mathematician in all the world could not figure 
 out where any man profits by the needless destruc- 
 tion of life. It is one of the good signs of the times 
 that men are thinking more and more these days 
 on such subjects, and that there is a growing dispo- 
 sition to recognize that "even a prairie dog has a
 
 40 ^^ Of Such is the Kingdom '* 
 
 right to live." Boys having concern for their standing 
 don't tie tin cans on dogs' tails these days; and those 
 who do readily discover that that is one of the offenses 
 not condoned under the "boys will be boys" rule. 
 
 There are some who, coming in such stern contact 
 with the miseries of men, are disposed to look lightly 
 upon the efforts of the humane society and kindred 
 organizations, contending that a. more important 
 work relates to the immediate wants of men rather 
 than of birds and beasts. But organizations like 
 the humane society are doing a very necessary work 
 in the education and the making of men. Every 
 man whose interest has been enlisted in the humane 
 society's work, may be depended upon to do valiant 
 service for humanity. Every child who has been 
 impressed with the fact that it is wicked to destroy 
 a nest, or to inflict injury upon birds or beasts, has 
 been made familiar with the paths that lead to that 
 ever increasing circle of men and women where "I 
 am my brother's keeper" is the alpha and the omega 
 of the ritual. 
 
 Macaulay told us: "The Puritan hated bear baiting, 
 not because it gave pain to the bear, but because 
 it gave pleasure to the spectators." But today those 
 who protest against the pigeon shoot, the docking 
 of the horse's tail, the high check rein, the needless 
 slaughter of birds or beasts, or any other "detested 
 sport that owes its pleasure to another's pain" rec- 
 ognize not only the injury to the spectator, but the 
 rights of the dumb creature. The fine character 
 created by Charles Reade gave to the men of his time 
 and to the men of all time an excellent rule in 
 "Put yourself in His Place."
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom >' 41 
 
 It is diflBcult to know just where to draw the line, 
 and the conscience of each individual must deter- 
 mine. Some may not yet be willing to go quite so 
 far as the man who, though passionately fond of 
 fishing, found it difficult to obtain his own consent 
 to run a sharp pointed hook through a beautiful 
 minnow. When his companions laughed at him and 
 told him that it did not hurt the minnow, he asked, 
 "Then what makes the little thing squirm?" Many 
 yet hold that the high check rein is not cruel, but 
 those who have carefully investigated know better; 
 and while on some of these points there will be differ- 
 ences, sooner or later it will be agreed that man's 
 right to destroy animal life terminates with his 
 necessities for food, and that he cannot find justifica- 
 tion for the destruction of such life in the desire for 
 sport. 
 
 "The proper study of mankind is man," and it 
 is an interesting study, too. Because this is so, it is 
 strange that there are not more students in that 
 school. Those who have not availed themselves of 
 the privilege of such study have no idea what a 
 wonderfully interesting thing it is. They can learn 
 so many things they never dreamed of before. And 
 once they enter upon the study of men, they will 
 naturally be drawn at the first opportunity to the 
 study of birds and of beasts. In that realm are 
 limitless opportunities. In simple fiction we may 
 obtain inspiration for the study of the horse from 
 "Black Beauty," and for the study of the dog from 
 "Beautiful Joe." John Burroughs can tell us facts 
 we never dreamed of, and yet they are facts 
 lying at our very doors and providing, as do all of
 
 42 ^' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 Nature's studies, profitable and interesting 
 investigation. 
 
 Men disagree as to whether these dumb creatures 
 reason, yet there are many well authenticated tales 
 showing some wonderfully human conduct on the 
 part of these creatures. We are told by "Farm 
 Folks" that "on the top of a steep pinnacle of the 
 Alps mountains, surrounded by the dead white of 
 the eternal snows, through which an occasional 
 clump of evergreen protrudes, is a grave marked 
 by a simple wooden tablet on which these words 
 are carved: 'Here lies a friend of humanity, the 
 savior of thirty-four men, women and children.' The 
 creature to whom this monument was erected was 
 only a dog. He was one of those great, handsome, 
 gentle-eyed Saint Bernards which trail the dangerous 
 paths of the treacherous mountains, watching for the 
 lost traveler, and bringing him to safety when found." 
 
 A New Orleans newspaper recently quoted a police 
 officer who said that all the stray dogs who roam 
 the streets at night seem to pick out the uniformed 
 poUcemen as their friends, and that when the oflacers 
 return to the station they are accompanied by a long 
 procession of dogs of various degrees. Another and 
 older officer said that he did not see any grounds 
 for objection on this point, because he remembered 
 an instance where tv/o dogs which made it a habit 
 to follow the same policeman every night, saved 
 that police officer his job. According to the story, 
 this policeman was not in the least bothered with 
 insomnia, and when he got ready to take his nap 
 on his beat, two dogs would take up their posi- 
 tions one at one end of the block, and one at the
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom " 43 
 
 other. Whenever one of the dogs saw the sergeant 
 coming he would run to the sleeping officer and rub 
 his cold nose against the officer's face, arousing him 
 from his sleep, and thus warning him of the approach 
 of his superior. 
 
 One of my neighbors was not prepared to welcome 
 a dog to his home, but he finally did so, and now 
 no money could purchase that particular animal; and 
 thereby hangs a tale. One day two dogs appeared 
 at this gentleman's house. One of them, a large 
 animal, had been seriously crippled in the back. 
 The other was a little, short-legged creature, and not 
 at all attractive to the eye. The crippled animal 
 hid himself under the house, and whenever the 
 Uttle dog was fed it was noticed that instead of 
 eating the food, he disappeared with it. He was 
 followed several times, and on each occasion was seen 
 to carry the food under the house, place it before 
 the crippled animal, and stand wagging his tail as 
 though grateful for the opportunity of doing that 
 kindness. In a few days the two dogs disappeared. 
 Several days later, the smaller dog returned and took 
 up his home on the premises. His very appearance 
 suggested the name he now bears, **Scrubby," but 
 there is nothing of the scrub in his characteristics. 
 Because of the kindness he showed to his crippled 
 companion, he found an appreciative master and a 
 comfortable home. It is needless to say that he has 
 found friends in the neighborhood among all who 
 have learned his interesting story. 
 
 It was a good sign, when, despite the President's 
 great popularity, many criticisms were made 
 when it was reported that he had participated in
 
 44 ^^ Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 a hunt where animals had been captured and locked 
 in a cage to be suddenly released in order that a 
 chase might be made. And it was another good sign 
 when many newspapers criticized a former President 
 because in one of his nev/spaper articles he told 
 of the great delight to be found in the chase 
 for jack-rabbits, admitting at the same time that it 
 was necessary for the chasers to take great pains to 
 persuade these little animals to flee from their 
 pursuers. 
 
 A police officer in a western city was famous for 
 his tenderness. He had been known to weep at the 
 sight of a man v/hose skull had been fractured by 
 a police ofl&cer's club, and he had shown what seemed 
 to be — at least on the part of a police oflficer — un- 
 dignified concern over an injury inflicted upon a dog. 
 Some of his fellow ofiicers good-naturedly gibed him 
 on his tender spot, and one of his superiors never 
 lost an opportunity to taunt him. There was no 
 tender spot in this superior's breast. He could stand 
 the sight of blood on man or on beast. The pain 
 which others felt did not disturb him. But on one 
 occasion it happened that this tender-hearted man 
 accompanied this particular superior on a search for 
 a pair of desperate criminals. The criminals were 
 found, and they showed fight. The man who had 
 been laughed at because of his tenderness, who had 
 been sneered at because of his tears at the sight of 
 another's woe, stood his ground manfully, risked his 
 own life, and with the aid of citizens whom he called 
 to his support, arrested both of the desperate men 
 after being required to severely wound one of them. 
 The superior the man who had so often laughed his
 
 " Of Such is the Kingdom '' 45 
 
 subordinate to scorn because of his "weakness" — 
 took to his heels at the first shot, and ran hke a 
 scared wolf. History is replete with instances show- 
 ing that "cowards are cruel, but the brave love 
 mercy, and delight to save." 
 
 "Nature teaches beasts to know their friends." 
 Have you ever noticed that there is an affinity be- 
 tv/een the boy and the dog? Turn loose a Uttle 
 child and a little dog— or for that matter, an old 
 dog— and see hovr soon they'll get together. On 
 one occasion a man holding in his lap a puppy dog 
 took a seat in a crowded street car. Beside him sat 
 a woman, and beside the woman a little boy. Lean- 
 ing forward, the boy caught sight of the dog, and at 
 the same time the dog caught sight of the boy. In 
 the parlance of the street, "there was something 
 doing." The httle boy's eyes sparkled and the Uttle 
 dog's tail wagged. The man found great difficulty 
 in holding the animal, and in order to prevent it 
 from creating a commotion, he found it necessary to 
 pass it over to the boy, in whose lap the little animal 
 nestled and was content. 
 
 One of the busiest lawyers in a western city was 
 generally regarded as a cross and crabbed man. He 
 was a bachelor, and it was noticed — and to his credit 
 it was said — that he had the habit when walking 
 down the street, of stopping to rub the noses and pat 
 the necks of the horses attached to the hacks stand- 
 ing in front of hotels. Some who would not be 
 wiUing to give the devil his due, said that he only 
 did that because it cost nothing, and by way of 
 extenuation of his other meannesses. But finally it 
 leaked out — not with this man's consent, however
 
 46 "Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 — that as he had shown kindness to the hack horses, 
 he had shown kindness to men and women and 
 Uttle children who were helpless and needed friends. 
 It developed that, unknown to the world, and known 
 only to a few, he had regularly and quietly dispensed 
 charity in a most liberal way. 
 
 Men who keep their hearts young, find pleasure 
 in dwelling on life's simple things. All may not be 
 profound and if we could we would be so busy 
 maintaining our dignity that we wovild miss the best 
 part of this really good old world. But we may all 
 learn from association with children; we may be of 
 great service in giving a word of cheer to some fal- 
 tering comrade; we may obtain a wonderful amount 
 of pleasure in doing a kind turn to some abandoned 
 cur, receiving our reward in a hearty wag of the 
 cur's tail like unto that for which the old German 
 said he wouldn't take a thousand dollars. 
 
 Most of us arc too dignified to repeat, but some 
 of us are simple-hearted enough to remember, one 
 of the sweetest lessons of childhood conveyed in 
 homely verse: "Little drops of water, little grains of 
 sand, make the mighty ocean, and the pleasant land. 
 Little deeds of kindness, Uttle words of love, help to 
 make earth happy like the heaven above." 
 
 The easiest thing in the world is to train a child 
 so that it will be considerate of the rights of birds 
 and beasts, and a child trained in that way is safe. 
 When he is grown he will be considerate of the rights 
 of men. He will learn that the essence of the law 
 is to "deal honestly, hurt nobody, (and no thing) 
 and give every one fand every thing) his just due." 
 When he learns to fulfill that law as it relates to the
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 47 
 
 smallest and most helpless of God's creatures, he will 
 lose no opportunity to become as a ministering angel 
 to human beings in need. 
 
 These are the foundations of peace; for if the 
 schoolboy of today is trained to speak softly and 
 carry an olive branch instead of a "big stick," the 
 statesman of tomorrow will be more reluctant to 
 engage in war and more willing to assist in the resto- 
 ration of order.
 
 48 "Of Such is the Kingdom** 
 
 PORTSMOUTH AND SAN FRANCISCO 
 
 ;HE civilized v/orld was kneeling at the shrine 
 of peace v/hen, on September 5, 1905, a 
 treaty terminating the war between Russia 
 and Japan was signed at Portsmouth, New 
 Hampshire. The president of the United States 
 who had done so much to bring about the 
 desirable result, was complimented for his efforts 
 by men of all nations, and by men of all parties, 
 while the representatives of the contending govern- 
 ments were congratulated upon the "give and take" 
 disposition characterizing their deUberations. In 
 counting room and in workshop, on farm and in the 
 highways, men talked of peace with almost religious 
 fervor, until it seem_ed as though a benediction had 
 suddenly rested upon the v/hole world. Many 
 thoughtful m.en predicted that the signing of the 
 treaty at Portsmouth v/as the beginning of the end 
 of the rule of force, and that the conflict in the far 
 East would prove to have been the last war between 
 great nations. 
 
 Five days after the signing of the Portsmouth 
 treaty conspicuous place in the daily newspapers 
 was given to the report of what is known as "one 
 of the greatest prize lights in history." The news- 
 papers gave that report first place because newspaper 
 editors knew their readers demanded it. Would 
 it not be well if the same public sentiment which 
 had so much to do with forcing a settlem.ent between 
 Russia and Japan could be crystalized against
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '* 49 
 
 brutality and force, whether engaged in by nations 
 or by mdividuals. 
 
 Those who have believed that the prize fight was 
 going out of favor were doubtless greatly discouraged 
 by the report of the affair that took place at Colma, 
 a suburb of San Francisco. As some of the cor- 
 respondents told us it was a "bloody battle." 
 Everyone of the eighteen rounds was characterized 
 by the hardest kind of fighting, and the record 
 of the eighteenth — and last — round, shows "Nelson 
 shot his left and right to Britt's jaw like a flash. 
 Britt went down like a log, gasping for breath, and 
 with blood coming from his mouth and nose. The 
 fatal seconds were counted out by Timekeeper 
 Harting. At the call of ten Britt made a feeble 
 effort to rise, but immediately fell back, utterly 
 defeated." 
 
 And then we were told: 
 
 Instantly the crowd, surging in great waves 
 from all sides, broke the ropes, and swept into 
 the ring. There were no police at Colma, and 
 the few scattered deputy sheriffs were power- 
 less. Britt and his seconds were hauled in a 
 dozen directions by crazy sympathizers. A few 
 intelligent men tried to drive the crowd away, 
 and there were a half dozen free fights in the 
 battle-maddened crowd, 
 
 A magnificent description, indeed, of a magnificent 
 scene, enacted among a people whose boast is that 
 they are leaders in the arts of peace. So great was 
 the interest in this affair that the gate receipts
 
 50 ^^ Of Such is the Kingdom '' • 
 
 amounted to $70,000. /ill over the United States 
 great crowds were collected around the bulletin 
 boards in the large cities, and in many of the smaller 
 towns, awaiting the news of the result of this brutal 
 contest. 
 
 The discouraging thing about it is that in so- 
 called "sporting circles" the opinion is freely expressed 
 that this contest, "eminently successful" as it was, 
 has revived new interest in the "manly art," and 
 that we may expect many similar entertainments in 
 the near future. 
 
 It is true there are many intelligent and gentle 
 men who frequently take advantage of the oppor- 
 timity to witness one of these contests, and it is also 
 true — as will be testified by any one who has 
 been an observer on such occasions — that a contest 
 of this character would prove entertaining to the 
 average man, whatever his occupation in life might 
 be. There is in every one of us a bit of the animal. 
 The apology given by the intelligent man who habit- 
 ually attends prize fights and defends them is that 
 the participants do not really suffer, that they go 
 into it expecting to receive punishment, and that 
 they are mere brutes who engage in that sport largely 
 for gain, and are therefore entitled to no sympathy. 
 The answer of the man who has witnessed prize 
 fights and is opposed to them, is that the worst 
 feature is the effect such contests have upon the 
 observers. It would stir the worst in the best of 
 men to see these well trained brutes, with hardened 
 muscles, give and take blows, dodging one here and 
 withstanding one there. Even the sight of blood as 
 it is drawn in every one of these contests, does not
 
 ** Of Such is the Kingdom " 51 
 
 disturb the observer, once the brute within him has 
 been thoroughly awakened and advances to meet the 
 brute within the fighters in the ring. 
 
 This point may be well illustrated by an incident 
 that occurred a few years ago in a western city. 
 There had been in that city a number of prize fights 
 under the guise of "boxing contests." When it was 
 announced that a particularly interesting "boxing 
 contest" would take place, the editor of one of the 
 daily newspapers decided to make a test of the char- 
 acter of these affairs, and of their effect upon indi- 
 viduals who had never seen a prize fight, and were 
 utterly opposed to them. Seven gentlemen were 
 invited to accompany this editor to that particular 
 battle. Every one of these gentlemen was asked in 
 advance whether he opposed prize fighting. They 
 all condemned it vigorously, and said it should be 
 prohibited. Not one of them had ever witnessed 
 either a real prize fight or a boxing contest of the 
 mildest order. Some were so opposed to prize fight- 
 ing that they did not readily consent to go, but they 
 were told that they would be given the privilege 
 of publishing over their own signatures whatever 
 they desired to say with respect to their experiences 
 and as to their conclusions. With this understand- 
 ing they consented to witness the affair. Two of 
 these gentlemen v/ere among the city's ablest lawyers; 
 one was a successful druggist; two were physicians; 
 another was a general merchant, and another was 
 a clerk. 
 
 It happened that this contest was between a negro 
 and a white man. The remarks of the members of 
 this little party while on their v/ay to the ringside
 
 52 ^* Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 were particularly interesting. Every one of them 
 was confident he would be so thoroughly dis- 
 gusted that he could not remain to the finish. Every 
 one said he wanted the negro to win, because any 
 white man who would engage in a fight with a negro 
 ought to be whipped. 
 
 To the editor who acted the host on this occasion 
 the best part of the show was in the faces and the 
 general conduct of his guests. In the very begin- 
 ning the black man landed a savage blow upon the 
 white man's nose, drawing blood. One of the law- 
 yers, who had been particularly insistent that he was 
 anxious for the black man to win, jumped to his 
 feet the moment this blow was given, and at the top 
 of his voice, shrieked: "Go at him, white man! Give 
 it to him hard!" It required a few more blows 
 between the fighters for the other members of the 
 party to become aroused, but every one of them was 
 aroused, and when the battle was thoroughly in 
 progress they were all screaming at the top of their 
 voices. Some of them were mounted on chairs, 
 giving words of encouragement to the white fighter 
 and yeUing with delight whenever he landed a blow 
 upon his black antagonist. Their enthusiasm was 
 not lessened when the blood began to flow freely. 
 Gentle men and gentlemen, every one of them, they 
 were witnesses to a struggle of force between human 
 beings. Their race prejudices had been aroused, 
 and their sympathies had been enlisted on the side 
 of the member of their own race; but even beyond 
 all that, their interest was thoroughly centered upon 
 a struggle for supremacy between two strong men. 
 The more blows that landed, the better were they
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 53 
 
 suited. The more blood that flowed, the better were 
 they pleased. The brute within them — as within all 
 men, sleeping, but never dead — had been aroused. 
 Blows and blood were the order of the day. Love 
 had abdicated its throne in their hearts, and force 
 reigned thereon as supreme as it did within the center 
 of that bloody ring. 
 
 These men were not, however, conspicuous be- 
 cause of their conduct. The whole mass of men 
 gathered at that ringside were engaged in the same 
 manifestations of delight whenever a favorite fighter 
 won a point or drew blood; they were all engaged 
 in giving encouragement to the bloody bruisers, each 
 to do his worst to the other and when finally the 
 white man won by a mere scratch, knocking his 
 opponent senseless upon the hard pavement of the 
 ring, among all the men cheering and screaming with 
 delight none seemed more earnest or enthusiastic 
 than those men who had for the first time witnessed 
 a prize fight and who, in their normal mood, were 
 opposed to the system. 
 
 When the lights went out and "the captains and 
 the kings" departed, these men returned to the 
 newspaper office, and wrote of their experiences. 
 The normal man within them resumed control, and 
 they wrote frankly. Every one of these men de- 
 clared that he was more than ever opposed to prize 
 fighting. They had learned through personal expe- 
 rience the terrible effects which one of these contests 
 has upon the observers, and they had come to know 
 —what theretofore they had only believed — that 
 the sport that has so long sought to pass for '^manly 
 art" belongs to the bloody ages rather than to the
 
 54 ^^ Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 civilized years. They had learned — v/hat they had 
 theretofore only suspected — that these brutal con- 
 tests cause men to lose ground which they must 
 recover, and stir within the breasts of the witnesses 
 the very elements which Christ came to suppress. 
 
 We have been treated to many absurdities in con- 
 nection with these affairs. Not long ago, one of these 
 valiant brutes, who had whipped to a finish his 
 opponent, ran across the ring and throwing his arms 
 affectionately around his opponent's neck, planted 
 several kisses upon his cheek. And the newspaper 
 dispatches were filled with praise because of this 
 display of "affection for a fallen foe!" God save 
 the mark! And one of the most abominable of the 
 many disgusting things that have associated them- 
 selves in newspaper dispatches with the affairs of 
 these bruisers v/as when it was printed all over the 
 world that the father of a fighter who had just won 
 the battle which entitled him to the championship 
 was a clergyman. It was said that when this father 
 received the news of the victory he declared that 
 he knew that his boy would win because he had 
 prayed that victory might come to him! In the 
 history of the world many efforts have been made 
 to put the God of Battles to an unholy use, but 
 that was about the worst of all the abominable 
 efforts in that line that have, so far, been made. 
 
 If men are to be restrained, children must be 
 trained. If the world is to be educated, the process 
 must not begin upon the brink of the grave; it must 
 begin with the cradle — and, indeed, so far as future 
 generations are concerned, it must begin long prior 
 to the cradle. Children must be taught that men
 
 '' Of Such is the Kmgdom '» 55 
 
 must not strike one another — either in the individual 
 or the national capacity — except the blow be una- 
 voidable. Those who would encourage nations to 
 keep peace, must restrain individuals from force. 
 Particularly in our own land, when we set ourselves 
 up as leaders of the world's thought, as foremost 
 in the labors of love, and in the establishment of 
 peace, we must see to it that our national pretenses 
 are not inconsistent with our individual life. We 
 must make it known that while our statesmen are 
 prompted to aid in the discouragement of war among 
 all nations tempted to engage in it, our poUcemen 
 are required to preserve order among all individuals 
 who would destroy it. 
 
 When the children of today are taught to abhor 
 force in all its forms, the men of tomorrov/ will not 
 gather at the ringside to give encouragement to 
 lawlessness. When the children are taught that 
 love must rule in the hearts of men, love will rule 
 in the councils of nations. The agreement between 
 Russia and Japan was written upon parchment, and 
 it is effective so far as concerns that particular con- 
 test; but the greatest of all peace treaties — the 
 peace treaty that will be effective for all people and 
 for all times — is to be written in letters of love upon 
 the hearts of the rising generation. The signs of the 
 times are that parents are giving more consideration 
 to thoughts of this character than ever before in 
 the history of the world. Kindness to the birds of 
 the air and the beasts of the field, consideration 
 for one's fellows, love and sympathy for all men — 
 these are the things to be cultivated in the building
 
 56 ^* Of Such is the Kingdom >> 
 
 of a perpetual peace for all the world. When these 
 thmgs are taught in the nursery, and talked of in 
 the counting room and in the workshop, "the sweet 
 birds from the south will build their nests in the 
 caimon's mouth; and the only sounds from its rusty 
 throat will be the wren's or the blue-bird's note."
 
 (( 
 
 Of Such is the Kingdom " 57 
 
 WHEN THE "MASTER" KNOCKS 
 
 IDMUND J. JAMES, president of the Uni- 
 versity of Illinois, rendered a distinct service 
 to society when, in his baccalaureate address, 
 he paid his respects to John J. Ingalls* 
 famous poem, saying: "I do not beheve that 
 there is an equal number of beautiful lines in 
 the English language, which contain more unmiti- 
 gated nonsense than Ingalls' 'Opportunity.' " Pres- 
 ident James told the graduating class that oppor- 
 tunities come in "a never-ending procession." As a 
 result of his protest, Ingalls' verse has been widely 
 discussed. The discussion will be helpful because 
 of the necessity for stamping out the disposition to 
 look on the dark side of things. 
 
 The lines to which President James referred follow: 
 
 "Master of human destinies am I ! 
 
 Fame, love, and fortune on my footsteps wait. 
 
 Cities and fields I walk; I penetrate 
 
 Deserts and seas remote, and passing by 
 
 Hovel, and mart, and palace — soon or late 
 
 I knock unbidden once at every gate. 
 
 If sleeping, wake — if feasting, rise before 
 
 I turn away. It is the hour of fate. 
 
 And they who follow me reach every state 
 
 Mortals desire, and conquer every foe 
 
 Save death; but those who doubt or hesitate, 
 
 Condemned to failure, penury and woe. 
 
 Seek me in vain, and uselessly implore; 
 
 I answer not, and I return no more,"
 
 58 "Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 Although for years these lines have been made 
 conspicuous in every publication of Mr. Ingalls' 
 writings, it is claimed by some of his friends that 
 he never intended the verse to be taken seriously. 
 
 But it would not be difficult to believe that the 
 talented Ingalls meant what he wrote when he gave 
 these beautiful lines to the world. He was not the 
 only one in his time, prior to his time, and since his 
 time, who has taken the gloomy view that there is 
 a "master of human destinies," who knocks but 
 once at every gate, and forever after turns a deaf 
 ear to those who then failed to heed him. A greater 
 than Ingalls took a mighty gloomy view when he 
 wrote: "There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, 
 taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; omitted, all 
 the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in 
 miseries; and we must take the current when it 
 serves, or lose our ventures." Also: "Who seeks 
 and will not take when once 'tis offered, shall never 
 find it more." 
 
 Going from the sublime to the ridiculous, Mr. 
 Dooley framed a companion piece for the Ingalls 
 classic, when he wrote: "Opporchunity knocks at 
 ivery man's dure wanst. On some men's dures it 
 hammers till it breaks down th' dure, an' thin it 
 goes in, an' aftherward it wurrks f'r him as a night 
 watchman. On other men's dures it knocks an* 
 runs away, an' on th' dures of some men it knocks 
 an' whin they come out, it hits thim over th' head 
 with an ax. But ivery man has an opporchunity.'* 
 
 The "one time and out" idea on the opportunity 
 question has been all too persistently cultivated. 
 Neither is it difficult of cultivation in this day of
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom " 59 
 
 conspiracies in restraint of trade and conspiracies 
 against the lives of men. Now that man-made law 
 would relegate to idleness and obscurity the man 
 who has reached his fortieth year, it would not be 
 strange if the Ingalls verse should appeal to the 
 man, who, although at the very threshold of life, 
 finds his way to livelihood barred by the absurd 
 decree of a system that treats man as a lemon, to 
 be squeezed and thrown away. But this man-made 
 law cannot long prevail if the greed and dishonesty to 
 which it owes its origin are frowned upon by intel- 
 ligent men, and the system by which it is enforced 
 is stamped out of existence. 
 
 In the meantime, the efforts of men and women 
 who understand that they owe a duty to society 
 can not be employed to better purpose than in an 
 effort to persuade men to remember that the sun 
 is ever shining behind the clouds. 
 
 It was Robert Bruce, who, resting in a ruined hut 
 in the forest, and considering whether he should 
 continue the strife to maintain his right to the Scot, 
 tish throne, obtained inspiration from a spider. The 
 spider was trying to fix its web on the rafters, and 
 was swinging itself from one eave to another. It 
 had tried six times to reach one place, and failed. 
 Suddenly the thought stuck Bruce, "I have fought 
 six times against the enemies of my country." He 
 resolved that he would be guided by the failure or 
 success of the Uttle insect. The next effort of the 
 spider was successful, and Bruce then determined 
 that he would make the seventh attempt to free his 
 coimtry.
 
 60 ^^ Of Such is the Kingdom " 
 
 The most inspiring tales are those that have not 
 been written; the most heroic deeds are those that 
 have not been told; the world's greatest successes 
 have been won in the quiet of men's hearts; the 
 noblest heroes are the countless thousands who have 
 struggled and triumphed, rising on "stepping stones 
 of their dead selves to higher things." 
 
 What is opportunity? It is life. In the language 
 of Bishop Spalding: "Our house, our table, our 
 tools, our books, our city, our country, our language, 
 our business, our profession — the people who love us 
 and those who hate, they who help and they who 
 oppose — what is all this but opportunity?" 
 
 What is opportunity? Ask who wrote the classic 
 bearing that title and you will be told that it was 
 the work of the talented Ingalls, who represented 
 Kansas in the United States senate. But who can 
 tell the author of that little verse: "If at first you 
 don't succeed, try, try again?" Yet the one who 
 gave that fine note to the music of the world rendered 
 service greater than any given by Ingalls; for where 
 the author of "Opportunity" killed hope, the author 
 of "try, try again" revived it; where the one stood 
 for the doctrine of death, the other stood for the 
 gospel of life; where the one who believed that 
 opportunity knocks and flees wrote a classic that, 
 while adding to his fame in literary circles, con- 
 tributed to the world's woes, the other penned a 
 homely verse that gives hope and courage to the 
 sons of men — a verse that has inspired the children 
 of many generations, and yet lives in service to the 
 world.
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 61 
 
 What is opportunity? Bishop Spalding says: "We 
 find ourselves where we seek ourselves — in matter 
 or in mind, in the lov/ world of mere sensation and 
 base desire, or in that where souls are transfigured 
 by truth and love. Nothing touches the soul but 
 leaves its impress, and thus, little by little, we are 
 fashioned into the image of all we have seen and 
 heard, known and meditated; and if we learn to 
 live with all that is fairest, and purest, and best, 
 the love of it will in the end become our very life." 
 
 What is opportunity? Some one has said: "Oc- 
 casion may be the bugle call that summons an army 
 to battle, but the blast of the bugle can never make 
 soldiers or win battles," and the man who makes 
 the soldier and wins the battle of life, follows the 
 example of Andrew Jackson, who was known as "the 
 boy who would never stay thro wed." 
 
 What is opportunity? In a story of Chinese life, 
 we are told that a Chinese student was attracted 
 to the efforts of a woman who was trying to make 
 a needle from a rod of iron, by rubbing the rod 
 against a stone. This so encouraged the student 
 that wedding patience and energy, he became one 
 of China's greatest scholars. 
 
 What is opportunity? Michael Davitt, one of the 
 world's greatest figures, died recently. In all his 
 life he had never known what real comfort was. So 
 far as money was concerned, he was born poor and 
 died poor. As a lad he saw his widowed mother 
 evicted from her small holding. At the age of ten, 
 he lost his arm in a cotton machine while earning 
 a livelihood for his mother and her family. At the 
 age of twenty he joined the Fenian movement, and
 
 62 '' Of Such is the Kingdom " 
 
 for his activity therein was, at the age of twenty- 
 four, sentenced to fifteen years' penal servitude. 
 After seven years of imprisonment, during which 
 he was treated to all manner of indignities, he was 
 released, and began the work which culminated 
 in the organization of the Irish Land League. At 
 various times he suffered imprisonment. As one 
 writer says: "Every moment of his life was devoted 
 to the redemption of his people, to their material 
 and intellectual advancement, and through years 
 of painful suffering, imprisonment, contumely and 
 degradation, he v/rought courageously, unceasingly, 
 for the creating of better conditions in the storied 
 land that was the idol of his hopes and dreams." 
 
 Where was Michael Davitt's opportunity? When 
 did he grasp it? How did he realize upon it? His 
 whole life was one of service to his fellows, and sac- 
 rifice to their cause, and when he died he left a will 
 concluding in these words: 
 
 "My diaries are not to be published as such, 
 and in no instance without my wife's permission; 
 but on no account must anything harsh or 
 censorious, written in said diaries by me, about 
 any person, dead or alive, who has ever worked 
 for Ireland, be printed, published, or used, so as 
 to give pain to any friend or relative. To all 
 my friends I leave kind thoughts; to my enemies 
 the fullest possible forgiveness, and to Ireland 
 the undying prayer for the absolute freedom 
 and independence which it was my life's ambi- 
 tion to try and obtain for her."
 
 " Of Such is the Kingdom " 83 
 
 Surely "opportunity" fairly battered down Michael 
 Davitt's doors, so anxious was it to be grasped by 
 that faithful soldier of liberty. No need to say 
 that with all its sorrows, its privations, and its sac- 
 rifices, Davitt's life was a success; and no wonder 
 that when he died men of every race and creed 
 paid loving tribute to his memory. It was eminently 
 fitting that this man, who lived for his fellows, 
 should die with a message to love and to liberty 
 upon his lips; to his friends, kind thoughts — to his 
 enemies, forgiveness — to his country, independence! 
 What a bountiful bequest, and what a precious 
 legacy! Dying as he had lived that testator seized 
 his opportunity. During all his career he seemed 
 destined to give where others seemed destined to 
 receive. Service was his heritage — even as it is the 
 heritage of all who would win from life its greatest 
 prize. 
 
 "Rose-wearer and rose-giver, 
 
 We meet them both today; 
 One gathers joy, one scatters it, 
 Along the trodden way. 
 Which are you, little maiden? 
 
 The flower-crowned lass is fair, 
 But the one who scatters roses 
 
 Is the one we cannot spare."
 
 64 ** Of Such is the Kingdom " 
 
 THE GREAT WHISPERING GALLERY 
 
 |N THE capitol at Washington, in St. Paul's 
 [2) cathedral, London, and at Gloucester ca- 
 thedral in England, there are domes in 
 which the faintest sounds conveyed around 
 the interior may be readily heard — and these 
 are called "whispering galleries." The original 
 "whispering gallery" was built centuries ago by 
 Dionysus, the tyrant. It was a cavern 170 feet 
 long, 60 feet high, and 20 to 35 feet wide. It was 
 built so that Dionysus could hear the solitary mur- 
 murings of his prisoners, v/as connected by a secret 
 passage to the tyrant's palace, and was known as 
 the "Ear of Dionysus," because the faintest 
 whisper of a prisoner reached his master's ear. Men 
 will be more careful as to their thoughts and deeds 
 when they learn to remember in every moment of 
 their lives that this great world is a whispering gallery 
 where the smallest thought or deed has wide-spread 
 influence. 
 
 Richter gave us the idea when he wrote: "Words 
 that a father speaks to his children in the privacy 
 of home, are not heard by the world, but, as in 
 whispering galleries, they are clearly heard at the 
 end, and by posterity." 
 
 As with a father's words, so with the words and 
 deeds, and even the thoughts of others. The 
 mother's prayer, the father's counsel, the sister's 
 tear, the friend's smile, and the brother's word 
 of cheer, exeit an influence extending far beyond
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom " 65 
 
 the interests of the immediate beneficiary, even "as 
 the small pebble stirs the peaceful lake; the center 
 mov'd, a circle straight succeeds, another still, and 
 still another spreads." 
 
 Every man and woman under whose eyes these 
 lines fall, perhaps, remembers some other man or 
 woman, or perhaps a Uttle child, who has exerted 
 marked influence for good upon the life and char- 
 acter of another. 
 
 "Such souls, 
 Whose splendid visitations daze the world, 
 Vanish like lightning, but they leave behind 
 The voice that in the distance far away 
 Wakes the smouldering ages." 
 
 Schouler, in his history of the United States, 
 refers to the marked influence which Washington 
 had upon Monroe, saying: "The illustrious example 
 of the first incumbent had become with Monroe an 
 overpowering influence," and adding: "Even in 
 personal looks the last Virginian, with his placid 
 and sedate expression of face, regular features, and 
 a grayish-blue eye, which invited confidence, had 
 come to appear not unlike the first; so that in these 
 years, the names of Washington and Monroe became 
 naturally coupled together." 
 
 In his address on "The Alchemy of Influence," 
 Henry Drummond says: "Through all the range 
 of literature, of history, and biography, this law 
 presides. Men are all mosaics of other men. There 
 was a savour of David about Jonathan, and a savour 
 of Jonathan about David. Jean Valjean, in the 
 masterpiece of Victor Hugo, is Bishop Bienvenu 
 risen from the dead. Metempsychosis is a fact.
 
 66 ** Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 George Eliot's message to the world was that 
 men and women make men and women." 
 
 Thomas Hardy's "less of the D'Urbervilles" was 
 a well-bred woman who fell because of the bad 
 environment she had adopted. As we learn from 
 the Ufe of "Tess," that "evil associations corrupt 
 good manners," so from Browning's drama, "Pippa 
 Passes," we learn of the "blessed influence of one 
 true, loving, human soul on another." 
 
 That was a great and profitable day spent by 
 "Pippa," the heroine of Browning's tale. Pippa 
 was a girl employed at the silk mills in northern 
 Italy. During the whole year she had but one 
 holiday. It was New Year's day, and she deter- 
 mined to make the most of it. She did make the 
 most of it; and from Pippa's experiences we learn, 
 in the language of the reviewer: "There is nothing 
 we do or say but may be big with good or evil con- 
 sequences to many of our fellows of whom we know 
 nothing. People whom we have never seen, of 
 whose very existence we are ignorant, are affected 
 for good or evil externally by our lightest words 
 and our most thoughtless actions." 
 
 In the crowded car a man looks at his watch, and 
 immediately his neighbor does likewise. 
 
 We yawn and our neighbor yawns; we smile, and 
 he smiles; we weep, and he is moved to tears. 
 
 The sour and surly man makes sour and surly 
 all with whom he comes in contact, and the hearty, 
 whole-souled cheerful fellow makes others happy. 
 
 Did you ever wait for a belated train on a rainy 
 day in a dingy waiting room of a dingy station? 
 Perhaps the train is several hours late. Passengers
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom " 67 
 
 b^ 
 
 ask surly questions of one another and the station 
 agent, and receive surly replies. Suddenly a young 
 girl enters with a smiling face and a cheery good- 
 morning for all. The gloom immediately disappears; 
 the time passes rapidly; the station is not quite so 
 dingy as it seemed; a rainy day is not, after all, so 
 very unpleasant — and all because of a sweet-faced, 
 smiling girl. "The very room, coz she was in, 
 seemed warm from floor to ceilin'." 
 
 A man who was struggling to conquer his appetite 
 for liquor, was a guest at a banquet where wine 
 flov/ed freely. He was on the point of yielding to 
 the temptation to take "a sip or tv/o," when a man 
 for whom he had a very poor opinion, rose to speak. 
 This speaker had no appetite to struggle with, but 
 he had many faults more serious than those of the 
 man first mentioned. The speaker referred to the 
 temptations of everyday life, and becoming some- 
 what personal, said: "If I could forget God at the 
 banquet table or elsewhere, I could go to pieces 
 very quickly." The man, with his hand upon the 
 glass, restrained himself and avoided the fatal "sip 
 or two." While he had all along regarded that 
 particular speaker as a hypocrite, he gave to him the 
 credit of saving him from a serious error. 
 
 Neither is this influence for good or evil confined 
 to a small circle. The one who carries a smile, or 
 wears a frown, is as choke full of contagion as a man 
 with the measles. As the frov/n or smile is "caught" 
 by another, he in turn passes it to the first person 
 he meets, and so it goes on, and on, and on. Whether 
 it be a vile story or a pure tale; a malicious word 
 or a kind speech; a cruel act or a generous deed; an
 
 68 ^^ Of Such is the Kingdom " 
 
 idle thought or a noble sentiment — it makes itself 
 heard in the whispering gallery of this great world 
 of ours. 
 
 "So when a great man dies, for years beyond our 
 ken, the light he leaves behind him, lies upon the 
 paths of men." But "great men" does not necessarily 
 mean famous men. It means good men; and it 
 means particularly those men who, without fame 
 or fortune, and unaccredited by their neighbors with 
 genius, pursue the even tenor of their way, live the 
 life of the ordinary man, and have yet the genius 
 for doing right— the genius for making the world 
 better because they have lived. 
 
 Some one has said that the tiniest sparrow light- 
 ing upon the highest twig of the most massive oak, 
 sends a gentle shiver to the deepest root. There is 
 a hint for the humblest of men! And as we learn 
 the lesson of influence from the story of the sparrow, 
 so from the literature of the children — literature very 
 dear to some of our simple souls — we may learn 
 of the value of the Uttie things. The service given 
 by the humble daisy was described by Wordsworth 
 when, writing in a little girl's album, he said: 
 
 '•Small service is true service while it lasts: 
 Of humblest friends, bright Creature! scorn not one; 
 
 The daisy, by the shadow that it casts, 
 Protects the lingering dew drop from the sun."
 
 ** Of Such is the Kingdom '' 60 
 
 >;<j^ 
 
 "GOING DOWN THE VALLEY" 
 
 fN AGED man lay dying one evening in a 
 western hotel. In the office on the floor 
 below a number of friends had congregated 
 to await the end. Aside from those friends 
 and the members of the family gathered at the 
 bedside, it was not generally known that in that 
 great building a life was going out. In the parlor 
 on the same floor on which the dying man's room 
 was located assembled a little party, all ignorant 
 of the important events going on within a few doors. 
 A sweet faced girl v/as asked to sing. Soon the 
 men waiting in the office below and the grief-stricken 
 ones gathered at the bedside of the dying father 
 and husband were listening to one of the sweetest 
 voices ever heard singing one of the sweetest songs 
 ever sung. The watchers heard: 
 
 We are going down the valley one by one, 
 With our faces toward the setting of the sun. 
 Down the valley where the mournful cypress grows, 
 Where the stream of death in silence onward flows. 
 
 Instantly every man in the office below removed 
 his hat, and one of the watchers at the bedside 
 opened the door a bit wider as the sweet singer 
 gave the refrain: 
 
 We are going down the valley, going down the valley, 
 Going toward the setting of the sun; 
 
 We are going down the valley, going down the valley. 
 Going down the valley one by one.
 
 70 ** Of Such is the Kingdom >> 
 
 It was plain to the persons gathered at that bed- 
 side that the dying man had heard and understood 
 the singer and the song. Plainly he was straining 
 his ears to catch the music and the words; and 
 plainly he succeeded, because a smile lighted up 
 his face upon which the death damp had already 
 gathered, as the girl sang: 
 
 We are going down the valley one by one; 
 Human comrades there will you and I have none. 
 But a tender hand will guide us lest we fall — 
 Christ is going down the valley with us all. 
 
 As though anticipating the wish of the dying 
 man, the watchers at the bedside, their voices 
 trembling with emotion, sang again the last verse. 
 As they concluded: "But a tender hand will guide 
 us lest we fall, Christ is going down the valley with 
 us all," the watchers knew that that particular 
 voyage was at an end; and in their heart of hearts 
 they felt that their friend had not been unattended 
 in his pilgrimage. 
 
 It has been written that "men fear death as chil- 
 dren fear to go in the dark; and as that natural 
 fear in children is increased with tales, so is the 
 other." But children may be trained to abandon 
 their fears of the night, which is just as much a 
 part of natural law as the day — even as death is 
 as much a part of divine law as birth. And "men, 
 who are only boys grown tall, for hearts don't change 
 much, after all," ought to outgrow these fears that, 
 properly, have no place in the thoughts of intelligen: 
 men.
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 71 
 
 Of course it is easier to make such suggestions 
 than to act on them; but it is reasonable to beUeve 
 that the present day dread of death could be meas- 
 urably reduced if men were educated by others — 
 and by themselves — to regard it as passing through 
 the very thin shadow separating the living from 
 the dead? 
 
 Some will say that the way to cure these fears 
 is pointed out in "the faith of the mothers." We 
 know that men have been greatly strengthened by 
 that faith when "going down the valley," but we 
 know, too, that many men whose opinions did not 
 lie exactly along the lines of the orthodox religion, 
 and other men, who had no fixed religious belief, 
 have met death without a tremor. We know, also, 
 that even among men who are firm believers, and 
 among men who have lived eminently correct lives, 
 the fear of death — and not alone the natural reluct- 
 ance to terminate life — exists in pronounced form. 
 Even the faith that is bred in the bone of the member 
 of the orthodox household has not served in all cases 
 — nor as a rule — to cure men of the fear of the sum- 
 mons from "over there." Because this is so men 
 should teach one another to look upon death not 
 as an unnatural thing, but as mere fulfillment of 
 God's law; for "we are going down the valley one 
 by one." 
 
 Death is no more mysterious than birth, and 
 there need be no more of the elements of tragedy 
 in the one than in the other. Every man who 
 dreads not death and meets it calmly sets an 
 example to his living fellows; and the instances — 
 they are many — where men have without fear or
 
 72 '* Of Such is the Kingdom " 
 
 trembling closed their eyes for all time are worthy 
 of being recalled occasionally. It would be well 
 if the popular conception of death could be some- 
 what revised through frequent recitals of instances 
 where deathbed scenes have proved an inspiration 
 to the living witnesses. 
 
 A few days before his death a Missourian, famous 
 as a brave officer in the Confederate army, said to 
 his wife: "As soon as the doctor tells you I am 
 dying, I want Lu (his daughter) to go to the piano 
 and play 'Jesus, Lover of my soul.' " When the 
 doctor announced that death was rapidly approach- 
 ing, the daughter took her seat at the instrument, 
 and with tears streaming down her cheeks, played 
 that fine old air as it was never played before. The 
 dying man heard the music and recognized the sign. 
 With a smile on his face — and faintly repeating the 
 words: "Safe into the haven guide; 0, receive my 
 soul at last" — the fine old soldier passed down the 
 valley. 
 
 All the world is familiar with the scenes at the 
 death-bed of William McKinley. We remember that 
 twice after it was known that the president was 
 dying, he recovered consciousness, and on each oc- 
 casion summoned his wife to the bedside, seeking 
 in spite of his pain to comfort the distressed woman. 
 Evidently reahzing that the end was near, in one 
 of these moments of consciousness he murmured, 
 "Good-bye, all, good-bye. It is God's way. His will 
 be done, not ours." And while the world was rece- 
 ding from him, and he realized that he was "going 
 down the valiev," he chanted the words of that
 
 
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 '' Of Such is the Kingdom >> 73 
 
 beautiful hymn, "Nearer, My God, to Thee, Nearer 
 to Thee." 
 
 The people of Nebraska are familiar with the 
 scenes occurring at the death-bed of a man who 
 was at one time a member of Congress. The facts 
 as hereinafter stated are well authenticated, and it 
 is safe to say that no more inspiring scenes were 
 ever enacted in the very presence of the grim reaper. 
 For, perhaps, twelve hours before his death, this man 
 was perfectly conscious of all that was going on 
 about him. The same cheerfulness that during the 
 days of his strong manhood endeared him to his 
 friends characterized his dying moments. When, 
 after a consultation of physicians, it was announced 
 that there was no longer any hope, that fine philos- 
 <>nhy with which he had been wont to cheer up his 
 fellow- democrats after a political defeat, was brought 
 into play, and he said: "We have lost the battle; 
 but we at least have the consolation of knowing 
 that we made a good fight." 
 
 Perhaps an hour before death came, the nurse, 
 ascending the stairway just outside the sick chamber, 
 stumbled, and in keeping with an old superstition, 
 made an ejaculation. 
 
 When the nurse entered the room, the sick man 
 said: "I see you are superstitious." 
 
 "How do you know that?" asked the nurse. 
 
 "You stubbed your toe on the stairway, and I 
 heard what you said," replied the dying man. 
 
 For himself he seemed to have not the slightest 
 fear. There was, unquestionably, deep anxiety on 
 his part lest his good wife needlessly suffer; and his 
 whole thought seemed to be to give to his sweet-
 
 74 ^^ Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 heart and his helpmeet, out of his own poor and all 
 but depleted stock of strength, the courage and the 
 vigor essential in that the most trying moment of 
 her life. Turning to his brother at the bedside, he 
 asked, "Jim, have you got your nerve with you?" 
 The brother, well nigh choking with emotion, replied 
 in the affirmative. "I'm glad of it. Hang on to it 
 to the end; we will need it all," said the dying man. 
 
 Perhaps five minutes before he passed away, he 
 noticed that all the windows in the room were open 
 wide; and he noticed, too, that his wife wore no 
 wrap. "Put on your jacket, Kate; you'll take cold," 
 admonished the thoughtful man, v/lio at that mo- 
 ment stood at the very threshold of eternity. 
 
 It is not difficult to discover that this man had 
 some very firm convictions on the great questions 
 affecting the future. It must be evident to every 
 one that he was v>'ell fortified to meet and solve the 
 secret of nature. Some of those v/ho shared his 
 confidences know that he did not believe that there 
 was an extremely broad chasm between this life 
 and the next. They know that he believed that 
 men who die live again; and that, somehow and 
 some way, the living who have loved and lost their 
 beloved may enjoy the consolation of that sweet 
 communion by which was smoothed the sorrow of 
 one of whom it was written: "A guardian angel 
 o'er his life presiding, doubling his pleasures and his 
 cares dividing." 
 
 And so, when he came to bid farewell to the one 
 nearest and dearest to him, he turned to his good 
 wife and said: "The end is drawing near, but we 
 •nust not worry." And then with striking emphasis
 
 " Of Such is the Kingdom *' 75 
 
 he added, "It's all right; and I'll be standing right 
 there, Kate, waiting for you on the other shore with 
 outstretched arms." 
 
 Some one has said: "The heavens themselves 
 blaze forth the death of princes." Perhaps it was 
 merely a coincidence, but it is, however, a fact that 
 at the very moment when the spirit of this brave 
 man took its jflight there came a heavy peal of thun- 
 der; and as the hands were folded on the breast, a 
 United States senator, one of the watchers at the 
 bedside, turned to a companion and said: "It is 
 as though the artillery of heaven v/ere firing a salute 
 in welcome to a superbly brave man." 
 
 Though we may call the thunder peal a mere 
 coincidence, who will say that it was not eminently 
 fitting that the heavens themselves should blaze 
 forth the death of a man capable of so much love, 
 courage, and philosophy?
 
 76 '* Of Such is the Kingdom 
 
 yy 
 
 KNEELING AMONG THE LILIES 
 
 ;t^ 
 
 I HEN on Easter day we pay tribute to the 
 risen Christ, we register a protest against 
 all forms of injustice and oppression. When 
 we kneel among the Ulies we count ourselves 
 with the democracy which Christ came to establish 
 among men. If we be sincere we must utter at 
 least a brief prayer that the men and women who toil 
 and struggle for existence may find fair recompense 
 for their efforts — and that the influence of this day 
 may operate even in the hearts of the trust mag- 
 nates, who assume that because they monopolize 
 the wealth of the country they are the trustees of 
 God, divinely ordained to administer that property 
 according to their own pleasure. 
 
 A great practical importance attaches to this day, 
 and the reason for, and the manner of its celebra- 
 tion. Nature has been bountiful, yet, because of 
 the greed of a few powerful men, the students of 
 government are confronted with the serious problem 
 of devising ways and means for the distribution 
 of that bounty, at least to the extent that the many 
 may live in comfort even though the few flourish in 
 luxury. 
 
 It has been written that "If the tender, profound 
 and sympathizing love practiced and recommended 
 by Jesus were paramount in every heart, the loftiest 
 and most glorious idea of human society would be 
 realized, and little be wanted to make this world a 
 kingdom of heaven." It does not seem possible for
 
 ** Of Such is the Kingdom '' 77 
 
 that profound love to become paramount in every 
 heart; yet those who are wilUng to "live and let Uve" 
 will undertake to approach for themselves, as nearly 
 as possible, that high aspiration; it will be no less 
 their duty to bring influence, through just and 
 wholesome laws of restraint, against men who rec- 
 ognize no other law than their own in the accumu- 
 lation of property, and in the contemplation of the 
 rights of others. 
 
 It will be no easy task to preserve Easter and 
 similar days in a land where the many sow while 
 the few reap; and those prelates who refrain from 
 crying out against the accumulation of wealth 
 through unjust laws may yet learn that it is a diflfi- 
 cult task to preach of the risen Christ to hungry 
 men and women and to naked children. There are 
 men who hold no particular creed, but delight to 
 revel in the eloquence, the wisdom, and the love 
 of the Nazarene; there are men who, even though 
 outside of the church, undertake in their own way, 
 with many a struggle, and with an occasional tri- 
 umph, to follow Him who said: "I am the way, 
 the truth, and the life." Is it not, then, the part 
 of his more pretentious champions to lend a hand 
 so that the justice for which Christ stood shall find 
 reflection in the government under which we live? 
 
 A Nebraska poet, and one of the sweetest singers 
 of all the poets of today, has written: "This Easter 
 mom we stand 'mid lilies white, while clear- toned 
 voices in the chancel sing the 'Gloria in Excelsis,' 
 peace to man. And oft-repeated downward floats 
 to us the choral prayer in accents sweet and clear, 
 'Grant us Thy peace, Oh Christ, Grant us Thy
 
 78 "Of Such is tha Kingdom " 
 
 peace.' " But with all the songs and the prayers, 
 with all the ceremonies, and the inspiring efforts 
 which this day recalls, with all the love, with all 
 the truth, with all the example — v/ith all the Christ 
 — there is no peace! In this land we see on the 
 one hand powerful men accumulating, through unjust 
 laws and favoritism at the hands of government's 
 representatives, millions upon millions of wealth, 
 while in spite of our boasted prosperity, the problem 
 among the masses of obtaining fair recompense for 
 toil is becoming more and more difiicult of solution. 
 
 Justice, the attribute of divine nature, must be 
 more closely associated with power, so that "what- 
 ever is justice may be power, and whatever is power 
 may be justice." Some one has said that justice 
 is "the great and simple principle which is the secret 
 of success in all government, as essential to the 
 training of an infant as to the control of a mighty 
 nation." And so when it is apparent that those 
 who toil are sometimes denied justice it is fitting 
 that on the Easter day men and women who bend 
 the knee in the presence of the risen Christ shall not 
 forget the things for which He stood, and shall con- 
 secrate themselves, as citizens as well as church- 
 men, to the duty with which they are confronted. 
 
 You have seen a tiny plant springing up around 
 a rock, seeking to clothe with its green leaves the 
 rugged hindrance to its growth. That little plant 
 is a symbol of this day. Given in its seed a hint 
 of heaven, it strives to make use of its endowment 
 and, although at times well nigh destroyed, it strug- 
 gles upward to contribute its beauty and fragrance 
 to the world it was intended to adorn. The rock
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom " 79 
 
 of selfishness, of meanness, of conquest, of man's 
 inhumanity to man, of war, and greed, and avarice, 
 needs to be removed in order that the principle for 
 which this day stands may be recognized by all 
 men. 
 
 Yet in spite of the discouragement, the injustice, 
 and the wrongs to which the weak and helpless are 
 subjected, there are, in this day, and in the things 
 it represents, hope and inspiration to those who 
 would struggle for the greatest good to the greatest 
 number. 
 
 The little child bending in true reverence at the 
 mother's knee; the gray-haired man waiting near 
 close of well-spent life for dawn to come; the aged 
 mother, with scars of heart as numerous as her years, 
 whose devotion has sustained her in affliction, and 
 rhose example has inspired those who have come 
 within the benediction of her holy faith; the sacrifices 
 of parent for child; the devotion of friend to friend; 
 the kind offices of the strong to the aflaiicted; the 
 mite given to charity; the cup of cold water; the 
 tear that springs unbidden for another's woes 
 — all these bear testimony to the risen Christ. 
 These provide the hope that in God's good tim.e 
 men and women may be able to kneel among 
 the liUes with love, "the crowning grace of humanity," 
 in their hearts; with justice revealed in the 
 national life; with truth written upon the statute 
 books; with happiness re-established wherever they 
 have dethroned it, and with oppression abandoned 
 wherever they are responsible for it.
 
 so '' Of Such is the Kingdom " 
 
 THE MYSTIC CHORDS 
 
 [ID IT ever occur to you that music will 
 most effectively recall memories of other 
 days? "A song will outlive all sermons in 
 the memory," because "we love music for 
 the buried hopes, the garnered recollections, the ten- 
 der feelings it can summon at a touch." 
 
 Search your own heart, and see whether hidden 
 there is not some memory tender and true that 
 needs but a note of the music with which it is in- 
 dissolubly associated to bring it almost to life. 
 
 The note that has power to revive these memories 
 varies, of course, with different men. But it is of 
 these, even as it was with the men of Bayard Tay- 
 lor's time: "They sang of love, and not of fame; 
 forgot was Britain's glory; each heart recalled a 
 different name, but all sang 'Annie Laurie.' " 
 
 What a mighty panorama of memories the singing 
 of some of these old songs unfolds! How, while 
 they quicken the pulses, they take us back to the 
 days of long ago! 
 
 See the panorama passing in review! 
 
 "A Mighty Fortress is our God!" And we see 
 again the powerful figure of a fine old preacher — 
 long ago gathered to his fathers — one with whom 
 that song was a favorite, and to whom it was not 
 a mere compilation of words and music; a man who 
 served God as faithfully in every day deeds as he 
 praised Him in Sabbath day ceremony.
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 81 
 
 "Jesus, Lover of My Soul!" And we recall the 
 death scene of a brave old chieftain in the Southern 
 Confederacy, a fine old soldier of the cross, who had 
 expressed the wish — and whose wish was fulfilled — 
 to die to the music of that splendid hymn. 
 
 "Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me, let me hide myself 
 in Thee!" And we remember that dear old woman 
 who, though a mother of six children of her own, 
 served as the mother of the eight children of her 
 dead sisters; a dear old woman who left the imprint 
 of her perfect charity upon the hearts of those who 
 were the beneficiaries of her kindness, even as she 
 had carefully provided for their current necessities. 
 
 "From Greenland's Icy Mountains, from India's 
 Coral Strands!" And we see again a sweet-faced 
 mother of the sixties, holding in her arms and sooth- 
 ing to sweetest sleep the babe of war-time birth. 
 
 "His Loving Kindness, Oh, How Great!" And 
 we recall what was an epoch in one family hfe when 
 the elder brother was led to the baptismal font by 
 a gray-haired priest of God. 
 
 "Nearer, My God, to Thee!" And we stand at 
 the bier of a faithful father concerning whom the 
 ofl&ciating clerg3ntnan, speaking in perfect truth, said: 
 "He gave to the world considerably more than the 
 world gave to him." 
 
 "Faintly Flow, Thou FaUing River!" And we 
 stand at the death bed of one of the world's grandest 
 women. To fame and fortune she was unknown. 
 She seemed destined for grief and trouble, and if 
 fidelity and patience are considered in the selection 
 of the burden-bearers of the world, the assignment 
 in this instance was well made. As a maiden, "none
 
 82 ^^ Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 knew her but to love her, none named her but to 
 praise"; as a wife she was constant and true; as a 
 mother she so impressed her personality upon her 
 children that, although she has been dead for many, 
 many years, she still stands ever at their side, the 
 recollections of her loving kindness, her self-sacri- 
 ficing devotion, and her superb example serving as 
 an inspiration to those who have the proud privilege 
 of calling her "mother." What a memory chord the 
 sweet notes of "Faintly Flow, Thou Falling River" 
 strike in the hearts of some men and women now 
 growing gray! 
 
 "Safe in the Arms of Jesus!" And we stand at 
 the open door of a chamber where a little life has 
 just gone out. Within that room there are no tears, 
 there are no sobs — the pain is too acute for that. 
 Even "great griefs are voiceless," and in this, the 
 greatest of all griefs which Providence in its infinite 
 and inscrutable wisdom has inflicted upon men, there 
 is no sound but the mighty throbbing of the parents' 
 troubled heart; and that the heart of mere man can 
 withstand such tumult is one of the wonders of the 
 world. 
 
 The shadows of night had fallen, several years ago, 
 in a home where, for a week gone by, no one had 
 slept. The baby of the household was dying. The 
 father and mother knelt at the bedside, and beside 
 them stood a fine old neighbor — a gray-haired 
 woman, herself the mother of many children, living 
 and dead. During her whole Ufe it seemed as though 
 she had been commissioned to be a comforter for 
 troubled men. When the end came, it was this 
 good woman who, with infinite tenderness, folded
 
 " Of Such is the Kingdom " 83 
 
 the tiny hands over the little breast. Then, 
 placing her arms affectionately around the grief- 
 stricken parents, this good woman said, simply: 
 "You needn't worry any more, now. He's safe in 
 the arms of Jesus." 
 
 Do you wonder that even now the notes of that 
 sweet song stir a tender memory within the hearts 
 of that father and mother? 
 
 When the call: "Pass Under the Rod" comes to 
 the parent who loves his child better than life itself, 
 there is one story of love upon which he delights to 
 dwell. It is the story of the Kazarene's concern for 
 the children. As he cared for them, so, instinctively, 
 they turned to Him. It is an oft-told tale, but it 
 grows sweeter with the telling; and nowhere has it 
 been better told than when, in vagrant verse, it was 
 written: 
 
 "They brought Him their babes and besought Him, 
 
 Half kneeling with suppliant air, 
 To bless the brown cherubs they brought Him 
 
 With Holy hands laid on their hair. 
 Then, reaching His hands, he said, lowly: 
 
 'Of such is the kingdom of Heaven,' and then 
 Took the brown little babes in the Holy 
 
 White hands of the Savior of men; 
 Held them close to his heart, and caressed them; 
 
 Put His face down to theirs as in prayer; 
 Put their hands to His neck, and so blessed them, 
 
 With baby hands hid in His hair."
 
 84 ''Of Such is the Kingdom " 
 
 THE STORY OF THE NINETY AND NINE 
 
 ^HE BEST expression of divine afiection for 
 all men and a complete description of the 
 
 parent's love for the child is found in the 
 hymn familiar the world over, and known 
 as "The Ninety and Nine." 
 
 A writer who declared, "We never know the love 
 of the parent till we become parents ourselves," ex- 
 plained: "When we first bend over the cradle of 
 our own child God throws back the temple door, and 
 reveals to us the sacredness and mystery of the 
 father's and the mother's love to ourselves. And 
 in later years, when they have gone from us, there 
 is always a certain sorrow that we cannot tell them 
 we have found it out." 
 
 Will any parent who has learned "how sharper 
 than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child," 
 object to an humble effort to "throw back the temple 
 door?" Will any child, who, verging upon manhood 
 or womanhood, has failed to appreciate the parent's 
 love, refuse to observe the moral of this tale? 
 Listen to the story of "The Ninety and Nine!" 
 That story is not entirely the product of human 
 minds. It is founded on the declaration of the 
 Nazarene: "How, think ye? If a man have an 
 hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, 
 doth he not leave the ninety and nine and goeth 
 into the mountains and seeketh that which is gone 
 astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say 
 unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep than of
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 85 
 
 the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even 
 so, it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven 
 that one of these little ones should perish." 
 
 Moody and Sankey, famous evangelists, were riding 
 en route to Edinburgh, when Mr. Sankey, happening 
 to pick up a newspaper, read in an obscure corner 
 of the publication, a little poem entitled: "The 
 Ninety and Nine." The poem was as follows: 
 
 There were ninety and nine that safely lay 
 
 In the shelter of the fold, 
 But one was out on the hills away, 
 
 Far off from the gates of gold — 
 Away on the mountains, wild and bare, 
 Away from the tender Shepherd's care. 
 
 "Lord, Thou hast here Thy ninety and nine; 
 
 Are they not enough for thee?" 
 But the Shepherd made answer: 
 
 "This of Mine has wandered away from me, 
 And although the road be rough and steep, 
 I go to the desert to find My sheep." 
 
 But none of the ransomed ever knew 
 
 How deep were the waters crossed; 
 Nor how dark was the night that the Lord passed thro'. 
 
 Ere He found His sheep that was lost; 
 Out in the desert He heard its cry — 
 Sick and helpless and ready to die. 
 
 "Lord, whence are those blood-drops all the way, 
 
 That mark out the mountain's track?" 
 "They were shed for one who had gone astray. 
 
 Ere the Shepherd could bring him back." 
 "Lord, whence are Thy hands so rent and torn?" 
 "They are pierced to-night by many a thorn."
 
 86 ^^ Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 But all through the mountains, thunder-riven, 
 
 And up from the rocky steep, 
 There arose a glad cry to the gate of heaven, 
 
 "Rejoice! I have found My sheep!" 
 And the angels echoed around the throne, 
 "Rejoice! For the Lord brings back His own." 
 
 The editor seemed not to have been greatly im- 
 pressed with the beauties of the poem that has since 
 become famous; but Mr. Sankey recognized its 
 merits at a glance, and turning to Mr. Moody, he 
 declared: "I have found my hymn." 
 
 That night, in the presence of 15,000 men, women 
 and children, gathered at the great revival meeting, 
 Mr. Sankey announced that he was about to sing a 
 new song, and that he was, at the moment, ignorant 
 of its notes. He said he was so impressed with the 
 language that he would depend upon some inspira- 
 tion to find the music. Seating himself at the organ 
 he sang that splendid hymn to the air now familiar 
 to millions of men all over the world. It is inter- 
 esting, if not significant, that when, for the first 
 time, Mr. Sankey sang this song, he did not know, 
 nor did the world know, the name of the author of 
 the verse. It was first printed as a poem, and 
 without the author's name attached, and it was 
 only in later years that it became known that the 
 beautiful words were written by Elizabeth C. Cle- 
 phane. Mr. Sankey repeatedly and publicly said 
 that until he took his seat at the organ in the Edin- 
 burgh meeting, he had no idea of the notes which 
 he would apply to the words. 
 
 As EUzabeth Clephane, converting the Savior's 
 words into beautiful verse, touched the hearts of
 
 " Of Such is the Kingdom " 87 
 
 the modems, who sometimes understand in poetry 
 what they fail to grasp in parable; as Sankey, setting 
 to music those inspiring words, made men to know 
 that of which they had been ignorant; so some one 
 whose identity is yet unknown, but who is deserving 
 of high fame, reduced the Clephane poem and the 
 Sankey song into the negro vernacular, giving to the 
 world the story of the "ninety and nine" in its 
 sweetest version. 
 
 The London Express says that Mrs. Charles M. 
 Alexander, wife of the famous gospel singer of the 
 Torre y- Alexander mission, recited the "Darkey's 
 version" of "The Ninety and Nine," to 10,000 people 
 at Albert hall, London, on the evening of March 22. 
 The Express adds: "The poem describes in negro 
 vernacular the story of the search of the Good Shep- 
 herd for the one sheep of his flock." The poem 
 follows : 
 
 Por lil brack sheep, don strayed away, 
 
 Don los in de win an' de rain; 
 And de Shepherd, He say, "0 hirelin, 
 
 Go find my sheep again." 
 But de hirelin frown — "0 Shepherd, 
 
 Dat sheep am brack and bad." 
 But de Shepherd, He smUe like de lil brack sheep 
 
 Wuz de onliest lamb he had. 
 
 An' He say, "0 hirelin, hasten, 
 
 For de win and de rain am col; 
 An' dat lil brack sheep am lonsome. 
 
 Out dar so far from de fol." 
 De hirelin frown, "0 Shepherd, 
 
 Dat sheep am ol and gray," 
 But de Shepherd, He smile like de iii brack sheep 
 
 Wuz fair as de break ob day!
 
 88 ** Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 An' He say, "0 hirelin, hasten, 
 
 Lo, here am de ninety-an'-nine, 
 But dar, way off from de sheep-fol, 
 
 Is dat lil brack sheep ob Mine." 
 An' de hirelin frown, "0 Shepherd, 
 
 De res ob de sheep am here," 
 But de Shepherd, He smile like de lil brack sheep 
 
 He hoi it de mostest dear. 
 
 An' de Shepherd go out in de darkness, 
 
 Where de night was col and bleak; 
 And dat lil brack sheep. He fin it, 
 
 An' lay it agains His cheek. 
 An' de hireUn frown, "0 Shepherd, 
 
 Don' bring dat sheep to me." 
 But de Shepherd, He smile, a'n He hoi it close, 
 
 An' — dat lil brack sheep — wuz — me! 
 
 Several years ago a desperate man rushed into the 
 oflBce of Russell Sage, the great financier, and ex- 
 ploded a bomb. Mr. Sage escaped injury, but his 
 assailant was blown to pieces. While poUce officers, 
 surgeons and newspaper men were gathered about the 
 place, a woman with a shawl over her head rushed 
 into the office, and, kneeling in a corner of the room, 
 drew aside a piece of sheeting, and pressed to her 
 bosom the dissevered head of the bomb-thrower. 
 No one present knew the woman, but every one 
 instinctively knew that she was the mother of Russell 
 Sage's assailant. And that is "the story of the 
 ninety and nine!" 
 
 Nan Patterson, charged with the awful crime of 
 murder, disowned by her friends, and disgraced 
 before the world, stood in New York's criminal court 
 helpless and alone — yet not alone, because her faith- 
 ful father went to her support. Nan Patterson
 
 << Of Such is the Kingdom '' 89 
 
 found there that the same father whose wise counsels 
 she had ignored in her youth, was, even in spite of 
 her indifferences, anxious to give comfort in her 
 necessity. That is "the story of the ninety and 
 nine!" 
 
 General Mohneaux, one of the gallant officers of 
 our civil war, was brought to grief by the escapades 
 of a son. But General Molineaux, true parent that 
 he was, forgot the wickedness of the man charged 
 with crime in the love he had for his boy. All the 
 world knows of the devotion which this fine soldier 
 and good citizen displayed during the agonizing 
 hours of his son's trial. That is "the story of the 
 ninety and nine!" 
 
 The father — proud of the honored position he 
 has won in the world, through correct living, and 
 jealous of his household's name — rushing to the 
 poHce court to rescue a boy guilty of crime; the 
 mother, braving the frowns of society in order to 
 save, not from shame — for it is too late for that — 
 but from utter destruction, the daughter whom 
 she loves better than Ufe itself; the parents 
 everywhere, spending sleepless nights and care-worn 
 days, troubled over the future of their child; the 
 anxiety for the whereabouts of the boy or girl when 
 the shadows of night have fallen; the incurrence 
 of debts by fathers, and the sacrifices of comforts 
 by mothers in order that a loved one may take its 
 coveted position in the world; the prayers, the tears, 
 the sobs given by God-loving parents in behalf of 
 heedless offspring; the hopes, the sighs, the aspira- 
 tions, the love — all too often scattered like sweetness 
 on the desert air— by devoted parent for wa3rward
 
 90 *' Of Such is the Kingdom " 
 
 ■to^ 
 
 child — all these are but representative of *'the story 
 of the ninety and nine." 
 
 In the presence of all this love, of all these tears, 
 and sighs, and sacrifices, is it any wonder that there 
 involuntarily arises the prayer — or if you choose to 
 call it the wish : Would that the children could 
 appreciate the love of the parents before it is too 
 late ! Would that the children could understand 
 "the story of the ninety and nine"; but none of the 
 ransomed ever know how deep are the waters crossed, 
 nor how dark is the night that the shepherd goes 
 through, ere he finds His sheep that was lost.
 
 " Of Such is the Kingdom »' 91 
 
 THE MAJESTY OF THE MOTHER'S LOVE 
 
 [EWSPAPER readers are quite familiar with 
 the details of a divorce suit between a couple 
 conspicuous in the social life of the United 
 States army. Charges and counter charges 
 were made, and the result was that the husband 
 was given the decree with the possession of the two 
 children. 
 
 Among the black stories that emanated from that 
 court room, there was one bright tale. Among the 
 deeply interested participants there was one stalwart 
 figure. The figure was the twelve year old lad of 
 the divorced couple, and the tale relates to the fidelity 
 he displayed toward the woman who gave him birth. 
 
 Given into the custody of his father, this manly 
 lad, upon the adjournment of the court boldly and 
 roundly denounced him for the charges he had made 
 against the mother. Stoutly maintaining his faith 
 in his mother's innocence, he publicly condemned the 
 father for alleged brutalities, and, forced to accom- 
 pany his father, he announced his determination to 
 rejoin his mother at the earliest opportunity. 
 
 That was at once a pathetic and a splendid scene. 
 Some may imagine, but none can describe, the emo- 
 tions that rocked the tender heart of this boy. In 
 addition to being deprived of a home where the 
 mother is "the sweet rallying point 'round which 
 affection and obedience, and a thousand tender en- 
 deavors to please concentrate," he was required to
 
 92 ^^ Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 witness a foul stain upon the fair name of his first 
 and best friend. 
 
 In this view the guilt or innocence of the woman 
 need not be considered. Guilty or innocent, the boy's 
 faith was superb. Innocent or guilty, the boy's 
 fidelity was magnificent. He may have heard things 
 which he cannot understand; he may have listened 
 to indictments which he could not explain. The 
 central fact with him was that she was his mother, 
 and to him and to his boyish innocence and faith, "a 
 mother is a mother still, the holiest thing alive." 
 Whether his fine devotion was due more to love than 
 to faith, he might have joined with Tom Moore in 
 that sentiment which Poe said "embodied the all in 
 all of the divine passion of love — a sentiment which, 
 perhaps, has found its echo in more, and in more 
 passionate, human hearts, than any other single sen- 
 timent ever embodied in words:" 
 
 "Here still is the smile that no cloud can o'ercast, 
 And a heart and a hand all thy own till the last. 
 Oh! what was love made for, if 'tis not the same 
 Through joy and through torment, through glory and shame? 
 I know not, I ask not, if guilt's in that heart, 
 I know that I love thee, whatever thou art. 
 Thou hast called me thy Angel in moments of bliss, 
 And thy Angel I'll be 'mid the horrors of this — 
 Through the furnace, unshrinking, thy steps to pursue, 
 And shield thee, and save thee — or perish there too!" 
 
 If devotion such as this be shown for one whose 
 name has, at least, been tarnished, what words may 
 be used to describe the loyalty due one whose name 
 is a synonym for purity?
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 93 
 
 It will not do this world a bit of harm for its men 
 — and its boys, too — to be frequently reminded of 
 the great debt they owe their mothers. From the 
 beginning to the end of her own life as mother, from 
 the beginning to the end of her children's lives, she 
 is the burden bearer of burden bearers, and the 
 wonder of it all is that in her delicate construction 
 there is strength to carry the loads. 
 
 The secret of her love and sacrifice was told by 
 one who wrote: "Her first ministration for her in- 
 fant is to enter, as it were, the valley of the shadow 
 of death, and win its life at the peril of her own. How 
 different must an affection thus founded be from all 
 others." 
 
 And how different, indeed, from all others, is the 
 mother's affection for her children! 
 
 The majesty of a mother's love is indescribable. 
 In the language of another, "it shrinks not where 
 man cowers; and grows stronger where man faints; 
 and from the wastes of worldly fortune sends the 
 radiance of its quenchless fidelity like a star in 
 heaven." 
 
 But it is not alone in the tragedies of life that the 
 mother love is felt; it manifests itself all along the 
 line; and the routine life of the mother is one contin- 
 ual round of self-sacrifice, of attentions great and 
 small — the greatest consequential to the child's future 
 and the smallest indispensable to its present day 
 happiness. 
 
 "Who ran to help me when I fell, 
 And would some pretty story tell, 
 Or kiss the place to make it well? 
 My mother!"
 
 94 "Of Such is the Kingdom >' 
 
 Did 5'^ou ever think of the endless and various 
 little duties confronting the mother every day of 
 the year? One hour devoted to the discharge of 
 these duties to the children would drive the average 
 man stark mad. From morning until night, and in 
 cases of sickness or of fretfulness sometimes from 
 night until morning, this heroine of the hearthstone 
 keeps ever at her task. With all of the boundless 
 attention required by her little ones a large share of 
 her notice must be given to the little necessities of 
 the father, who, in many cases, is the greatest baby 
 of them all. What a wonderful amount of work she 
 is able to accomplish! How many things she seems 
 to do all at the same time! At one moment she is 
 preparing the father for his daily journey to the 
 business district — and in most cases this is no mean 
 task either — and between steps, as it were, she is 
 preparing the children for school. In locating miss- 
 ing articles essential to the dress she is a veritable 
 Sherlock Hohnes. Did it ever occur to you that the 
 boy's cap, or the girl's scarlet hood has a mysterious 
 way of hiding itself? And did it ever occur to you, 
 also, that through some mysterious power the mother 
 is always able to locate the missing article? In such 
 a search the combined efforts of the father, the chil- 
 dren and the domestic, would be unavailing, even 
 though they extended over a considerable period o,^ 
 time, while the mother, who in the first place ca*^ 
 not possibly have any idea as to the headgear's 
 location, seems instinctively drawn to its hiding 
 place. This provides but a meagre description of 
 the wonderful capabilities of the mother in the little
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 95 
 
 things in household affairs. But these things are 
 familiar to every man who remembers the kind offices 
 of his own good mother, and to every husband who 
 stands uncovered in the presence of his good wife's 
 ministrations to his own little ones. 
 
 Did you ever notice the large difficulties under 
 which a great, powerful man struggles when he 
 escorts two or three children to a circus or a county 
 fair? In the parlance of the street, he is "sweating 
 blood," and you have no difficulty in imagining that 
 under his breath he is singing "A charge to keep I 
 have." And did you ever notice how deftly a mother, 
 perhaps already worn and weary from her household 
 work, handles, on similar occasions, half a dozen 
 nervous, impatient little ones? Perhaps she is carry- 
 ing one of them on a tired arm, and holding another 
 with a weary hand, while all the time she is keeping 
 a watchful eye on the balance of the group; and all 
 the time without a sign of weariness, and without a 
 display of impatience. 
 
 How intimately a mother's sympathies and senti- 
 ments are linked with those of the child! The boy 
 cannot enter his home so late at night, nor so stealth- 
 ily, as to avoid his mother's notice; and the innocent 
 inquiry, "is that you, Will?" is as familiar to the 
 boys of today as to the boys of forty years ago. She 
 may be in a far away room, and yet, during the 
 dead of night, when a little one who has, perhaps, 
 taken a cold, sneezes, she can, though the mother 
 of half a dozen, immediately distinguish the owner of 
 the sneeze. She may be sitting in a room several 
 rooms away from the cookery, and yet she seems
 
 96 ^^ Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 able to tell instinctively, just when th6 hand of a 
 healthy boy has been thrust into the cookeyjar. She 
 can detect the falsehood where the father would see 
 nothing but truth. She can recognize as correct a 
 statement which the father might question. She 
 knows the weakness of every child, and to that 
 extent knows just how much should be forgiven. She 
 accomplishes so much, loves so much, and sacrifices 
 so much that the father, conscious of his own short- 
 comings, must oftentimes stand abashed in her 
 presence. 
 
 One of the prettiest stories ever told relates to 
 the devotion shown by a distinguished Kebraskan 
 to the memory of his boys' mother. This gentleman 
 caused to be erected over that mother's grave a stone 
 upon which his own name as husband, and the names 
 of his boys as sons of that good woman, were in- 
 scribed. After the stone had been put in place, he 
 took his four boys to the cemetery, and kneeling at 
 that grave, directed their attention to the fact that 
 their names had been highly honored by being 
 written on that slab of marble. Then, paying a 
 high and deserved tribute to the fine character of 
 that mother, the father said: "Boys, if any one 
 of you ever does anything to dishonor this memory, 
 I will have his name chiseled from this stone." 
 
 It would be a great benefit to all the boys of the 
 world if the love and devotion shown for them by 
 their mothers could ever be impressed upon them. 
 If the boys would be ever careful lest they do some- 
 thing that, if known, would bring pain and sorrow 
 to the mother heart, the future of the world would 
 be secure.
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom " 97 
 
 Many years ago one of the best of mothers fell 
 "asleep at the gates of light." All of her children, 
 of course, revered her memory; but one of them was 
 the babe of war-time birth, and owing to the anxie- 
 ties and excitements of the period, and the continued 
 absence of the father, extraordinary affection and 
 devotion was, doubtless, lavished upon him. 
 
 Perhaps it was because of this, that after the 
 mother's death, and for many years, this boy never 
 retired for the night without placing at his bedside 
 a chair, under the childish impression that his mother 
 would occupy it and watch him to sleep. 
 
 When other boys would write in sand or carve on 
 trees the names of sweethearts dear, this lad would 
 trace with knife or stick the name of his sv/eetheart 
 — his mother's name. 
 
 When but a boy he chose his sweetheart's name 
 as one to be given to his own daughter; and when 
 in later years he wrote some tales of love and life, his 
 heroine, good and true, bore with signal honor and 
 renown, the name he loved so well. So, through 
 boyhood's days this precious memory was enshrined 
 within his heart; the purity, the devotion, the sacri- 
 fices, the sorrows of this patient, God loving and God 
 serving woman were ever before him, often deterring 
 him from evil, and sometimes inspiring him for good. 
 
 "Happy he with such a mother! Faith in woman- 
 kind beats with his blood, and trust in all things 
 high comes easy to him." 
 
 There are living today many such mothers. If 
 the boys could only appreciate their loving kindness
 
 98 ^* Of Such is the Kingdom >' 
 
 while they live, life would be sweeter to them. If 
 those who now have the companionship of the boy's 
 best friend could only know all they will lose when 
 that companionship ends, the pathway of the mothers 
 of the world would today be strewn with roses. 
 
 The regrets for thoughtless acts and indifference 
 to admonitions now felt and expressed by many 
 living sons of dead mothers will, in time, be felt 
 and expressed by the living sons of living mothers. 
 The boys of today who do not understand the value 
 of the mother's companionship, will yet sing — with 
 those who already know — this song of tribute and 
 regret: 
 
 "The hours I spent with thee, dear heart, 
 Are as a string of pearls to me; 
 I count them over, every one apart, 
 My rosary. 
 
 "Each hour a pearl, each pearl a prayer, 
 To still a heart in absence v/rung; 
 I tell each bead unto the end, and there 
 A cross is hung. 
 
 "0 memories that bless — and burn! 
 
 mighty gain and bitter loss! 
 I kiss each bead and strive at last to learn 
 
 To kiss the cross, 
 
 Sweet heart, 
 
 To kiss the cross."
 
 li 
 
 Of Such is the Kingdom '» 99 
 
 THE BREAMS THAT COME TRUE 
 
 I WO business men were spending an evening 
 together. One asked the other: "How do 
 you manage to break away from your work 
 in thought as well as in deed?" His com- 
 panion replied: "One method I v/iii describe by 
 a little story. The other day was a very busy one 
 to me, and v/hen I v/as ready to go home, I 
 found my mind full of my work. I put one million 
 dollars in my pocket, stepped on the rear platform 
 of a street car, lighted a good cigar, and proceeded 
 to spend the money according to the methods which 
 I hope I would employ if I really had a fortune. 
 I did not a^vaken from my dream until I stepped 
 across the threshold of my homxe, and was greeted 
 by the children. I had left my v/ork entirely behind 
 me and had had all the pleasures of distributing the 
 million dollars without any of the attendant respon- 
 sibilities." 
 
 The first speaker asked: "Do you often indulge 
 in such dreams?" 
 
 The other replied: "Not too often, but just often 
 enough." 
 
 The first speaker said: "I'm glad you have made 
 that confession. I have indulged in that pastime 
 myself frequently, and I began to fear for my mental 
 condition." 
 
 While we are told by one of the old poets that 
 hearts have been broken and heads have been crushed
 
 100 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '> 
 
 by giving fancy such a free rein, we know that in 
 the language of that same poet, "there's mony a 
 mighty mon building castles i* the air." These 
 dreams are doubtless indulged in by men in every 
 walk of life. With some the dream never goes higher 
 than fancy, but with others it is of that order that 
 entitles it to rank as imagination. 
 
 Emerson gave us the distinction when he said: 
 "Fancy amuses; imagination expands and exhausts. 
 Imagination is the vision of an inspired soul, but as 
 the soul is released a little from its passion, and at 
 leisure plays with the resemblances and types for 
 amusement, and not for its moral end, we call its 
 action fancy." 
 
 One great poet has called the air built castle "the 
 fool's paradise," but another poet has provided for 
 those who at times yield to the temptation to roam 
 in that paradise the apology that "we figure to our- 
 selves the thing we like; and then we build it up, as 
 chance will have it, on the rock or sand — for thought 
 is tired of wandering o'er the world, and home- 
 bound fancy runs her bark ashore." 
 
 Even though one would not be willing to condemn 
 the practice of building air castles such as were con- 
 structed by our million dollar philanthropist, there 
 will be little disposition to deny the propriety of the 
 admonition that such fancies should not be indulged 
 in "too often," and we are all, perhaps, prepared to 
 agree that "often enough" is, indeed, often enough. 
 
 A man upon whom fortune had not always smiled 
 purchased on one occasion a ticket in a lottery. It 
 had been the hope of the members of this man's
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 101 
 
 household to have at some time a horse and carriage, 
 and the kind hearted parent returning to his home 
 proudly displayed his lottery ticket, and calling wife 
 and children around him told them that the capital 
 prize was $15,000. He then drew a fine picture of 
 the carriage which he intended to purchase with his 
 prize. 
 
 The children were, of course, delighted with the 
 prospect, and little "Becky" exclaimed: "I'm going 
 to ride on the front seat with papa!" 
 
 But "Ikey," the brother, put in: "No, I'm going 
 to ride on the front seat!" 
 
 The father undertook to pacify "Ikey," but he 
 seemed bent on having the front seat; and finally the 
 father, bending down, as it were, from the heights of 
 kis air castle, exclaimed: "Ikey, get right down out 
 of the carriage!" 
 
 Perhaps this is even a better illustration than that 
 given by our million dollar philanthropist of the kind 
 of air castles the construction of which may be mere 
 waste of time. But if in these day-dreams we can 
 obtain that recreation which many men say they do 
 obtain from such fancies, without the danger of be- 
 coming idle dreamers, there is little harm in the 
 pastime. Indeed, it may become beneficial if, by 
 yielding to fancy, we prepare ourselves for that im- 
 agination which plays not for amusement, but for 
 moral end. We have been told that "as imagination 
 deUghts in presenting to the mind scenes and char- 
 acters more perfect than those which we are ac- 
 quainted with, it prevents us from ever being com- 
 pletely satisfied with our present condition, or with
 
 102 "Of Such is the Kingdom " 
 
 our past attainments, and engages us continually in 
 the pursuit of some untried enjoyment or of some 
 ideal excellence"; and further: "Destroy this faculty, 
 and the condition of man will become as stationary 
 as that of the brutes." 
 
 Goschen, the English statesman, gave, in an ad- 
 dress delivered at Edinburgh college, an interesting 
 description of the uses of the imagination. He 
 declared that one of the most precious faculties 
 which Providence has planted in the human breast 
 is "the faculty of wise, sympathetic, disciplined, 
 prospective imagination." He referred to "construc- 
 tive imagination," which having the power of pictur- 
 ing absent things, "takes its start from facts, but 
 supplem.ents them and does not contradict them." 
 He contrasted constructive imagination with analysis, 
 saying that the latter eliminates, separates, strips off, 
 reduces, while the former proceeds in the opposite 
 direction. 
 
 Coleridge said that Tom Moore had fancy, but no 
 imagination; but Poe explained that Moore's fancy 
 "so far predominated over all his other faculties, and 
 over the fancy of all other men, as to have induced, 
 very naturally, the idea that he was fanciful only." 
 And Poe declared that by Coleridge's estimate 
 "never was a greater wrong done the fame of a true 
 poet." 
 
 One of the world's greatest word builders has told 
 us that the man of im.agination is merely the man 
 of genius; that that man having seen a leaf and a 
 drop of water can construct the forests, the rivers, 
 and the seas, and that in his presence all the cataracts
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 103 
 
 fall and foam, the mists rise, the clouds form and 
 float; that he has lived the life of all people, of all 
 races; that he knows all crimes and all regrets, all 
 virtues and their rich rewards; that he has been victim 
 and victor, pursuer and pursued, outcast and king, 
 has heard the applauses and curses of the world, and 
 on his heart have fallen all the nights and noons of 
 failure and success; that he knows the unspoken 
 thoughts, the dumb desires, the wants and ways of 
 beasts; that he has knelt with awe and dread at every 
 shrine; has offered every sacrifice and every prayer; 
 that he has lived all lives, and through his blood and 
 brain have crept the shadow and the chill of every 
 death, while his soul, Mazeppa-like, has been lashed 
 naked to the wild horse of every fear, and love, and 
 hate. And the greatest castle-builder among all the 
 architects of the air, the greatest dreamer of all the 
 dreamers of the world concluded this powerful de- 
 scription: "The imagination hath a stage within the 
 brain, whereon he sets all scenes that lie between 
 the morn of laughter and the night of tears, and 
 where his players body forth the false and true, the 
 joys and griefs, the careless shallows, and the tragic 
 deeps of every life." 
 
 The man who slept and dreamed that life was 
 beauty awoke and found that life was duty. His 
 was of the dreams that come true. Toiling on un- 
 ceasingly he discovered that men who learn that life 
 is duty, and act accordingly, find in fact that life is 
 beauty. 
 
 What would life be without its dreams? What 
 would himaanity do without its dreamers? The value
 
 104 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 of our contributions to the world are to be gauged 
 by the character of our dreams. The man who imag- 
 ined that he had one milUon dollars and found pleasure 
 in dreaming that he was spending it for the benefit 
 of his fellows, is not likely to spoil his own character 
 by his dreams, or to injure society by the cultivation 
 of fancies of that order. The man who, having 
 invested in a lottery ticket, found his greatest delight 
 in anticipating the pleasure he might give to his wife 
 and little children, had in him the stuff out of which 
 good dreamers are made. He needed but to separate 
 himself from the notion that outside the charmed 
 circle of "frenzied finance" something can be obtained 
 for nothing, or that the parent can bring happiness 
 to his loved ones without" an effort. Had that dream 
 been realized upon through the medium of a lottery 
 ticket, it would have been like Dead sea fruit, that 
 tempts the eye but turns to ashes on the lips. It 
 would have been like a victory without a struggle, 
 an achievement without an effort, a prize without a 
 contest, a token of love without a sacrifice. Such 
 victories, achievements, prizes and tokens are with- 
 out value. 
 
 The best of all dreams are those to which, perhaps, 
 we attach not the greatest importance. But they are 
 of the sort that come true, and are true, just as "the 
 best portion of a good man's life" is "the little, 
 nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of 
 love." 
 
 The dreams of love, of humanity, of righteousness, 
 come true. They are, in fact, true in the very dream- 
 ing. Every thought that contemplates help to the
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom >> 105 
 
 helpless, that deals with the uplifting of the fallen, 
 the advancement of humanity, the dispensation of 
 charity, the sacrifice of the strong for the weak, the 
 checking of the orphan's sobs, the drying of the 
 widow's tears, the restoration of manhood and wo- 
 manhood to those who have lost hope, the winning 
 of the world to truth — these are the dreams that 
 make life worth living, these are the dreams that 
 come true. 
 
 It is as old as the hills, but it is always good: When 
 Abou Ben Adhem awoke one night from a deep 
 dream of peace, he saw an angel writing in a book 
 of gold — 
 
 "And to the presence in the room he said: 
 
 *What writest thou?' The vision raised its head, 
 
 And with a look made of all sweet accord, 
 
 Answered: 'The names of those who love the Lord;* 
 
 •And is mine one?' said Abou. 'Nay, not so,' 
 
 Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low 
 
 But cheerily still; and said: 'I pray thee, then, 
 
 Write me as one that loves his fellow men.' 
 
 The angel wrote and vanished. The next night 
 
 It came again with a great wakening light, 
 
 And showed the names whom love of God had blessed — 
 
 And lol Ben Adhem's name led all the rest."
 
 106 '*0f Such is the Kmgdom " 
 
 WHEN THE BOAT HAS TOUCHED SHORE 
 
 \T IS related that two Scotch fishermen, 
 "Jamie" and "Sandy," belated and befogged 
 on a rough water, were in some trepidation 
 lest they should never get ashore again. 
 Finally Jamie said: 
 
 "Sandy, I'm steerin', and I think you'd better put 
 up a bit of a prayer." 
 
 "I don't know how," said Sandy. 
 
 "If ye don't, I'll chuck ye overboard," said Jamie. 
 
 Sandy began: "Oh, Lord, I never asked anything 
 of ye for fifteen years, and if ye'll only get us safe 
 back I'll never trouble ye again, and" — 
 
 "Whisht, Sandy!" said Jamie, "the boat's touched 
 shore; don't be beholden to anybody." 
 
 This is not the only instance where prayers have 
 ceased when "the boat has touched shore." In the 
 midst of plenty and prosperity, and away from dan- 
 gers and vicissitudes, men become wonderfully puffed 
 up. But a great transformation takes place as soon 
 as adversity comes upon them. It is all-important 
 that we remember our helplessness, and give thought 
 to the arm upon which, during our peril, we leaned, 
 even though "the boat has touched shore." 
 
 Were you brought face to face with the terrors, the 
 heart-aches, and the pathos of the drouth-stricken 
 period? Many of us have a lively recollection of 
 those days, and, please God, may they never come 
 again! During one of these seasons of drouth the 
 writer spent two weeks at the home of an aged farmer.
 
 '* Of Such is the Kingdom '' 107 
 
 In that year the corn had obtained a fine start, and, 
 as though to mock the husbandman, had grown to 
 fine proportions only to be burned day by day before 
 his very eyes. Great fields of what, with the aid of 
 a very little rain, would have become magnificent 
 grain, were being literally burned up by the sun's 
 merciless rays. The creeks had gone dry. The far- 
 mer was required to economize on his cattle's food 
 as well as in the provision for his own table. Turn 
 in whatever way one would, the eye rested upon great 
 fields of blasted crops, and one could see men, women 
 and children on their knees, praying for rain. It 
 happened that during the two weeks referred to, many 
 promising clouds filled the sky. For several days the 
 thunder rolled, the lightning flashed, but no rain fell. 
 It was one of the most pathetic sights imaginable 
 when, in the presence of one of these black clouds, 
 the farmer would gather his family and his visitors 
 around him, and with his fine gray hairs uncovered, 
 drop upon his knees, appealing earnestly — and yet as 
 it developed, ineffectively — that the God he bad for 
 so long faithfully served might hearken to the prayers 
 made by his helpless creatures. 
 
 At one time while the members of that little gath- 
 ering were upon their knees in that farmyard a few 
 drops of rain fell from a black cloud. No more dra- 
 matic scene has ever been placed upon the stage than 
 when that fine old fanner, confident that his prayers 
 were about to be answered, sprang to his feet, and, 
 extending his long arms toward heaven, shouted, as 
 though he wanted the world to hear; "We thank
 
 108 " Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 Thee, God, for Thy bounty! We knew You would 
 hear our prayers!" 
 
 And no more pitiable sight was ever offered for 
 the eyes of pitying men than that presented by this 
 faithful old farmer when the black cloud passed 
 over, after having given but a few drops of rain. It 
 would be by no means correct to say that this par- 
 ticular old farmer never lost hope. In a short time 
 his crops were blasted, and they finally ceased to 
 pray for rain, but it was characteristic of this man 
 that he found no fault. "He bore it calmly, though 
 a ponderous woe, and still adored the hand that gave 
 the blow." 
 
 Later the writer happened to meet that same farmer. 
 He had crops in abundance, and was in every way 
 prosperous. He was reminded: "It wasn't neces- 
 sary for you to pray for rain this year." He replied: 
 "No, not for rain, but to give thanks for the strength 
 that carried me through the trials of former days, 
 and gratitude for the ability to appreciate and put 
 to proper use the manifold blessings now bestowed 
 upon me." 
 
 In the sight of our inventions, of our railroad build- 
 ing, of our ocean enterprises, of our search for gold, 
 of our struggle for territory, of our efforts to become 
 a world power, not by example, but by force of arms, 
 we have come to imagine that man is an all-powerful 
 creature. 
 
 He has perfected inventions for the planting and 
 the harvesting of grain, and for the convenient disposal 
 of it after the harvest has been made. In some quar- 
 ters, and on a comparatively small scale, man has
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '» 109 
 
 devised processes of irrigation. But in the presence 
 of a threatened disaster that involves the destruction 
 of the crops of the country, men realize their help- 
 lessness, and whatever their theologies, their creeds, 
 or their notions may have been, they are forced to 
 the conclusion that, after all, we may be necessarily 
 dependent upon some pov/er higher than that of 
 man. In the presence of a threatened disaster man's 
 hope may find voice, and yet in the contemplation 
 of his weakness in dealmg with the great forces of 
 nature, he is forced to employ the v/ords of the poet: 
 "But what am I, an infant crying in the night, an 
 infant crying for the light, and with no language but 
 a cry." 
 
 It is nothing new that in the time of a great ca- 
 lamity, in the presence of a threatened disaster, men 
 become more tolerant of the faith of the mothers. 
 The story is as old as the hills, and from the beginning 
 men, who in prosperity have been inclined either to 
 indifference or to sneers, have in disaster come to 
 realize, though only for a moment, that they are 
 dependent upon a superior power. The old-time 
 religion that in the busy marts has been swept aside 
 by those too practical to give thought to the future, 
 has in the midst of trouble re-impressed itself upon 
 helpless men; and all the theologies, and the creeds, 
 and the notions erected by so-called progressive men 
 are as mere baubles at such a time in comparison 
 with the faith of Paul and Silas. 
 
 We may have heard a man in the vigor and fresh- 
 ness of youth sneer at the faith of his mother, but 
 when the oats have been sown, when the mad race
 
 110 '' Of Such is the Kingdom >> 
 
 has been run, and age, and decrepitude, come upon 
 him, how often have we seen that same man demon- 
 strate that he realizes the completeness of human 
 frailty. 
 
 We may have heard a man sneer at the faith of a 
 neighbor; and yet how often have we seen that same 
 man, when death has threatened his own household, 
 kneeling beside the cot of a beloved child, and min- 
 gling his prayers with those of a devoted mother, 
 invoking for his home that which he is powerless 
 himself to give, pleading for relief from a source 
 waose very existence he has sometimes questioned. 
 
 In the moment of peril human frailty turns in- 
 stinctively toward divine strength. The privilege of 
 the "sweet hour of prayer" that brings one "from a 
 v/orld of care," has been the greatest boon to man- 
 kind. It has smoothed the pillow of many a dying 
 man; it has quickened the conscience of many a 
 thoughtless woman; it has given inspiration to many 
 a simple child, and it has brought surcease of sorrow 
 to many a heart-broken parent. 
 
 The mother praying for the wajrward son is en- 
 couraged to new efforts in behalf of her child; the 
 soldier praying for guidance on liberty's battle field 
 is inspired to more skillful struggles; the statesman, 
 invoking divine aid in dealing v/ith the problems of 
 government, is brought nearer to his God, and hence 
 nearer to his conscience. 
 
 In the days of tribulation some give audible ex- 
 pression to their prayers, others pray no less earnestly, 
 though silently.
 
 -^ Of Such is the Kingdom '' 111 
 
 "As down in the sunless retreats of the ocean 
 Sweet flowers are springing no mortal can see, 
 
 So, deep in my soul the still prayer of devotion, 
 Unheard by the world, rises silent to Thee. 
 
 "As still to the star of its worship, though clouded. 
 The needle points faithfully o'er the dim sea. 
 
 So, dark when I roam in this wintry world shrouded, 
 The hope of my spirit turns trembling to Thee." 
 
 Who will say that in the presence of prosperity it 
 is not the part of wisdom for men to remember their 
 helplessness by recalling the days when the rain fell 
 not upon the earth? But it does not seem difficult 
 to believe that the man or woman who finds relief in 
 cultivating "sweet flowers" that spring "deep in the 
 soul," will, even in the very shadow of disaster, share 
 Browning's sublim.e optimism: "God's in His heaven: 
 all's right with the world!"
 
 112 *' Of Such is the Kingdom " 
 
 "THE GREAT WORLD'S ALTAR STAIRS" 
 
 NEW YORK clergyman, in an address 
 recently delivered in that city, said: "It 
 is a curious fact that while this thing called 
 love is recognized as beautiful, it produces 
 so much misery. I've tried to find out why this is 
 true, and I have reached the conclusion that it is 
 because humanity is divided into two classes — 
 masters and slaves. One class must dominate the 
 other, and it is the domination, the tyranny of love, 
 which has wrecked lives and blasted characters." 
 
 It is not the tyranny of love, but the tyranny of 
 the forces against which love contends that is respon- 
 sible for the world's woes. Many have wondered 
 why pain has seemed to be love's inseparable com- 
 panion; but those v/ho have reached the high peaks 
 of love and have felt the keenest stings of grief, know 
 that while "a mighty pain to love it is, 'tis a pain that 
 pain to miss." 
 
 That it seems to have been ordained that those 
 who love most must suffer the keenest griefs, is one 
 of the mysteries. This clergyman is not the only 
 man who has been perplexed in the presence of these 
 problems. 
 
 We have all tried to discover the why of many 
 things. 
 
 Maternity means pain, yet women aspire to it. The 
 mother bends to the very gates of death, and yet she 
 does it willingly because it is the fulfillment of the
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom " 113 
 
 law of her being. But what is all that pain compared 
 with the exquisite joy when "the mother feels for the 
 first time her first-born's breath?" 
 
 With the world's experience before them parents 
 know that children bring responsibility and, perhaps, 
 sorrow. But they long for the responsibility, and 
 spend their lives in efforts to avert the sorrow. 
 
 The lad knows that when he goes "gathering the 
 myrtle with Mary," love may stroll at his side, and 
 that while after love comes marriage, after mar- 
 riage come burdens, and finally parting in death. But 
 was ever a lad kept from a "Mary's" side by thoughts 
 like these? 
 
 Friendships — pure and holy — between men and 
 between women, have grown up in all the history of 
 the world. Every friendship we cultivate means the 
 enlargement of our opportunities for grief; for when 
 we win a friend we take v/ithin the holy circle of our 
 thoughtful consideration all his hopes, his struggles, 
 his forttmes — things which need not concern us if we 
 avoid the temptation to cultivate that friendship. But 
 who would avoid these associations, even if by doing 
 so they could blot out some of the forces that, in the 
 presence of a friend's woes, tug away at one's heart 
 strings? 
 
 We see a little child, hungry and cold, crying for 
 succor. Why is it that tears come unbidden to our 
 eyes, and we hasten to give relief? 
 
 We see a man struggling v/ith adversity. Why 
 does he have our S5anpathy and aid? 
 
 We see one woman deserted by a faithless iover, 
 another fighting against poverty, another standing
 
 114 ** Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 bravely beside a sick, or perhaps, a debased husband. 
 Why does she command our concern? 
 
 We see a brutal man beating a helpless beast, and 
 we protest. Why? 
 
 We see sorrow and woe on every hand. We see 
 might grappling with right; the weak struggling 
 against the powerful; and individuals fighting to 
 overcome some great personal temptation. No need 
 to point out the evils, nor to say that men's syra- 
 pathies go — as truly as the needle seeks the pole — 
 to the right side of these contests. Why? 
 
 These evils are not the product of love. They are 
 to be conquered or minimized by the power of love, 
 which Disraeli described as "the principle of existence 
 and its only end." 
 
 "Why is love?" asks this clergyman. Well, why is 
 life? Why the many unsolved and unsolvable things 
 with which the human being is confronted? And why 
 is death? Aye, let him who would ask "Why is 
 love?" first explain the necessity for death; for while 
 death seems to strike its cruelest blows at those who 
 love the most, those who love the most are able to 
 withstand the sorrows death inflicts upon the living. 
 
 "Love's arms were wreathed about the neck of Hope, 
 And Hope kissed Love, and Love drew in her breath 
 In that close kiss and drank her whispered tales. 
 They say that Love would die when Hope was gone, 
 And Love mourned long, and sorrowed after Hope; 
 At last she sought out Memory, and they trod 
 The same old paths where Love had walked with Hope, 
 And Memory fed the soul of Love with tears." 
 
 Every daily newspaper discloses the close compan- 
 ionship between love and sorrow. It is shown that
 
 **0f Such is the Kingdom" 115 
 
 the sins of indifferent or thoughtless men fall heaviest 
 upon the innocent people who love them. If a com- 
 posite tale could be written of the life stories provided 
 in our penitentiaries, the dramatic interest would not 
 attach to those chapters dealing directly with the 
 crime or the criminal, but rather to the pages that 
 are blotted with the tears and written in the heart's 
 blood of those who suffer for love's sake. 
 
 "Oh, Shepherd, tell this youth what 'tis to lovel" 
 "It is to be all made of sighs and tears. 
 It is to be all made of faith and service." 
 
 Yet who would abandon the faith, who would 
 avoid the sighs, the service, and the tears if to do so 
 they must abandon love? 
 
 There are some natures so sympathetic that men 
 in grief and trouble turn instinctively to them; and 
 men of such natures walk through life arm in arm 
 with sorrow— perhaps none of it their own making, 
 but all of it resting heavily upon them. We can not 
 tell why it is that with all of their intimate associa- 
 tion with grief these men would not exchange places 
 with those who live far apart from the sorrows of their 
 fellows. 
 
 If we would describe the value of love let us im- 
 agine what the world would be if dispossessed of that 
 which has been called "the sweetest joy, the wildest 
 woe." Look at the man who living "withdrawn in 
 the place of his self-content," never cultivates a 
 genuine friendship for man, woman, or child. There 
 are a few such men, perhaps, in every large com- 
 munity. The sorrows of others do not disturb them. 
 They are not subjects of the so-called "Tyrant" Love,
 
 116 ^^ Of Such is the Kingdom ^' 
 
 hence are not required to submit to the mysterious 
 burdens that fall upon those who dwell within Love's 
 realm. They avoid many of the shadows of life, but 
 do they ever feel the touch of its real sunshine? 
 
 We can not explain why it was ordained that love 
 and sorrow should be such close companions any 
 more than we can explain many other problems of 
 life. But we do know that without love life would 
 not be worth living, and that its attendant sacrifices 
 and sorrows soften the heart and ennoble the char- 
 acter in proportion to the depth of the affections. 
 
 We do know that no one who has felt the touch of 
 "the divine passion" would retrace his steps even 
 though by doing so he would be permitted to forget 
 the bad as he would be required to forfeit the good. 
 
 If the stranger would learn of these things let him 
 consult any man who has walked in the sunshine as 
 well as in the shadows of love's domain. That man 
 would tell him that looking through the vista of 
 years he would not forswear allegiance to Love, the 
 great ruler of the human heart, because the sunshine 
 breaks through all the shadows, and with all the dark 
 recollections the blessed memories are supreme. He 
 would tell him that the rosy cheeked girl from whom 
 he snatched a kiss under the mistletoe twenty years 
 or more ago is now the matron of forty; that the roses 
 have been transferred to the cheeks of her girls and 
 her boys, but that she is the same today as she was 
 yesterday, and the same yesterday as when 
 
 "The golden hours on angel wings 
 
 Flew o'er me and my dearie; 
 For dear to me as light and life 
 
 Was my sweet Highland Mary."
 
 *' Of Such is the Kingdom '> 117 
 
 Since then many shadows have fallen on that home. 
 At that hearthside there may be vacant chairs; in the 
 family archives there may be documents wet with 
 tears. The inmates of that home know what it is 
 to suffer; but they know, also, what it is to love; and 
 they who know of these things can not be convinced 
 that Love is a tyrant. 
 
 Those who have suffered, yet have been strength- 
 ened by the very force which made their sorrow keen, 
 can tell this New York clergyman that love, rather 
 than being a tyrant that revels in misery, is a relent- 
 less foe to tyranny, and a faithful minister in afflic- 
 tion. Those who, at love's bidding, have passed 
 under the rod, will not find it difficult to believe that 
 that which this clerg)rman likens to a tyrant is better 
 described as: "The great world's altar stairs, that 
 slope through darkness up to God."
 
 118 ** Of Such is the Kingdom 
 
 )) 
 
 THE FREEMASONRY OF SENTIMENT 
 
 WAS a man of ardent affections and bitter 
 prejudices. He was quick to judge harshly 
 but equally quick to revise his opinion. He 
 was sojourning in a western city. He vis- 
 ited a church whose creed was not his, and whose 
 preacher, from the first, stirred his prejudices. He 
 seemed determined not to be satisfied with anything 
 this preacher did, and when the sermon had been 
 delivered he had satisfied himself that it was one of the 
 poorest to which he had ever listened. But a change 
 came over the spirit of his dreams; and a little child 
 was the central figure in the scene which made this 
 man conclude that, after all, he had listened to one 
 of the grandest sermons that had ever been preached, 
 and had participated in one of the sweetest services 
 that had ever been rendered. 
 
 At the conclusion of the sermon the preacher said: 
 
 "You will all remember how one bleak morn- 
 ing last winter we carried from this church all 
 that was mortal of a woman who was loved be- 
 cause her whole life showed that she knew she 
 was serving God best when she rendered service 
 to God's needy creatures. The poor and the sick 
 of this neighborhood outside of the membership 
 of this church have missed her every day since 
 her death, but today we are to have a reminder 
 of her noble life. Most of us remember that ten 
 days prior to her death, a little child was bom
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 119 
 
 unto her, and although she was well prepared to 
 die, she was more than ever anxious to live be- 
 cause of her longing for a little one upon whom 
 she could lavish some of the boundless affection 
 she had given freely to the needy. Today that 
 little child is to be baptized, and I call j'our at- 
 tention to these facts by way of tribute to its 
 mother's precious memory, and in the hope that 
 her fine example will be ever before us." 
 
 It was not difl&cult to se that the stranger in that 
 church was, as the boys \ ould say, "sitting up and 
 taking notice" just at this stage of the proceedings. 
 And he was one of the most deeply interested spec- 
 tators as the aunt of the motherless child carried the 
 little one to the altar. Holding the child in his arms 
 the preacher went through the baptismal service; and 
 then before handing it back to the aunt he held it at 
 arms' length and took a long, earnest and, we may 
 say, a loving look into its happy face. Then pressing 
 the Uttle one to his breast he kissed it passionately 
 while the tears coursing down his furrowed cheeks 
 gave to the motherless child another baptism — not 
 the baptism provided in the service books — but the 
 outpouring of love and sympathy which, after all, is 
 the substance of the form provided in our creeds. 
 
 By this time the tears were rolling down the 
 stranger's cheeks. The hostility within his heart for 
 that old preacher was entirely gone. The love, the 
 sympathy, the tenderness which he had failed to 
 detect in the sermon of the day he had observed in 
 the kisses which the preacher gave to the motherless 
 child, and in the tears which rained upon the baby*8
 
 120 ^^ Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 face. He knew that that preacher was his "kind of 
 people." He had recognized the freemasonry of 
 sentiment. He saw clearly the tie that binds men of 
 deep feeling, and he felt as though he would be glad 
 to grasp that preacher's hand. Certainly he was a 
 better man because hostility had been banished from 
 his heart; and perhaps, after all, he was a stronger 
 man because of the necessity for the readjustment 
 of his opinion. 
 
 Several years ago a newspaper man wrote a simple 
 little article that had small literary merit but de- 
 pended for public approval solely upon its tender 
 sentiments. A man who was generally believed to 
 be hard-hearted wrote to this newspaper man a per- 
 sonal letter, thanking him for the article referred to, 
 and saying: "I have frequently found this kind of 
 sentiment cherished where one would least expect 
 it to be, and I am frank enough to say that I am 
 surprised in this instance." The newspaper man was 
 just as much surprised to learn that his article had 
 met favor at the hands of his correspondent. 
 
 We don't know all that is going on in the hearts of 
 our neighbors. Of course the cynic would say that 
 if we did we would more regularly lock up our hen- 
 roosts at night. But everyone knows some man 
 upon whom he has passed erroneous judgment. 
 Everyone knows some man whom he at one time 
 regarded as cruel and heartless, but later found to 
 be tender and true. While some of our greatest 
 writers would give us the impression that most men 
 are bad, if we will but examine our own experiences 
 with the majority of our acquaintances, we will dis-
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 121 
 
 cover that these writers, famous though they are, 
 merely skimmed the surface in the "proper study of 
 mankind." 
 
 Some of us prefer the opinion of that writer who 
 said "he only fears men who does not knov/ them, 
 and he who avoids them will soon misjudge them." 
 Too often we mistake thoughtlessness for meanness. 
 Some have pointed to the eagerness with which men 
 will push one another in order to secure a seat on a 
 crowded street car or train, or to purchase a ticket 
 at a crowded box office. They forget the many 
 instances where men have calmly submitted to death 
 in order that the lives of women and children might 
 be saved. They forget the great heroism, the patient 
 labor, and the tender sympathy shown at every rail- 
 road wreck where men in large numbers have gath- 
 ered. They forget the prompt response made in the 
 average American neighborhood in cases of sickness 
 and distress. They forget the many little and yet 
 important services rendered by one man when it 
 comes to burying another man's dead. They forget 
 that every appeal made upon the sympathies of men 
 for help for the afflicted has been promptly and fully 
 responded to, whether the call came to the men of a 
 nation, to the men of a state, to the men of a coimty, 
 or to the men of a small community. They forget 
 the hospitals that have been erected and maintained 
 — not in most cases by the liberal contributions of 
 rich men, but by the small and regular donations of 
 poor men. They forget the Houses of the Good 
 Shepherd and similar institutions whose doors are 
 ever open to fallen women. They forget the ready
 
 122 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 giving of alms that may be counted on in any street 
 in any city of the land, where the beggar's necessity 
 is apparent. They forget the support given and the 
 respect shown for the Volunteers, the Salvation Army 
 and kindred organizations — support given in most 
 cases by those who make no profession of religion. 
 They forget the constant, steady tendency toward 
 good manifested in our public sentiment, if not at all 
 times in our laws — a public sentiment constantly 
 striving to advance the best interests of society, con- 
 stantly striving to overcome the evils incident to 
 society. 
 
 The cynics would have us accept the methods of 
 the insurance rings ters as a fair sample of the dispo- 
 sition of men; but they forget that whenever such 
 crimes as these have been exposed, the condemnation 
 by public opinion has been overwhelming. They 
 forget that it is the very goodness of men which, slow 
 to see evil in others, has, in part, made it possible 
 for a cotc^rie of men to impose on their fellows. The 
 cynics would have us believe that the instances of 
 corruption in pubUc life fairly reflect the character 
 of men generally. They forget that, while the people 
 are sometimes slow in learning the truth, when faithful 
 prosecuting attorneys have uncovered wrongdoing, 
 and honest governors have set themselves squarely 
 against the encroachments of powerful interests, 
 men of all poUtical parties and all creeds, and men of 
 no political party and no creed, have rushed to the 
 support of good government. 
 
 Man's struggle for light does not terminate with 
 the deUvery of his college diploma. With most of
 
 " Of Such is the Kingdom '* 123 
 
 us it is a constant and a desperate struggle; not only 
 a struggle for existence, but a struggle against pas- 
 sions, a struggle to do the right thing at the right 
 time. 
 
 A show made its appearance in a frontier town. 
 There was no orchestra, but an old organ was secured, 
 and finally one thoughtful and observing citizen who 
 had learned to play the organ, was persuaded to act 
 as "the orchestra." The rough frontiersmen gathered 
 in large numbers, most of them with great pistols 
 buckled to their waists, and when the "orchestra 
 man" took his place at the organ it was noticed that 
 he had taken the precaution to pin upon his back a 
 large placard bearing the words: "Don't shoot the 
 organist. He's doing the best he knows how." Some 
 of us yet believe that most of us are doing the best 
 we "know how." One great trouble is that "men's 
 evil manners live in brass; their virtues we write in 
 water." K men would get closer to one another 
 there would be less cynicism in the world, and, all 
 important, less cynicism in the world's literature. 
 
 "One touch of nature makes the whole world kin," 
 or rather reminds us that we are all kin, just as 
 brothers long time estranged have later been recon- 
 ciled at the knee of the mother or at the mother's 
 grave, or perhaps by some touching reminder that 
 they are brothers, and that sympathy, kindness, and 
 the forgiving spirit are part and parcel in their duty. 
 
 Some of these eminently practical men are wont to 
 laugh at their fellows T^vho deal in that sentiment 
 which Lowell describes as "intellectualized emotion, 
 emotion precipitated, as it were, in pretty crystals by
 
 124 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 the fancy." But these "pretty crystals" never hurt 
 any one. There are a few men who have habitually 
 repressed this "intellectualized emotion," and some 
 in whom it was never developed. Robert G. Ingersoll, 
 riding on a train one evening, noticed the beautiful 
 sunset, and touching his seat neighbor on the arm, 
 pointed across the field, saying: "Isn't that simply 
 beautiful?" His neighbor looked out of the car 
 window but his vision reached no farther than a 
 herd of cattle, and he replied: "Sure it is. Them's the 
 finest bunch of steers I have seen in many a 
 day." 
 
 It doesn't do to judge men harshly. We ought 
 to get through the world without naving enemies, but 
 if we must have them for a time, it would be well if 
 we could know them better when we might discover 
 that that fine old lover of men knew what he was 
 talking about when he said: "If we could read the 
 secret lives of our enemies we would find there 
 enough sorrow and suffering to make us love them." 
 
 In some of the simplest of verses we find the greatest 
 of morals. In a book compiled for the children there 
 is a verse that was doubtless written for the grown 
 folks: "Do you wish for kindness? Be kind. Do 
 you wish for truth? Be true. What you give of 
 yourself, you find; your world is a reflex of you." 
 And long ago, a man, pleading for the kindlier im- 
 pulse, gave to the world a valuable reminder when 
 in homely verse he wrote: "You dare not chain the 
 lion; you must not chain the dove; and every gate 
 you bar to hate will open wide to love,"
 
 ** Of Such is the Kingdom '' 125 
 
 "GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN" 
 
 [HERE was one satisfactory feature to the 
 two long drawn out murder trials in which 
 a Florodora chorus girl figured. That was 
 the devotion displayed by the distracted 
 father toward his wayward daughter. When, during 
 her first trial, the defendant stepped from the witness 
 stand after having passed through the ordeal of a 
 relentless cross-examination, the old man put his 
 arm affectionately around his child, and said: "You 
 did splendidly, Uttle girl." When the jury returned 
 with the report that it could not agree, the news- 
 paper dispatches say: 
 
 "The father of the accused, who has been by 
 her side ever since the trial began, and whose 
 tender care and devotion to her has been the 
 most touching of the trial, tried to comfort her, 
 but his saddened face and mournful expression 
 robbed the words he uttered of force and mean- 
 ing as he said: 'Don't worry, little girl; it will 
 come out all right yet.'" 
 
 Some one has said that the true test of love is the 
 willingness to endure and suffer for another; that 
 it is the suffering element that measures love, and that 
 characters that are great must of necessity be char- 
 acters that shall be v/illing, patient, and strong to 
 endure for others; that "to hold our nature in the 
 willing service of another is the divine idea of man-
 
 126 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 hood." Unquestionably the average parent would 
 successfully meet the test, even as it was met by the 
 father of this wayward girl. Children seldom appre- 
 ciate the parents' love. Doubtless the Florodora 
 girl has learned to appreciate it, just as many other 
 wayward girls have learned it in the past, just as 
 many other girls will learn it in the future. 
 
 No human pen can accurately describe that love. 
 It is wonderfully elastic, and as child after child is 
 born into the family, covers them all giving the 
 same portion to the new-born, while lessening none 
 of that enjoyed by the others. The good mother 
 who, when asked which of her children she loved the 
 best, said: "The one who is sick," pointed out in 
 a happy way the only difference a parent can feel in 
 his attitude toward his children. We love best 
 "the one who is sick;" we love best the one who is 
 crippled in body; we love best the one who has some 
 weakness, for which he is not entirely responsible; 
 we love best the one who has fallen, even though he 
 fell as the Florodora girl fell; even though the doors 
 of society be closed against him, even though all but 
 the hope of heaven has been denied him. 
 
 "Don't worry, little girl; it will all come out right, 
 yet," said the defendant's father; and with all of 
 her faults she was his "little girl" then, she is his 
 "little girl" now, and she v/ill be his "little girl" until 
 the end. The faithful father best remembers his 
 daughter as she was when indeed a little girl. Al- 
 though she has grown into womanhood there is 
 always in the father's mind a portrait of the little 
 girl in frocks; there is always a picture of the little
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom " 127 
 
 innocent playing — or praying — at the mother's knee. 
 That little girl may have met the world and been 
 conquered by the world; her friends one by one may 
 have turned from her; she may have fallen even as 
 the defendant fell; but at the critical moment the 
 majesty of parental love asserts itself; "the divine 
 idea of manhood" is manifested. At the critical 
 moment the love of the parent for the child is su- 
 preme, and arm in arm the devoted father and the 
 wayward daughter face a frowning world, and walk 
 together through the dark valley, the one loving as 
 he always loved, the other appreciative of that majes- 
 tic affection, perhaps for the first time in her life. 
 
 All the world loves a lover; it smiles at the sweet- 
 hearts gathered at the trysting place; it nods approval 
 when the husband and wife grow day by day into a 
 fonder and holier imion; it admires the manly devo- 
 tion of brother to sister; it respects the affection of 
 friend for friend; it is inspired by the love-light in 
 the mother's eyes when she bends over the cradle of 
 her babe. It must stand uncovered in the presence 
 of that parental love exemplified in the chorus girl 
 case; for that is the true reflection of the love shown 
 by the Savior of men — that is the spirit which hov- 
 ered over the manger at Bethlehem, made Gethsemane 
 endurable, and Calvary possible. "Greater love 
 than this hath no man." 
 
 Painters have sought to paint love upon canvas; 
 poets have tried to picture it in verse; dramatists 
 have endeavored to describe it in play. But it is 
 not a thing to be shown in picture or in v/ords. It 
 was manifested in all its majesty when the Nazareue
 
 128 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 cried: "It is finished!" and since then it has been 
 shown in the palaces of the rich and in the hovels of 
 the poor whenever a good parent's love for his child 
 has been put to the test. 
 
 In the "Reign of Law," James Lane Allen, the 
 novelist, leads his hero through a maze of doubt and 
 tmbeUef, and finally lands him safely on faith's foim- 
 dation stones, winning him to that point through the 
 hero's love for a woman. So divine was his affection 
 for the girl of his choice, that he concluded that, 
 after all, there must be a God, else there could not 
 be such love. Perhaps the novelist knew what he 
 was doing; and yet there are many who read that 
 magnificent story who felt that he missed an oppor- 
 tunity when he failed to use the parents' love for the 
 child as the highest and best representative of God's 
 love for man, and as undeniable evidence of the ex- 
 istence of "our Father which art in heaven." 
 
 It is a pity that this old man's "little girl" fell; it 
 is a pity that the hearts of her parents were broken; 
 it is a pity that the happiness of a good wife was 
 wrecked by the folly of a man who sinned, and the 
 weakness of a girl who yielded; it is a pity that the 
 public must be afflicted with the details of such a 
 case. Bur it would be worth all the tears and all the 
 grief, and all the toil and trouble, if the plain moral 
 presented throughout this affair could be written 
 indelibly upon the heart of every other man's "little 
 girl" in all this wide, wide world.
 
 " Of Such is the Kingdom " 129 
 
 THE OLD CHUMS-LIVING AND DEAD 
 
 |S WE grow older we grow weaker physically 
 and mentally, but our friendships grow 
 stronger. "Friendship is the shadow of the 
 evening which strengthens with the setting 
 sun of life." The Indians understood at once what 
 William Penn meant when, in addressing them, he 
 said: "The friendship between me and you I will 
 not compare to a chain; for that the rains might rust, 
 or the falling tree might break." 
 
 If the comparatively yoimg man of today would 
 obtain some conception of the way old friendships 
 lay hold upon the aged, let him when nearing the 
 meridian of life move from the place where the 
 greater number of his years have been spent. When 
 a man gets along in years he finds it more difficult 
 to make new acquaintances. The difficulty is largely 
 within himself, of course; he feels such a reverence 
 for the time-honored friendships that he is reluctant 
 to admit strangers to the sacred precincts inhabited 
 by them. He begins, long before his time, to live in 
 the past. He appreciates, as others may not, the 
 reverence gray-haired men have for the old-time ties 
 and the pleasures they find in reviving the tender 
 memories of the long ago by pilgrimages, as it were, 
 through the King dom-of- Never- Forget. He better 
 understands the words of the gray-haired poet written 
 for the benefit of his gray-haired classmates;
 
 130 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 Fast as the rolling seasons bring 
 
 The hour of fate to those we love, 
 Each pearl that leaves the broken string 
 
 Is set in Friendship's crown above. 
 As narrower grows the earthly chain, 
 
 The circle widens in the sky; 
 These are our treasures that remain. 
 
 But those our stars that beam on high. 
 
 There are many men and women — even some who 
 do not regard themselves as aged — who take, occa- 
 sionally, a journey into the King dom-of- Never- Forget. 
 "Oft in the stilly night, ere slumber's chain has bound 
 me, fond memory brings the light of other days 
 around me; the smiles, the tears, of boyhood's years, 
 the words of love then spoken; the eyes that shone, 
 now dimmed and gone, the cheerful hearts now 
 broken." And sometimes, then, we "feel like one 
 who treads alone some banquet hall deserted, whose 
 lights are fled, whose garlands dead, and all but he 
 departed." 
 
 These pilgrimages into the Kingdom-of- Never- For- 
 get remind us that every friendship cultivated in life 
 yet holds a niche in our hearts. Some of the parties 
 to those friendships may be dead; a few may have 
 proved unworthy; miles of land and leagues of sea 
 may separate us from others; from many we may not 
 have heard for years; but the tender memory is there 
 and needs but to be revived by the "light of other 
 days," in which we traverse the Kingdom-of- Never- 
 Forget. 
 
 How these familiar figures come trooping in review* 
 marshalled to very life by a wave of memory's baton. 
 There is the Uttle girl in pinafores with whom we
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 131 
 
 made our first mud pies; here is the rosy cheeked lad 
 with whom we took our first swim; then the sallow- 
 faced youth with whom we had our first fight (we can 
 feel his swift punches even now); and then the first 
 teacher to win us by her tender devotion to her pupils; 
 the first sweetheart of our boyhood days, perhaps 
 now the mother of stalwart sons of her own, but 
 always to hold a place of honor in our hearts, and, 
 although now a matron, always to be remembered 
 as the brown haired girl arrayed in calico and sun- 
 bonnet, and one whose beauty was adorned the most 
 because it was adorned the least; the woman who was 
 the first to teach us of the laws of God; the man who 
 was the first to tell us of the governments of men, 
 and at whose knee we first learned the principles of 
 Democracy. Then there is "Tom," sensitive as a 
 girl, but in his friendships faithful unto death; and 
 "Jim," rough on the exterior, but polished like a 
 diamond within. We all have our "Jims" and 
 "Toms." Perhaps the one is dead and the other far 
 away, but the mysterious forces of friendship keep 
 the living and the dead ever at our side, for those 
 who taught us of love and loyalty to one's friends are 
 immortal in our hearts. 
 
 What an army of boys and girls, and men and 
 women — friends of the long ago — come, even without 
 beck or call, once fond memory brings the light of 
 other days aroimd us. 
 
 It is with smiles, as well as sighs and tears, that 
 we conclude our pilgrimage through the Kingdom- 
 of- Never- Forget; and when we emerge from the 
 shadows and the sunbeams of that domain we feel
 
 132 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 like writing upon its outer walls this sign of loyalty 
 and of love to the old chums living and the old chums 
 dead: 
 
 "From the wreck of the past, which hath perished, 
 Thus much I at least may recall, 
 It hath taught me that what I most cherished 
 
 Deserved to be dearest of all; 
 In the desert a fountain is springing; 
 
 In the wide waste there still is a tree, 
 And a bird in the solitude singing. 
 
 Which speaks to my spirit of thee."
 
 << Of Such is the Kingdom »» 133 
 
 THE BLIND MAN'S PRAYER 
 
 5 OUR men of varying ages were rambling 
 together in Nebraska fields. Among the 
 birds and flowers, the growing grain, and 
 the life-full trees men are apt to grow com- 
 municative. Creation's wonders are never so inter- 
 esting and so productive of thought as in the spring- 
 time, and thought concerning the mysteries of fields 
 leads, very often and very naturally, to thought con- 
 cerning the mysteries of men. 
 
 While the members of this little party were resting 
 imder the shade of a tree, the younger one, although 
 free from serious want or perplexing care, registered 
 complaint against his lot in life, and protested very 
 bitterly because of the burdens he was required to 
 bear. One of his companions, a gray-haired man 
 whom we may well describe as the philosopher of the 
 party, and whose career had been marked by struggles 
 and tribulations such as the young complainer had 
 never known, advised his companion to look about 
 him and, observing the sorrows of others, understand 
 how much reason, after all, he had for congratulating 
 himself. 
 
 These men halted at a farmhouse for the noonday 
 meal. Summoned to the dining room, they found 
 already seated at the table a gray-haired man, with 
 form bowed and bent with the weight of years, and
 
 134 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 with remarkably large eyes from which the sight had 
 long since departed. 
 
 The mistress of the home called upon the aged man 
 to pray, and the listeners heard: 
 
 We thank Thee for Thy abundant love and 
 mercy; for the privilege Thou hast given us to 
 labor in Thy vineyard where there is so much 
 work to be done in Thy name, and for the good 
 of Thy creatures. Accept our grateful acknowl- 
 edgement because of the pain and grief we have 
 been spared, and our glad thanks for the manifold 
 blessings that have been showered upon us. Make 
 us strong to bear whatever in our human view 
 may seem to be undue affliction, and bring us 
 to a full appreciation of the opportunities and 
 happiness ever at our hand. Comfort with 
 Thy great power and Thy enduring love those 
 who are less fortunate than we, and help us, one 
 and all, to educate ourselves for the higher and 
 better life that has been prepared for us. 
 
 At the conclusion of the prayer, the philosopher of 
 the party cast at the young complainer a look, the 
 significance of which was evidently grasped in that 
 quarter. When the visitors left the farm house the 
 philosopher, addressing his young friend, asked: 
 "Compared with your own condition, could you see 
 in the condition of that much afflicted old man any 
 reason why he should give thanks for the 'manifold 
 blessings' showered upon him?" 
 
 "I was never so much impressed with a prayer as 
 I was with that blind man's acknowledgment," said 
 the young man; "and I beUeve that, after all, I have
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom " 135 
 
 many reasons to be thankful. If a sightless and 
 decrepit man can be grateful for his privileges, I 
 can, at least, find balm in Gilead." 
 
 "Every furrow in that old man's career," said the 
 philosopher, "is sown with the seed of thankfulness, 
 and every one of his more fortunate fellows in the 
 world might well be grateful for the opportunity of 
 looking upon his affliction and listening to his psalm 
 of praise." 
 
 The yoimg com plainer had learned his lesson at 
 the knee of the sightless man. It was a lesson sim- 
 ilar to that which, in the long ago, had been taught 
 to one who said: "I once complained because my 
 feet were bare, and I had no money to buy shoes; 
 but I met a man without feet, and became content." 
 
 Some one has written: "If we fasten our attention 
 on what we have, rather than on what we lack, a 
 very little wealth is sufficient." Put in another way: 
 If we fasten our attention on the sorrows, the trials, 
 and the calamities we have escaped, we need find 
 no great difficulty in being grateful for our privileges 
 and contented with our lot. 
 
 A few years ago the sight of a black cloud did not 
 strike terror to the hearts of men, but in this day 
 the coming storm is closely watched and brave men 
 and courageous women are not ashamed, at the first 
 gust of wind, to seek safety in the cellar. As the 
 young complainer learned his lesson in the presence 
 of a sorely afflicted yet wholly grateful man, so 
 throughout the world today commimities may find 
 cause for congratulation.
 
 136 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '^ 
 
 We read of calamities falling all about us; we are 
 told of these terrible affairs in which the lives of 
 innocent men, women, and children are blotted out; 
 we hear of terror-stricken human beings, some driven 
 to the asylum, and others to the very verge of in- 
 sanity; we learn that property, the accumulation of 
 years of toil and privation, is in a moment swept 
 into nothingness; that towns built through a vast 
 expenditure of public spirit and individual struggle, 
 have been destroyed; that prosperity and plenty have, 
 in the twinkling of an eye, been replaced by privation 
 and penury; that death and disease stalk triumphantly 
 in places where, but a moment before, all was life 
 and health. In the presence of these awful facts no 
 man need be so rigidly practical, no man should be 
 so devoted to the chase for the dollar, as to be ashamed 
 to pause and make grateful acknowledgment, either 
 to God or to his own destiny, for "the manifold bless- 
 ings" that are showered even upon the humblest 
 member of a community that lies not within the 
 pathway of the storm, and comes not within the 
 courses of the flood.
 
 " Of Such is the Kmgdom '» 137 
 
 THE CUP OF COLD WATER 
 
 lEVERAL years ago New York newspapers 
 told of a young man who, after years of 
 faithful service to his employers, absconded 
 with a considerable sum of money. That 
 was the young man's first misstep, and the employer 
 caused to be inserted in the newspapers an adver- 
 tisement calling upon the young man to return, and 
 promising that he would not be prosecuted, but would 
 be helped out of his difficulties. The yoimg man 
 read the advertisement, returned to his home, made 
 a clean breast of his error, was forgiven by the man 
 whom he had wronged, reinstated in his position, and 
 given every possible encouragement to recover his 
 lost ground. It developed that the young man was 
 in financial distress, and in a moment of desperation 
 had used his employer's money. This incident oc- 
 curred many years ago, and since then this young 
 man has, at least to the satisfaction of his employer, 
 justified the magnanimity which that employer 
 showed. 
 
 It will not do, of course, for it to become a matter 
 of general understanding that a man may embezzle 
 and be forgiven; yet there have been, unquestionably, 
 many cases in which the methods used by this New 
 York employer could have been used with advantage 
 by other employers. 
 
 The doctrine, "I am not my brother's keeper," is 
 not the doctrine for thoughtful men. The man who
 
 138 ^^ Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 persistently cultivates the notion that he is con- 
 cerned solely in his own welfare, and that he owes 
 no duty to his fellows, has not even begun to learn 
 that life is worth living. 
 
 On a tablet in a church in a western city is engraved, 
 to the memory of a fine Methodist preacher, the best 
 and highest tribute that could be paid to a human 
 being. It is said of this man: "He was a helper of 
 men." Incidentally it may be said that those who 
 happen to have had the pleasure of this Methodist 
 preacher's acquaintance well know that the tribute 
 is entirely deserved, and that the man to whose 
 memory that tribute is paid proved himself a helper 
 of men whenever he came in contact with a human 
 being who needed aid. 
 
 It is true that half the world does not know how 
 the other half lives. A very large number of people 
 are free from serious trouble, and many of these are 
 entirely ignorant of the burdens borne frequently by 
 their own immediate neighbors. It is, indeed, strange 
 that so much of the trouble, the sorrow, and the grief 
 that exists in this busy world is concealed from the 
 view of many men. But the man who is willing to 
 lend a sympathetic ear and extend a helping hand 
 very soon comes in touch with his troubled fellows 
 and very soon learns of the sorrow and grief con- 
 cerning which less sympathetic men remain in igno- 
 rance. While it is not an easy task to comply with 
 the injunction, "Bear ye one another's burdens," the 
 man who does his best to obey that rule, obtains from 
 life a great deal more than the one who utterly ig- 
 nores that rule. "The drying up of a single tear has
 
 <* Of Such is the Kingdom " 139 
 
 more of honest fame than shedding seas of gore;" and 
 the world is full of tears; some of them are coursing 
 down furrowed cheeks; some of them fill eyes that are 
 rapidly growing dim; many of them are unshed and 
 invisible. But if every tear may not be dried, if every 
 wounded heart may not be healed, a word of sym- 
 pathy and kindness will do much to assuage the grief 
 which finds expression in the tear and the sob. 
 
 Kindness, like mercy, "is twice blest; it blesseth 
 him that gives and him that takes," and is, indeed, 
 "an attribute of God himself." The One whose every 
 act showed love, and sympathy, and kindness for 
 men said: "And whosoever shall give to drink imto 
 these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name 
 of a disciple, verily I say to you he shall in no wise 
 lose his reward." There is in this world today an 
 opportunity for every human being to give the cup 
 of cold water; and there is no waiting for the reward 
 to be bestowed. The moment the cup is extended, 
 that moment the reward is obtained. 
 
 A man bowed with grief because of the death of 
 his beloved wife is given the warm hand-clasp that 
 needs no words to explain what it means. That's 
 the cup of cold water. 
 
 A woman, broken-hearted, yet, woman-like, strong 
 even in the presence of the greatest sorrow, is the 
 beneficiary of those little neighborly services which, 
 while they have no voice, speak volumes in sympathy 
 and love. That's the cup of cold water. 
 
 A merchant, staggering imder adverse conditions, 
 honest, although unfortunate, and striving to save 
 the remnants of his business, is given a little extra
 
 140 '' Of Such is the Kingdom " 
 
 patronage by appreciative customers, and a little 
 unusual encouragement by merciful creditors. That's 
 the cup of cold water. 
 
 A man, struggling against the power of an over- 
 whelming appetite, and sinking sometimes even to 
 the gutter, is urged to try again and save himself 
 from social oblivion. That's the cup of cold water. 
 
 The sisters of the Good Shepherd, devoting their 
 lives to the rescue of fallen women. That's the cup 
 of cold water. 
 
 The good sisters and the faithful nurses at the 
 hospitals — all devoting their energies toward allevi- 
 ating pain— none of them with proper recompense 
 in the way of money, many of them without any 
 financial recompense whatever. That's the cup of 
 cold water. 
 
 The noble work done at the orphan homes in caring 
 for the little ones who, but for that work, would be 
 homeless. That's the cup of cold water. 
 
 The man who, thrown from a position through no 
 fault of his own, finds assistance in obtaining means 
 of a Uvelihood through the intercession of some busy 
 yet sympathetic neighbor. That's the cup of cold 
 water. 
 
 The little garments that ar« sent to cover the 
 nakedness of some child of the poor. That's the cup 
 of cold water. 
 
 The contribution to the empty larder of the des- 
 titute, the supply of medicine to the poor and sick. 
 That's the cup of cold water. 
 
 The visits to the sick and injured. That's the cup 
 of cold water.
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom " 141 
 
 The words of cheer to the stupid or thoughtless 
 lad who finds the greatest problem of life to be the 
 mastery of his simple studies. That's the cup of 
 cold water. 
 
 The mending of the broken toy provides comfort to 
 the Httle lad, and the repairing of the tattered doll 
 checks the sobs of the little girl; and that's the cup 
 of cold water. 
 
 In this day some of us may be too proud to remem- 
 ber, and certainly many of us are too dignified to 
 repeat, that little jingle so familiar to our childhood 
 days: "Little drops of water, little grains of sand, 
 make the mighty ocean and the pleasant land; little 
 deeds of kindness, little words of love, help to make 
 earth happy Uke the heaven above." Yet, would 
 not the world be considerably better if that simple 
 little verse were placed over every desk in every 
 counting room in the land, so that he who runs may 
 read, and he who reads may profit for himself and 
 give profit to his fellows? 
 
 Some one has said: "The best portion of a good 
 man's life is the "little, nameless, unremembered acts 
 of kindness and of love." Every tear that falls in 
 sympathy with another's woe, every hand-clasp that 
 is meant to assuage another's grief, every word that 
 is given to provide encouragement to one who stum- 
 bles and falters on the way, every smile, and every 
 cheer, and every sigh, and every tear that is the 
 product of our loving kindness contributes to the 
 progress of the world, to the advantage of humanity 
 and to the upbuilding of our own precious selves. 
 
 A man will obtain the best in life when he strives 
 for that condition where thoughtlessness gives way to
 
 142 '< Of Such is the Kingdom 
 
 »» 
 
 though tfulness, where love for one's self is well bal- 
 anced with love for one's fellows, where men are not 
 too dignified to mingle their tears with the tears of 
 a grief-stricken neighbor, where the word of comfort 
 is ever ready for the benefit of "these little ones," 
 for the relief of the despairing, and the help of the 
 disconsolate. 
 
 The cup of cold water is always a good investment 
 — the other things don't pay. It doesn't pay to harbor 
 malice; it doesn't pay to make wounds so deep as to 
 leave a scar upon the heart. One of the prettiest 
 thoughts was stated recently by a writer, whose name 
 is not just now recalled, to the effect that the kind- 
 ness and good cheer generally prevalent during the 
 Christmas season represents the normal condition of 
 society when it shall reach that perfection possible 
 among human beings. It is not likely that many 
 of us will live to see the day when that will become 
 the normal condition; but that condition may be 
 approximated if every man will do his part in putting 
 away malice, and in the cultivation within his own 
 breast of those finer sentiments which, while they 
 uplift the man himself, tend, also, to the uplifting of 
 the world.
 
 *' Of Such is the Kingdom " 143 
 
 THE HIGHER TESTS OF MANHOOD 
 
 iHE philosopher who asked, "Take away am- 
 bition and vanity, and where will be your 
 heroes and patriots?" might have learned 
 something to his advantage had he lived to 
 read from the pen of the good Quaker poet: 
 
 "Dream not that helm and harness are signs of valor true; 
 Peace hath higher tests of manhood than battle ever knew." 
 
 For every ounce of evil in this busy old world there 
 are several pounds of good. For every act of mean- 
 ness there are several deeds of love. 
 
 In this day when the world hears so much to the 
 discredit of men, it will doit no harm to be reminded 
 that "the evil that men do lives after them; the good 
 is oft interred with their bones." It will do men 
 and women no harm to have their attention dis- 
 tracted from the dark pictures of cruelty, of passion, 
 and of man's inhumanity to man to the brighter 
 view where sacrifices are made, where burdens are 
 borne, where mighty obstacles are overcome — in 
 many instances by frail men and delicate women — 
 and all done in the name of that love that "passeth 
 all understanding." 
 
 Charles Reade described the experiences of the 
 thoughtful observer when he said: "Not a day 
 passes over the earth but men and women of no note 
 do great deeds, speak great words, and suffer noble 
 sorrows. Of these obscure heroes, philosophers, and 
 martyrs, the greater part will never be known till
 
 144 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 that hour when many that were great shall be small 
 and the small great." 
 
 One need not go beyond the borders of his own 
 town to find those who, keepmg "the noiseless tenor 
 of their way," and unknown even to many of their 
 neighbors, meet the higher tests of manhood. Point- 
 ing out that "heroes in history seem to us poetic 
 because they are there," one writer has reminded us 
 that "if we should tell the simple truth of some of 
 our neighbors it would sound like poetry." 
 
 Regular patrons of a certain street-car line in a 
 western city, frequently observed a mother grown 
 prematurely gray by her burdens, carry on and off 
 the cars, to and from a doctor's office, a girl, in the 
 neighborhood of eighteen years of age, who had been 
 stricken with paralysis. For years this mother hoped 
 against hope, and trying first one experiment and then 
 another was, after years of painstaking devotion, 
 finally rewarded by her daughter's restoration to 
 health. Those who remembered how that good 
 mother carried in her arms the daughter, then grown 
 to womanhood, even as she had carried her when a 
 babe, must have felt their hearts beat a little faster 
 when they were permitted to see that mother and 
 daughter walking side by side, the one restored to 
 health, and the other happier and prouder because of 
 the sorrows she had endured and the sacrifices she 
 had made. 
 
 A man in a clerical position met with a terrible 
 accident. A large family was dependent upon him 
 for support. A fellow-employe, who was himself 
 dependent upon wages, and who had passed his
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '* 145 
 
 sixty-fifth year, joined with other employes of the 
 office in an agreement to do the work of their fellow 
 in order that those dependent upon him might obtain 
 his salary. Every night in that office some men were 
 engaged in working over- time, and several nights 
 during the week this aged man was contributing his 
 portion in this labor of love. He over-worked him- 
 self, and brought on an apoplectic stroke. For sev- 
 eral weeks he lingered between life and death, but, to 
 the gratification of all who have the honor of his 
 acquaintance, he was restored to health. Who will 
 say that on the roll of heroes the name of this man 
 does not occupy a conspicuous place? 
 
 A yoimg physician was called to attend a woman, 
 who was at that time perhaps nineteen years of age. 
 Although the disease with which this girl was stricken 
 had been pronounced incurable by other and older 
 doctors, the young physician devoted himself to the 
 case. So attentive was he to his patient, that he 
 secured one of the rooms in her mother's house as 
 his office that he might be conveniently situated to 
 respond day or night to calls from the invalid. On 
 pleasant days he carried the delicate woman to his 
 phaeton for a drive. Before the second year had 
 passed he knew that his fair patient loved him. He 
 kept his own love for another locked within his big 
 heart. For fourteen years the patient lingered, and 
 finally passed away. Within a year the doctor had 
 married the woman of his choice, who, evidently im- 
 derstanding the heroism of the man, had never 
 married, although it was currently reported she had 
 many opportunities. Intimate friends of those con-
 
 146 ** Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 cemed in this romance know the facts as related. 
 The doctor and his wife are still living, and they keep 
 refreshed the memory of the poor invalid as well as 
 the grass and flowers about her grave. 
 
 There are everywhere girls of tender years engaged 
 in laborious tasks, and using their all too small in- 
 come for the purposes, in some cases, of lifting mort- 
 gages, in others of providing bread for the family. 
 There are boys, pushed before their time to the line 
 of manhood's duties, who have taken the places of 
 fathers dead, have become protectors for their broth- 
 ers and sisters, and providers for their widowed 
 mothers. There are parents struggling to conceal, 
 and finally to cure, the waywardness of a son or 
 daughter. There are wives bearing in silence the 
 grief that husband's shame has brought upon them, 
 and concealing, for their children's sake, the hid- 
 eous skeleton in their homes. There are husbands 
 who, to spare their offspring woe, steel their hearts 
 against the first impulse of manhood to destroy, and 
 close their eyes to the recklessness of wives. There 
 are children bravely holding up their heads among 
 their fellows, although a parent has brought disgrace 
 upon the household. There are men and woman 
 striving to recover lost ground, battling with their 
 own bad natures, and with every struggle, and with 
 every triumph impressed — as those who may not 
 know what it is to struggle with one's self can never 
 be — with the fact that "he who ruleth his spirit is 
 greater than he who taketh a city." 
 
 The generous love and the tender sympathy, the 
 enormous sacrifice, and the mighty endeavor that
 
 ** Of Such is the Kingdom " 147 
 
 abound in this world today, need to be brought to 
 the attention of those who, seeing so much of the 
 meanness of men, may be moving dangerously near 
 to the line of C3micism. 
 
 Bad people are the exception. It is natural that 
 men and women be good and do good. Love and 
 sympathy are part of the divine plan. "That very 
 law which molds a tear and bids it trickle from its 
 source — that law preserves the earth a sphere, and 
 gmdes the planets in their course."
 
 148 ''Of Such is the Kingdom " 
 
 REVIVAL OF THE OLD 
 
 |N RECENT years an effort has been made 
 by the leaders of society to establish the 
 colorless and scentless flowers of unpro- 
 nounceable names in leadership of the floral 
 world. By the decree of the "400," these unattract- 
 ive flowers were to serve as substitutes for the "bleed- 
 ing heart," the "honeysuckle," the "daisy," the 
 "pansy," the sweet "violet," and the various other 
 things of beauty and joys forever in the flower-bed — 
 flowers whose names even a child may pronounce, and 
 whose beauty even the unlettered may appreciate. 
 
 But somehow or another the old favorites of the 
 floral kingdom retain their standing, and, somehow 
 or other, men are not drawn — even by the decree of 
 society — to the worship of flov/ers that take but do 
 not give. Somehow or other the ordinary man is 
 even yet attracted by a form and beauty and fra- 
 grance which one may enjoy and understand without 
 first obtaining a diploma from a college of botany. 
 
 This would, indeed, be "a merry world, my mas- 
 ters," if the men and women of today resolutely 
 turned their backs upon some of the "new things" in 
 life, and took up with some of the things that lived 
 and flourished in the times of the fathers and mothers. 
 It would be well for the world if we could have "a 
 revival of the old" all along the line. 
 
 Let us search the attics, where our old books have 
 been stored, and produce for the benefit of the chil-
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom *' 149 
 
 dren better and more entertaining tales than have 
 ever been written by tbe boasted novelists of the 
 present day. There is no occasion for one to go into 
 ecstacy over such books as "To Have and to Hold," 
 or "Alice of Old Vincennes," while the stories of 
 James Fennimore Cooper, much more realistic, much 
 more probable, much more interesting, remain hidden 
 in our attics, covered with the dust of years, and 
 unperused by the people of today. Edward Eggle- 
 ston's "Hoosier Schoolmaster" is a better story than 
 many of the latter day novelists have written. Louise 
 M. Alcott's "Little Men" and "Little Women" have 
 never yet been excelled as interesting and instructive 
 reading for the young and old. The boys of today 
 who search for light and lively fiction know little or 
 nothing of Colonel Thomas Wentworth Higginson, 
 the great Massachusetts writer of boy stories, who 
 wrote tales that will Uve. 
 
 Books and books and books are written today, 
 and yet they are not nearly so satisfactory as some of 
 the few volumes that were published in the long ago. 
 
 We are all too apt to worship at some new shrine, 
 and all too apt to forget the merit of the old in our 
 anxiety to pay undue tribute to the new. 
 
 We go into ecstacy over some of the recent day 
 songs, and yet forget the many very interesting 
 things that have been presented by the bards of the 
 past. 
 
 "Ben Bolt," one of the sweetest of all the verses 
 ever penned by man, would be practically unknown 
 today but for the fact that it was set to music and 
 that it figured in a popular novel. Its high character
 
 150 '' Of Such is the Kingdom " 
 
 as a touching piece of poetry is not fully appreciated 
 by the men of today. Abraham Lincoln, perhaps, 
 could not make a rhyme, but there was poetry as 
 well as music in his soul, and he knew what genuine 
 poetry was when he selected "Oh, Why Should the 
 Spirit of Mortal be Proud?" as his favorite poem. 
 The member of the literary society who would sub- 
 scribe to the statement that "Oh, Why Should the 
 Spirit of Mortal be Proud?" is entitled to high rank 
 in Uterature, would be immediately written down as 
 undeserving of a place in polite society, but Abraham 
 Lincoln's favorite poem will bear re-reading, where 
 some of the productions of the present day would be 
 cast aside after a mere glance. 
 
 It would be well, too, if the disposition toward "a 
 revival of the old" could take a firm hold upon our 
 church choirs. Sunday after Sunday great congre- 
 gations composed of men and women anxiously seek- 
 ing not for profoimd things, but for those things that 
 strike a responsive chord in the htmian heart, assemble 
 throughout this country to listen to airs they can not 
 appreciate, straining their ears for words made imin- 
 telligible by the necessity of obtaining what we be- 
 lieve the choirmaster calls the "range of voice." 
 "Nearer, My God, to Thee," the sweetest song that 
 was ever written, set to the sweetest music that was 
 ever sung, is not heard, and can not be heard in the 
 average church. The old-fashioned books are full of 
 better songs, of more exquisite music, than are pro- 
 duced by the average church choir. 
 
 While we are obtaining more of the old flowers, of 
 the old books, of the old poems, of the old songs, let
 
 ** Of Such is the Kingdom " 151 
 
 us have more of the old-fashioned women, who, like 
 our mothers, lived and loved, and loved and lived, 
 not conspicuous for ability as club lecturers, or as 
 impossible reformers, but notable as though tfxil and 
 devoted mothers, as earnest and faithful wives, as 
 uncrowned queens of perfect homes. 
 
 Let us have more of the old-fashioned girl, who 
 was taught that no woman was so well-to-do that she 
 should not be educated in the arts of the good house- 
 wife. Let us have more of the old-fashioned girl 
 whose beauty was adorned the most because it was 
 adorned the least; who knew more about healthy 
 outdoor exercise and practical indoor household du- 
 ties than she did of pink teas. 
 
 Let us have more of the old-fashioned men who 
 believed in the brotherhood of man; whose lives were 
 not devoted to the game of grab; who practiced the 
 same religion during the six days in the week that 
 they heard preached on the seventh; who stood up 
 for truth and right for the sake of truth and right, 
 and who never sacrificed principle for the sake of 
 expediency. 
 
 Let us have more of the old-fashioned boy, who 
 had never learned to inhale cigarette smoke into his 
 lungs; who honored his father and his mother, spent 
 his evenings at home, his Sundays at church, and who 
 devoted his recreation hours to sports that improve 
 the intellectual as well as the physical in man. 
 
 Let us have more of the old-fashioned husbands 
 who made of their wives real companions, who hon- 
 ored them, loved them, cared for them and pro-
 
 152 " Of Such is the Kingdom " 
 
 tec ted them as queens of the home and the trainers 
 of future citizens. 
 
 Let us have more of the old-fashioned love; the 
 old-fashioned love that made children a blessing to 
 their parents; the old-fashioned love between friends; 
 the old-fashioned, pure and lasting love demonstrated 
 in the friendships of those who sang: 
 
 "There is change in the things I loved, Ben Bolt, 
 
 They have changed from the old to the new; 
 But I feel in the deeps of my spirit the truth. 
 
 There never was change in you. 
 Twelve months twenty have passed, Ben Bolt, 
 
 Since first we were friends; yet I hail 
 Your presence a blessing, your friendship a truth, 
 
 Ben Bolt of the salt sea galel"
 
 ** Of Such is the Kingdom '» 153 
 
 "SCATTERED AT THE FEET OF MAN" 
 
 [ID YOU ever pass an hour in conversation 
 with a botanist without realizing your woe- 
 ful ignorance of the "sweetest things that 
 God ever made and forgot to put a soul 
 into?" Did you ever listen to the instructions of an 
 astronomer without being impressed with the great 
 realities that are moving about you and shining 
 above you, wondering all the time that you had neg- 
 lected these opportunities? Did you ever listen to 
 the orations of the sage whose philosophy inspires 
 him in prosperity and supports him in adversity 
 without realizing that at least some portion of your 
 life had been wasted? Did you ever stand in the 
 presence of a man who, reared in poverty, had over- 
 come all obstacles and climbed high into the tree of 
 knowledge, learning so many things worthy of being 
 known, and remembering everything he had learned, 
 without feeling your own ignorance and your folly in 
 failing to grasp what seemed beyond the reach of 
 a man handicapped as you had never been? 
 
 The non-observing man sleeps upon his opportu- 
 nities. Even the eminently practical may learn 
 much to their advantage if they be not ashamed to 
 give attention to the little things and to show some 
 concern for the lessons that may be learned even 
 in seemingly insignificant affairs. There are all too 
 many of us who are like the man of whom it was said: 
 "A primrose by the river's brim a yellow primrose was
 
 154 <^ Of Such is the Kingdom »» 
 
 to him, and it was nothing more." But as the as- 
 tronomer could pomt out truth and beauty in the 
 skies, as the philosopher could direct attention to 
 beauty and truth in philosophy, so the botanist could 
 show truth and beauty, and beauty and truth, in the 
 yellow primrose by the river's brim. 
 
 In every fact of creation, in every incident of life> 
 in every love and in every passion, in every duty and 
 in every sacrifice there is a lesson to be learned; and 
 it will do the busy man no harm if he becomes more 
 observing of the things that are not intimately asso- 
 ciated with stocks and bonds, with purchase and with 
 sale. 
 
 Recently in the city of Omaha, Nebraska, happened 
 an incident that ought to be carefully considered by 
 every human being. It had the elements of tragedy 
 and there was in it a bit of comedy, too. It was 
 fraught with lessons of love and of life, lessons which 
 might give courage to the hopeless, lessons which 
 might inspire the prosperous. 
 
 A man brought to the depths of despair through 
 his own folly, feeling that his career of usefulness was 
 at an end, went to the river's bank determined to end 
 it all. Those who thought they knew this hopeless 
 creature might have been pardoned for concluding 
 that it would have been just as well had the man 
 been permitted to carry out his purpose. But some- 
 thing happened which saved this being from a sui- 
 cide's grave. We are told that just as this man was 
 about to plunge into the current of the Missouri some 
 one threw a httle dog from the bridge. Instantly the 
 better nature of the would-be suicide was aroused.
 
 " Of Such is the Kingdom " 155 
 
 His desire to destroy his own life was forgotten in his 
 consideration for the little animal struggling in the 
 waves. Instead of plunging into the water bent upon 
 taking the life which it was his duty to preserve and 
 use for the benefit of the world — he plunged into the 
 stream and rescued the little dog. 
 
 Newspaper reports say that "with the wet, shiv- 
 ering dog nestling in his arms," the wet, shivering man 
 applied for shelter at the police station. He refused 
 to part company with his little protege and the 
 newspaper reports state, "when he went to sleep on 
 the bench in the hallway at the police station the 
 little black dog was curled up on his breast." 
 
 The sufferings of the helpless dimib animal instantly 
 appeal to the hearts of men. On the occasion of 
 President Roosevelt's visit to a western city, a pow- 
 erful dog jumped upon a smaller dog and was getting 
 the better of him when a half a dozen stalwart men 
 rushed from the crowd, and taking the part of the 
 smaller animal, beat off his assailant. It is well that 
 men show such sympathy for the beast. But is it 
 not strange that they do not show more sympathy for 
 the man who, in some cases, through his own folly, in 
 other cases through no fault of his own, is made to 
 feel that he has reached the end of his period of use- 
 fulness, that the world has turned against him, and 
 that self-inflicted death must be his portion? 
 
 It requires no great effort to lend a helping hand 
 to an intimate friend, temporarily suffering under 
 adversity, but real heroism is displayed when, without 
 hope of recompense, and merely "in His name," we 
 reach out into the darkness and the gloom enshroud-
 
 156 ^^ Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 ing a human being who has lost all heart and believes 
 himself to be beyond all help, and do our part in the 
 effort to rescue the perishing. Many men wiU be 
 surprised to learn how far even a kind word or the 
 warm pressure of a hand will go toward changing, or 
 perhaps preserving, the life of a fellow-creature. 
 
 Important as the lesson involved in the incident 
 referred to may be to the more prosperous man, the 
 greater lesson is to the man who has lost hope. Words 
 can not describe the condition of "the man who has 
 lost hope." That condition can be understood by 
 one whose Ufe has not been broken upon the wheel 
 of adversity only when he imagines what his own 
 career would be if hope were entirely removed from 
 it. One might imagine that it would be impossible 
 to revive hope within the breast of the would-be 
 suicide; but the fact that there was so much good in 
 him that he forgot his own sorrows in the sympathy 
 he had for a dumb creature, provides conclusive proof 
 that even to that most hopeless man life is worth 
 Uving. The man who, under those circumstances, 
 could display such love and tenderness, is capable, 
 with a Uttle encouragement, of conquering himself 
 and proving to the world that he is better because he 
 lived. He is but the representative of a type, and 
 every one of his class is entitled to the tender sympa- 
 thy and the substantial encouragement of his more 
 fortunate fellows. 
 
 The finest tribute that could be paid to any man 
 — and we must not forget that it may, in truth, be 
 paid to many men — was given by Robert G. Ingersoll 
 at his brother's grave when he said: "If every one
 
 ** Of Such is the Kingdom *' 157 
 
 to whom he did some loving service were to lay a 
 blossom on his grave he would sleep tonight be- 
 neath a wilderness of flowers." 
 
 There are so many heartaches and so many tears, 
 so much grief and so much sorrow, so many heavy 
 crosses to be borne by disheartened men and frail 
 women, that it ought to be the pleasure, as it is the 
 duty, of their stronger fellows to lend a hand. 
 
 Every tear that falls in response to another's woe, 
 every hand-clasp meant to give reassurance to a fal- 
 tering comrade, every word of encouragement uttered 
 in the presence of a despairing creature, every sacrifice 
 made by the prosperous for the unfortunate, provides 
 healthy seed for fertile soil. It is, at once, a prayer 
 and a benediction; a help to others and a help to one's 
 self. It blesses him that gives and him that takes; 
 and generous heart and grateful soul need give no 
 audible utterance to the prayer which, although un- 
 spoken, beats about the great white throne, and there 
 interprets itself in the very language of Tiny Tim: 
 "God Bless us, every one!" 
 
 If the busy man v/ould but give some thought to 
 the things going on about him in every hour of the 
 day, he would learn that "the primal duties shine 
 aloft Uke stars," and "the charities that soothe and 
 heal and bless are scattered at the feet of man like 
 flowers."
 
 158 '* Of Such is the Kmgdom " 
 
 "NO FRO WOCKS" 
 
 N THE play "Resurrection," a most inter- 
 esting scene is that in the jury room. It 
 will be remembered by those who have wit- 
 nessed that striking play that a woman was 
 on trial for her life, and many of the jurors expressed 
 very strong sentiments for and against the defendant. 
 Every one of these jurors was "cocksure" he was 
 right, whether he favored acquittal or conviction. A 
 gray-haired and gray-bearded juror, who, by the way, 
 was very hard of hearing, was finally persuaded to 
 express his opinion. Turning first to the jurors on 
 his right, then to the jurors on his left, and finally to 
 the jurors in front of him, he reiterated with great de- 
 liberation: "WE — ARE — NONE — OF — US — 
 SAINTS !" 
 
 It is more than probable that every man has done 
 things of which he is heartily ashamed. It is more 
 than probable that in the life of every man there are 
 several chapters which he would not desire to have 
 revealed to public gaze. 
 
 "We are none of us saints," and it is safe to say 
 that the man whose disposition is to hasten to the 
 rock pile has the most need of the injimction: "Let 
 him that is without sin cast the first stone." 
 
 When with reference to one who has displeased us 
 we are tempted to say harsh things, we should look 
 over our own record and see whether we have been as 
 circumspect as we should have been. We should stop 
 to consider that perhaps our enemy has had pressing 
 upon him such a force of disadvantageous circum-
 
 " Of Such is the Kingdom " 159 
 
 stances that he could not always do as we would wish 
 him to do, or as, perhaps, he would have preferred to 
 do. 
 
 When we are tempted to say that our enemy has 
 been immoral, should we not at least look over our 
 own record and determine whether we have always 
 lived up to the moral law? 
 
 In imder taking to enumerate the shortcomings of 
 our enemy, should we not be a bit careful lest we 
 charge him with the very sins of which we ourselves 
 have been guilty? 
 
 "We are none of us saints;" and every one of us 
 has so many shortcomings, some of one kind and 
 some of another, that even though the milk of human 
 kindness does not run so regularly as to prompt us to 
 avoid inflicting needless wounds and creating imnec- 
 essary scars, consideration of the law of self-preser- 
 vation should tie our tongue and temper our bitter- 
 ness. 
 
 A very little boy had learned to describe in his own 
 way some of the scenes as presented in the large 
 pictures in the old family bible. He imdertook to 
 tell to a visitor the story of the fallen woman, and he 
 told that story somewhat in this fashion: 
 
 "Dere's de dear, good Lord, and dere's de poor, 
 wicked woman. Dere's de mean men. De mean men 
 dey say: *Fro wocks at her! Fro wocks at her!' And 
 de dear good Lord he say: *No fro wocks at her! No 
 fro wocks at her!' " 
 
 The little lad's description was not entirely accu- 
 rate so far as concerns language, but the spirit was 
 there; and when we are tempted to pass harsh judg- 
 ment upon our unfortunate fellows, would we not do 
 weU to remember the admonition: "No fro wocks?"
 
 160 *' Of Such is the Kingdom '» 
 
 "THE BRAVEST ARE THE TENDEREST " 
 
 15^*^?^ E SOMETIMES find courtesy, courage and 
 IvvSvi^ real strength lacking where we would have 
 ^'-■^^-"^ the right to expect it, and we often find 
 these traits where we would least suspect 
 their existence. 
 
 "Shepherd, I take thy word, 
 And trust thy honest offer'd courtesy, 
 Which oft is sooner found in lowly sheds 
 With smoky rafters, than in tap'stry halls. 
 And courts of princes." 
 
 Someone has said that "as the sword of the best 
 tempered metal is most flexible, so really large men 
 are the most pliant and courteous in their behavior 
 to their inferiors." An aged negro met a fine old 
 Kentuckian on the streets of a southern city, and 
 with a low bow doffed his hat. The courtly old gen- 
 tleman acknowledged the salutation by lifting his 
 own headgear. A younger man who was with him 
 asked: "Why did you lift your hat to that <nigger?' " 
 The gentleman replied: "My son, I would not per- 
 mit even a 'nigger' to outdo me in courtesy." 
 
 "Power is so characteristically calm that calmness 
 in itself has the aspect of power, and forbearance im- 
 plies strength. The orator who is known to have at 
 his command all the weapons of invective, is most 
 formidable when most courteous." Have we not 
 often noticed the difference between the display of 
 bogus strength made by the public speaker who in 
 joint debate resorts to invective, and the real power 
 shown by his opponent who hews to the line in per-
 
 ^^ 
 
 ^ ■ 
 
 tv- 
 
 ^c>^ 
 
 
 +i"l 
 
 ) 5' 
 
 ,k (I 
 
 \ 
 
 >, 
 
 
 
 nli^- 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 f If^WlTH THE V\T,T,.SHIVI-:R1NG DOG IN HIS ARMS ^>*^ 
 MAN .\PPI.IED/f-PR()ITXT10N ^' ^^"mACE STATION"
 
 if 
 
 Of Such is the Kingdom " 161 
 
 senting the question under discussion, ignores the 
 cheap by-play of diatribe, and strikes with every 
 sentence sledge hammer blows in clinching his point? 
 Have we not often noticed the difference between the 
 fictitious power displayed by the blustering braggart 
 and the genuine strength manifested by the soft 
 spoken man? 
 
 No truer words were ever written than when it was 
 said: "The bravest are the tenderest, the loving are 
 the daring." Several years ago there Hved in a 
 southern town a man who had served as a captain 
 in the Confederate army. While this man had made 
 a good record as a soldier and was known among his 
 comrades as a brave man, he had for many years 
 after the close of the war lived such a simple and 
 peaceful life that a newcomer, who delighted in 
 iJeing known as a "fighting man" conceived the very 
 arroneous notion that the captain was a coward. 
 On one occasion the captain's position on a public 
 question did not happen to suit the newcomer, and 
 so anxious was he for a quarrel that he falsely inter- 
 preted some of the remarks made by the captain as 
 a personal affront to himself. With much ado he 
 sent word to the captain that he would kill him on 
 sight, expecting, doubtless, that the captain would 
 immediately leave the town. 
 
 This captain was particularly devoted to his home, 
 and was not often seen on the street comers, but all 
 the town knew of the warning that had been sent to 
 him, and all the town observed that on the morning 
 following the day when the warning was delivered, 
 the captain was standing on a street comer, looking
 
 162 ** Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 very much like one who was "waiting for something 
 to turn up." For several days the captain spent 
 most of his time on the conspicuous street comers 
 of the town, but it was noticeable that the "fighting 
 man" was not as much in evidence as was his wont. 
 He had caught sight of the captain's stalwart form 
 and he had read something in the lines of the cap- 
 tain's furrowed face that prompted him to seek the 
 coimsel of friends. To one of these friends the "fight- 
 ing man" appealed, suggesting that he take the lead 
 in effecting a compromise. This friend, who was a 
 bit disgusted, asked the "fighting man" why he did 
 not go in search of the captain and carry out his 
 threat? The "fighting man" replied: "I don't like 
 the looks of that old duffer a bit! They tell me, also, 
 that he's a fatalist. What chance would I have with 
 a man of that kind? I'd be afraid that his bullets 
 might hit me at any minute, and he'd know that my 
 bullets wouldn't hit him unless his time had come." 
 Through the intercession of this friend peace was 
 established. He had no trouble with the captain, 
 because, being a man of real courage, he had no desire 
 to fight. 
 
 We can not always tell just where we will find 
 real courage, nor can we always determine by a man's 
 conduct whether he is brave or cowardly. A gen- 
 tleman of national repute, for several years lieuten- 
 ant governor of a western state, and at one time first 
 assistant secretary of war, had occasion many years 
 ago to visit a Wisconsin town. There he called at 
 the office of a man against whom he had commenced 
 a law suit. The man attacked him, and in the Ian-
 
 " Of Such is the Kingdom " 163 
 
 guage of one of the daily papers he "ran like a white- 
 head." Whether he ran just that way or not, it is 
 very certain that he sought safety in flight, and some 
 people concluded that this showed that he was a 
 coward. But Nebraskans who had occasion to see 
 this gentleman's courage tested were not surprised 
 when they learned of a little incident that took place, 
 perhaps twelve months later, on a Washington City 
 street. A man had stabbed a companion to death, 
 and flourishing his bloody knife above his head 
 warned the bystanders not to interfere with him. 
 The man who in Wisconsin "ran like a whitehead," 
 happened to be passing. Pushing his way through 
 the great crowd he walked up to the murderer, de- 
 manding his surrender, and, with the very plain de- 
 termination in his demeanor, compelling compliance 
 with his demand. 
 
 One of the tenderest of men, and one of the bravest, 
 was the surgeon of the Seventh Illinois infantry regi- 
 ment. All of the men of that regiment knew of this 
 surgeon's tenderness; until the episode to which 
 reference is about to be made occured, not all of the 
 men of that regiment knew of his great courage. 
 A major in the Seventh Illinois tells the interesting 
 story. On one occasion a pompous division surgeon 
 was inspecting the temporary hospital erected for 
 the benefit of the Seventh Illinois boys. The divi- 
 sion surgeon had with him a company of friends, and 
 the entire party seemed well impressed with its im- 
 portance. The regimental surgeon escorted the party 
 through the hospital, describing each case as they 
 came to it. When they reached the cot of one man
 
 164 ** Of Such is the Kingdom " 
 
 who had been severely wounded in the hip the divi- 
 sion surgeon, who was considerably more of a dress 
 parade man than a man of science, cruelly jabbed 
 his thumb into the wound. Although this division 
 surgeon was his superior ofl&cer the surgeon of the 
 Seventh Illinois seized him and with an angry excla- 
 mation threw him half way across the hospital floor, 
 at the same time uttering what the Major says was 
 the only epithet he ever heard from the Ups of the 
 righteously indignant doctor. Then the regimental 
 surgeon, completely ignoring the presence of his supe- 
 rior and the members of his party, turned his atten- 
 tion to the alleviation of the pain of the injured soldier 
 who had screamed with agony at the division surgeon's 
 touch. "It was the bravest act I ever saw," said the 
 major, "and we expected at any moment that a guard 
 would be sent under instructions to place our surgeon 
 under arrest on the charge of assaulting a superior 
 officer. Every man in the regiment loved the Sev- 
 enth Illinois surgeon, and while we admired his cour- 
 age, we could not help but regret his bad judgment. 
 But for some reason or other, no action was ever 
 taken. Perhaps the superior officer thought it would 
 be just as well to let well enough alone." 
 
 Under the warden of a western penitentiary, the 
 lock-step, that abominable pretense at discipline which 
 is humiliating to everyone required to witness it, 
 as it must be to every one required to engage in it, has 
 been abolished. A system has been adopted whereby 
 men may avoid the hated stripes. When a man 
 enters the prison he is required to wear the striped 
 earb for a period of six months. If his conduct has
 
 <* Of Such is the Kingdom '' 165 
 
 been good during that time he may then discard the 
 stripes, donning a neat uniform of gray, and this 
 xmiform he is permitted to keep during good beha- 
 vior. If he offends, then as a punishment the stripes 
 are again placed upon him, and he must wear them 
 for another six months, when, if he has behaved well, 
 they are removed. 
 
 The prisoners are so averse to the stripes that this 
 warden has found that this is about the only method 
 of pimishment necessary. Indeed, except perhaps in 
 two cases where desperate men have made assaults 
 upon guards, it has not been necessary, for some time, 
 to resort to the solitary confinement plan or other 
 forms of cruel punishment. 
 
 One of the essential methods of advancing prison 
 reform is to place prisoners under the control of men 
 of kindly impulse, men who recognize the fact that 
 even though these unfortunate creatures are deprived 
 of their liberty they are yet human beings, and it is 
 the duty of society, and society's agents, to make their 
 lot as happy as possible imder the circumstances. 
 This warden is one of these men, and he has made 
 such progress in his reforms, and such improvements 
 in the methods of conducting a state penitentiary that 
 when the stranger goes there he finds his visit robbed 
 of much of the distressing sights that usually press 
 upon the attention of a visitor to a prison. 
 
 Recently the warden was showing a party through 
 the prison. Among them was a charming woman 
 who, after the party had spent some time in the war- 
 den's company, remarked to a companion that the 
 warden reminded her very much of her father, who
 
 166 '* Of Such is the Kingdom '* 
 
 had died a few years ago. When the tour had been 
 concluded, and the party reached the warden's office, 
 this woman turning to the warden asked: 
 
 "Well, do these prisoners mind you?" 
 
 The warden rather hesitatingly replied: "Oh, yes, 
 of coiu*se they mind me." 
 
 Then she asked: "But are they afraid of you?" 
 
 The warden laughingly answered: "Oh, I don't 
 know that they are particularly afraid of me." 
 
 Promptly and with great earnestness — her fine eyes 
 filled with tears, drawn doubtless by the resemblance 
 between this big bodied and big hearted warden and 
 her own good father — this charming woman said: 
 "Well, I wouldn't mind you! I wouldn't be afraid 
 of you one bit!" 
 
 Coming as it did it was one of the prettiest compli- 
 ments ever given. 
 
 In one respect this fair visitor was right; in another 
 she was wrong. Convicts are not afraid of such men 
 as this warden, but they "mind" them. Like other 
 men who are great in real courage and genuine 
 strength, this warden is great in kindness and in love. 
 
 ••Coxirage, the highest gift, that scorns to bend 
 
 To mean devices for a sordid end. 
 
 Courage — an independent spark from Heaven's bright throne 
 
 By which the soul stands raised, triumphant, high, alone. 
 
 Great in itself, not praises of the crowd, 
 
 Above all vice, it stoops not to be proud. 
 
 Courage, the mighty attribute of powers above, 
 
 By which those great in war are great in love. 
 
 The spring of all brave acts is seated here, 
 
 As falsehoods draw their sordid birth from fear.**
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '» 167 
 
 KILLING MEN 
 
 )ANY years ago a hanging took place at a 
 little town in Arkansas. The victim of the 
 law's lawlessness was known as a "bad man." 
 From all portions of the surrounding coimtry 
 men, women and children had gathered to take in the 
 awful sight of a man being put to death by civilized 
 society. A singing teacher more or less famous in the 
 neighborhood, was conspicuous on that occasion. The 
 condemned man, manacled at wrist and ankle, was 
 seated in front of the judge's stand in the great court 
 room, which was crowded with people. A fine old 
 preacher delivered a fine old sermon, and then the 
 singing teacher took his place in the front and an- 
 nounced that while they were singing a hymn those 
 who desired could pass the prisoner and bid him good- 
 bye. In single file the people marched before the 
 condemned man. Tears were coursing down the 
 cheeks of most of them, and many women and children 
 were sobbing with emotion as they grasped the hand 
 of that healthy yet dying man, and all joined under 
 the leadership of that never to be forgotten choir 
 master in the singing of the hymn, "Oh, tell me, 
 Brother, will you meet me on Canaan's happy Shore?'* 
 
 Later, when the scaffold had been reached and the 
 noose and the black cap had been adjusted, that same 
 choir master stepped to the front and invited the im- 
 mense throng to join him in singing that fearfully ap- 
 propriate hymn, "0, Come, Angel Band, and Bear me 
 Away on your Snowy Wings.'*
 
 168 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '* 
 
 Reference to this incident recalls the fact that the 
 American people are making some progress along these 
 lines. In many states it is decreed by law that exe- 
 cutions shall take place in the state prison, thus reliev- 
 ing the commimity in which the crime was committed 
 from the disturbances incident to a public execution. 
 No state that has tried this reform could be persuaded 
 to return to the old plan. 
 
 But a better sign is the evidently growing tendency 
 against capital punishment. Not long ago in the 
 city of Omaha so much difficulty was encountered in 
 securing a jury whose members would permit the 
 infliction of the death penalty that the attempt was 
 abandoned. The county attorney permitted a sen- 
 tence to life imprisonment, upon the plea of guilty, 
 and, somehow or other, every one felt relieved. 
 
 The arguments against capital punishment are too 
 well known to require restatement at this time. They 
 are in the heart of every man. In the absence of that 
 deep personal interest that cries for vengeance or in 
 the abandonment of the foolish notion that men in 
 mass must slay in order to prevent individuals from 
 murder — those arguments force their way to the front 
 and cluster around the centerpiece provided in the 
 divine command "Thou Shalt Not Kill." 
 
 If I had ever believed in capital punishment I am 
 sure that my observations at this Arkansas town 
 would have converted me. Being a correspondent in 
 a neighboring town for a St. Louis newspaper, I was 
 detailed to report the execution. I arrived at the 
 little town the night before the hanging took place, 
 and spent the night with the condemned man. It
 
 <* Of Such is the Kingdom '* 169 
 
 was only natural that those experiences should have 
 a marked impression upon one of my age at the time; 
 I was then but 19 years of age; yet subsequent expe- 
 riences and observations have but confirmed my 
 opposition to the infliction of the death penalty. 
 
 Physically the condemned man was a fine specimen 
 of manhood. He did not look like an assassin. Yet 
 while he claimed that he was innocent of the particular 
 crime for which he was to be executed, he admitted 
 that he had killed several men, for which crimes he 
 had not been called to account. I do not mean to 
 undertake — and, in truth, I am incapable of giving 
 — a recital of the experiences of that night During all 
 the long hours — and they were the longest that I have 
 ever spent — this man sat with the bible in his hand. 
 There grew up between him and myself what seemed 
 to be a strong and stalwart friendship. It is strange 
 how closely one may be drawn to a fellow being in a 
 short time under such circumstances. He did not 
 expect to die. He really believed that the governor 
 would reprieve him, and every time the door was 
 opened he looked up, evidently expecting that the 
 message had arrived. I shall never forget the dawn 
 of that day. I was perhaps awaiting the looked 
 for message as anxiously as was the convicted man 
 himself. It was at the first sight of sunshine that the 
 condemned man settling himself comfortably in his 
 chair said: "Well, it will be here soon, now." And 
 turning to me> he added: "We won't have to worry 
 much longer, old fellow." Ten minutes later we 
 found that there was no necessity for "worrying 
 much longer,'^ The message came, and it was the
 
 170 '' Of Such is the Kingdom »' 
 
 mere announcement that the governor would not 
 interfere and that the execution must proceed. 
 
 It was plain that the condemned man, like all others 
 against whom the whole world has seemed to turn, 
 was not averse to sympathy, and perhaps for the first 
 time in the many 5'^ears of his ill-spent life, he appre- 
 ciated the companionship of one, who, while finding no 
 excuse for his crimes, pitied him for his fate. At his 
 urgent invitation I rode beside him to the gallows. 
 Just before he died I bade him good-bye and hurried 
 away to send my dispatches. While I was greatly 
 disturbed by the experiences through which I had 
 passed, I was, after all, glad that I had received the 
 assignment because there was then, and is now, ring- 
 ing in my ears the words of that dying man who was 
 strong and brave to the last: "Good-bye, old fellow. 
 I'm mighty glad you came. You helped me a whole 
 lot, and you've been a good friend to me in these last 
 hours." 
 
 I had only known the man for perhaps twenty-four 
 hours, but it seemed to me like a life-time, and I did 
 not doubt then, as I do not doubt now, what would 
 happen should it ever come to pass that I had the 
 power to save a human Ufe. 
 
 The time will yet come when civilized society will 
 set itself squarely against the death penalty. Men 
 will yet be forced to admit, as they must now know, 
 that 
 
 *'Ef you take a sword and draw it, 
 An go stick a feller thru, 
 Gov'ment aint to answer for it — 
 God'll send the bill to you."
 
 " Of Such is the Kingdom '' 171 
 
 GOVERNOR HOGG'S MONUMENT 
 
 |OME time prior to his death the late Governor 
 Hogg of Texas speaking to his children said: 
 "I want no monument of stone or 
 marble. Let my children plant at the 
 head of my grave a pecan tree and at the foot 
 an old-fashioned walnut. And when these trees 
 shall bear let the pecans and the walnuts be 
 given out among the plain people of Texas so 
 that they may plant them and make Texas a 
 land of trees." 
 
 What better monument could any man ask? There 
 is something so intensely practical about Governor 
 Hogg's suggestion that it would be well if men gen- 
 erally could adopt his view on the monimient question. 
 In this country, as in other countries, fortunes are 
 wasted in the erection of monuments of stone or 
 marble, and these do not serve to perpetuate the 
 memory of the one in whose honor they are erected, 
 while they are of no practical service to society. If 
 some of the vast sums spent in the erection of monu- 
 ments of marble and of stone had been used for the 
 establishment of orphan asylums or of old people's 
 homes, the memory of the one in whose name such 
 contributions were given would be more lasting. 
 
 We are told that Governor Hogg's children intend 
 to carry out his wishes in this respect. The people of 
 Texas, grateful to this man for the services he gave to 
 the public interests, will not be slow in gathering at 
 his grave in order that while doing honor to his
 
 172 ^^ Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 memory, they may secure a seed consecrated with his 
 dust, plant it in Texas soil, and make the Lone Star 
 state "a land of trees." 
 
 It is at once a beautiful and a practical suggestion. 
 It is eminently characteristic of the man who made it. 
 He was a plain American citizen, having supreme 
 contempt for the foibles and the vanities of life. It 
 is related that while Governor Hogg was visiting in 
 England the American minister offered to present him 
 at the court of the king. Governor Hogg accepted 
 the invitation and arrayed himself in evening dress. 
 He was told that in order to be presented to the king 
 he must be fitted out in knee breeches and other 
 regalia peculiar to the court. Governor Hogg re- 
 volted, and promptly declined the invitation, saying 
 that in evening dress he could be presented to the 
 president of the United States, and if that apparel was 
 good enough for the American White House it was 
 good enough for the court of a king. 
 
 Who knows but what Governor Hogg's suggestion 
 with respect to a monument may be the beginning of 
 a great and necessary reform in that line? To many 
 people it has seemed strange that we have clung so 
 tenaciously to the foolish custom of seeking to per- 
 petuate tender memories by the erection of useless 
 stone. It is, of course, proper that the memories of 
 men who have given faithful service to society be 
 preserved, but this end may be better attained when 
 the method adopted serves in a practical way as a 
 reminder of their worth. Governor Hogg will live in 
 the memory of Texans for many years to come because 
 of his faithful service to the people, and so long as the
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 173 
 
 pecan tree and the walnut tree that are to be planted 
 at his grave give forth seed, in order to make Texas "a 
 land of trees," rising generations will be reminded of 
 his good deeds. 
 
 It may be true that after awhile thinking men and 
 women will bring about some other essential reforms 
 vvith respect to the dead. Many people are impressed 
 with the idea that we have all too long adhered to the 
 mourning customs which prevail today, but which, 
 properly, belong to the dark ages. No service can be 
 rendered the dead by these outward displays of grief, 
 while those who at the moment need all the relief that 
 is within the power of humans to bestow are not aided 
 by the somber display attendant upon our funeral 
 ceremonies. Sometime in the not distant future the 
 band of crepe on the man's hat, and the heavy black in 
 the widow's apparel will be abolished. Instead of the 
 black ribbon on the door knob there will be a wreath 
 of flowers, and in every particular the ceremonies will 
 be robbed of that outward display which if it represents 
 anything at all, indicates an utter hopelessness directly 
 at variance with the faith most of us profess. The 
 immense sums of money now spent in the purchase of 
 cut flowers that wither on the grave will be diverted 
 — and in the name of the dead — to sweet charity. We 
 will plant and cultivate the rose, the violet and the 
 "forget-me-nots of the angels" in the soil where our 
 beloved sleepy but we will turn resolutely away from 
 all temptations to that vain display which makes 
 mockery of grief and gives affront to the memory of 
 one whose life was devoted to the service of his fellows.
 
 174 '* Of Such is the Kingdom '» 
 
 "A GRAND OLD MAN" 
 
 |ACH year at Christmas the friends of 
 Santa Claus find it necessary to combat the 
 efforts of those who would have the world 
 reject the grand old man. 
 
 "The world is growing too old and too wise for 
 Santa Claus. It has made up its mind that it will 
 have none of him." This is a sample of the state- 
 ments made by the skeptics of this period. 
 
 A New York newspaper recently summed up the 
 arguments made by the enemies of Santa Claus in this 
 way: 
 
 "But on the whole the truth- tellers have the 
 best of it. This is a practical age, and the ten- 
 dency is toward bald, bare, absolute truth in 
 everything." 
 
 But the truth- tellers are certainly not among those 
 who are so practical that they make bold, through a 
 mistaken notion of duty, to deny the existence of 
 Santa Claus. 
 
 According to this New York newspaper the "truth- 
 tellers" say that "when the child's world is peopled 
 with the sort of folk that one must lie awake at night 
 to see — as one does for Santa Claus on Christmas 
 Eve — he must grow up under the disadvantage of 
 having at every step to free his mind from a delusion, 
 an error, a wrong belief." Well, the child's world in 
 all the years of Christendom has been peopled with 
 just that sort of folk; in all the years of Christendom
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 175 
 
 little children on Christmas Eve have shoved the "sand 
 man" farther and farther away, and have strained their 
 little ears in the effort to hear the footsteps of the good 
 old saint whose existence, as whose coming, they have 
 never for a moment doubted. Yet during all these 
 years children have grown to manhood and woman- 
 hood, and they have never found themselves handi- 
 capped in the struggle with the great duties of life 
 because they spent their childhood within the hal- 
 lowed precincts where the existence of Santa Claus is 
 recognized and the skeptic is barred. 
 
 "Kriss Kringle" is the patron saint in Germany, and 
 it is known by the well informed in that portion of the 
 earth that he actually made his roimds on Christmas 
 Eve and dropped down the chimney gifts for the good 
 and obedient. In Russia it is Saint Nicholas, and it 
 is not denied that he was a real man who lived about 
 300 A. D. We are told that this man was a noted 
 bishop whose name, because of his good deeds and 
 generous acts, became a synonym for kindness and 
 generosity. According to one story, this good old 
 saint, clad in fur from top to toe, was in the habit of 
 going around in a sleigh drawn by fleet footed rein- 
 deers. From one of his thoughtful acts came the 
 custom of hanging up stockings on Christmas Eve. It 
 is said that a poor nobleman in Russia, having no 
 money with which to provide marriage dowers for his 
 three daughters, was about to force them to support 
 themselves by a degrading life. Saint Nicholas learn- 
 ing the facts, passed the nobleman's house one Christ- 
 mas Eve, and threw a purse of gold, shaped as a slip- 
 per, through the window. On the following night the
 
 176 ^^ Of Such is the Kingdom 
 
 )> 
 
 second daughter received a similar gift, and the third 
 night the youngest daughter detected the good old 
 saint throwing a stocking filled with gold into her 
 window. In this way a dower was provided for each 
 daughter, and from these incidents is said to have 
 grown the custom of placing gifts in shoes and stock- 
 ings on Christmas Eve. 
 
 From these reputable ancestors the Santa Claus of 
 today is descended. 
 
 Santa Claus is not a myth, the so-called truth- 
 tellers to the contrary notwithstanding. He is a real 
 being who acts; and so strong is his personality, so 
 inspiring are his characteristics, that he sways the 
 hearts of men in every clime where the crucifix is the 
 emblem and Christ is the Master. 
 
 Who would begrudge the world the happiness it has 
 obtained from its conception of the generous old mes- 
 senger of Christmas Eve? Who would withhold from 
 men the inspiration Santa Claus has given? Who 
 would tear from the life book of "of such is the king- 
 dom of heaven" its best and brightest chapter? 
 
 Here's to Santa Claus! May his shadow never grow 
 less! He is the annual reminder that "I am my 
 brother's keeper." He is the walking delegate of the 
 Brotherhood of Man. He is the living exemplar of the 
 Sermon on the Mount; the Declaration of Independ- 
 ence might have been written within his tool shop; 
 and the treaties declaring peace between warring 
 peoples might have been framed upon his workbench. 
 
 The duties of Santa Claus are not confined to the 
 filling of children's stockings. Where women have 
 fallen he gives words of cheer and extends a helping
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom " 177 
 
 hand. Where hope is dead within the breasts of men, 
 he revives it. Where God's creatures are naked he 
 provides clothes; where they are hungry he gives food; 
 where they are disconsolate he gives encouragement. 
 And whenever in the horizon of a life there is not to 
 be seen a single star, he touches the situation with his 
 magic wand and, lo and behold, in that same horizon 
 there is not to be found a single cloud. 
 
 In the life of the adult he is a strong and permanent 
 force, according to the alacrity with which men turn 
 from the shadows to the sunbeams, and the earnest- 
 ness with which they cultivate those habits of thought 
 that lead men upward and onward. 
 
 In the life of the child — ah, that is where the good 
 old saint is at his best! There he is at his best not 
 only for the happiness he brings to the little ones, but 
 because that happiness is of the contagious kind and 
 resiilts in the distribution of blessings and sunshine 
 and in the cultivation of love and joy and optimism 
 — even sometimes among eminently practical men and 
 women who, mingling with the little ones as they 
 empty their stockings on Christmas morning may 
 learn that "it is not all of life to live, nor all of death 
 to die." 
 
 This New York newspaper asks how it would seem 
 to have placed over the door of the little shop at the 
 North Pole the sign: 
 
 Santa Claus Forced 
 Out of Business. 
 
 When such a sign has been placed above the bank- 
 ing houses, the counting rooms and the factories of the 
 land; when hope has died within the hearts of men;
 
 178 " Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 when love has faded from the earth; when civilization 
 has been acknowledged a failure; when it has been 
 conceded that might is above right; when men have 
 turned from all that is good and noble and tender 
 within this vale of tears, then it will be time enough to 
 place such a sign above the workshop of this grand old 
 man. He has done more to cultivate love, and more 
 to increase the sum of human happiness than any other 
 brought into being since the heavenly host sang, 
 "Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth Peace, 
 Good Will Toward Men," and the wise men of the 
 East poured their treasures into the manger at 
 Bethlehem.
 
 " Of Such is the Kingdom " 179 
 
 BURDENS OF THE CHRISTMAS SEASON 
 
 [RIOR to Christmas Day in the year of 1906, 
 a Cleveland, Ohio, newspaper printed the 
 following: 
 
 "Christmas was foreshadowed in the coim- 
 ty recorder's office last week. Day after day it be- 
 came more evident that December 26 was pretty 
 close at hand. 
 
 "A glance at the office force and their extra work 
 told the story. The nimiber of chattel mortgages 
 increased in proportion as Christmas drew nearer. 
 Yesterday they came in by the score. This week the 
 nwnber will probably be greater still. 
 
 "The mortgages tell the story of the way htmdreds 
 of famiUes are getting their money for Christmas 
 presents. They look upon a few 'plasters' on house- 
 hold effects as mere nothing, when balanced against 
 the joy of giving. The amounts range all the way 
 from $26 to $300 and some are for even more. 
 
 "The practice is an old one, but of late years the 
 observation is made that chattel mortgages are be- 
 coming more and more popular in these parts prior 
 and during the holiday season. 
 
 "Toys must be bought for the children — there must 
 be turkey and real presents for the older folks, regard- 
 less of the day of reckoning." 
 
 The burdens of the Christmas season are becoming 
 well nigh tmbearable. Men and women are embar- 
 rassed in the selection of gifts for friends, and if one of
 
 180 '' Of Such is the Kingdom " 
 
 two friends happens to be poor, while the other is rich, 
 it is humiliating to the former not to be able to give to 
 his friend a present that shall equal in cost the one he 
 receives. As a result in all too many cases, men and 
 women plunge themselves into debt in order to keep 
 up with the mad pace set by some of their wealthy 
 acquaintances. 
 
 "To be remembered" by one's friend is particularly 
 gratifying during the Christmas season and the desired 
 result may be accomplished just as well through some 
 inexpensive token as by a costly gift. Some progress 
 along this line has recently been made by individuals 
 who, having heretofore embarrassed themselves by 
 the distribution of expensive gifts to a few of their 
 friends, have made it possible to remember practically 
 all of their friends by sending to each one a pretty 
 Christmas card engraved with appropriate greetings. 
 It would be well if this custom could grow to the end 
 that the desired result may be attained. 
 
 Nor is it necessary that the gifts to the children be 
 expensive ones. It is well known by those having 
 experience in the child's world that the little one upon 
 whom costly gifts are lavished does not derive from 
 the occasion nearly so much pleasure as the child who 
 receives a few inexpensive toys and perhaps along 
 with them a pair of gloves, a warm cap, or some other 
 article which, while serving as a "remembrance" and 
 providing for the child's pleasure, will at the same 
 time provide substantially for the child's necessities. 
 
 Unquestionably "the time is ripe for an agitation 
 along this line." Men and women everywhere have 
 felt the heavy burdens consequent upon the exchange
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom " 181 
 
 of high-priced gifts. It requires considerable courage 
 for men and women to break away from custom, but 
 if the press will agitate this very essential reform, and 
 if men and women generally will resolve to restore the 
 Christmas celebration to its real place, there will be 
 fewer debts incurred through the demands of the 
 Christmas season while that season will lose none of 
 its pleasures. Indeed, the pleasures will be greatly 
 increased because while we are enjoying them the 
 shadow of debts that must be met will not be hanging 
 over us. Our contemplation of the season will not be 
 continually disturbed by thoughts of the sacrifices we 
 must sooner or later make. We will not be contin- 
 ually thinking of the day of judgment to which our 
 creditors will certainly summon us. There will not 
 be running continually through our minds the strains 
 of that negro melody which serves well as a warning 
 to those who would thoughtlessly incur obligations: 
 "What ye gwine to do when the rent comes around? 
 What ye gwine to say, how ye gwine to pay, what ye 
 gwine to do when the rent comes aroimd?" 
 
 There are many men and women who so embarrass 
 themselves in the purchase of gifts for their friends 
 that they are imable to discharge their obligations to 
 the poor. If the customs of the Christmas season 
 were reformed there need be no empty stockings and 
 no barren Christmas dinner tables in all this land. The 
 expenditures of the Christmas season could be brought 
 within that reasonable sum that would avoid financial 
 embarrassment yet at the same time leaving an ample 
 margin for the discharge of the debt every one of us
 
 182 ** Of Such is the Kingdom'' 
 
 owes to those of our fellows who through sickness or 
 other misfortune must depend upon outside assistance 
 not only for their Christmas cheer but for the actual 
 necessities of life. 
 
 Men and women should strive to reform some of the 
 methods for the celebration of the Christmas season 
 to the end that that season may be observed in the 
 very spirit to which that grand old man — Santa 
 Claus — owes his existence. 
 
 The grand old man for whom we speak is not a 
 walking delegate for the chattel mortgage shop. It is 
 not his mission to increase the burdens of the weary 
 mother, or to multiply the embarrassments of the 
 father. He gives no encouragement to the contest 
 between friends in the effort to see which can give 
 the costUest present. He is not the sponsor for empty 
 stockings or barren larders. He is not the promoter 
 of extravagance. He is the missionary of love, the 
 representative of a perfect democracy where every 
 human being having the right to life, liberty and the 
 pursuit of happiness is entitled, equal with every other 
 human being, to the joys and pleasures of the period 
 which marks his coming. 
 
 Here's to Santa Claus again! May he witness upon 
 his next visit the establishment of essential reforms in 
 the celebration of the greatest of all days.
 
 ** Of Such is the Kingdom " 183 
 
 THE VALUE OF LITTLE THINGS 
 
 ^CONVICT in the Maryland penitentiary, de- 
 termined to reform, has adopted a novel 
 means to that end. A writer in a Rich- 
 mond (Va.) newspaper, tells the story in 
 this way: 
 
 "His scheme is to make a chart from day to 
 day of his thoughts. He takes a piece of paper 
 and marks it off into squares. At the top of the 
 sheet he writes 'Purity,' 'Generosity,* 'Kind- 
 ness,' 'Behavior,' 'Report,' 'Truthfulness,* 
 'Sincerity.' For every good thought he gives 
 himself credit, and for every evU thought he 
 makes a bad score. If he manages to pass a day 
 without being the victim of any evil thoughts, he 
 marks an X on the block, which means perfect. 
 
 "In other terms, this yoimg man keeps a daily 
 account with himself, and it is good bookkeep- 
 ing. The philosophy of life is to live one day 
 at a time and have a reckoning at night. The 
 man who will follow this rule and keep an honest 
 score, crediting himself with his good thoughts 
 and good deeds, and charging the bad thoughts 
 and evil deeds against him, is apt by and by to 
 fall into the habit of working in his own interest, 
 so to speak, from day to day, so as to make as 
 favorably an exhibit as possible when the reck- 
 oning time comes at nightfall. Why may not 
 one fall into habits of thrift and enterprise in
 
 184 " Of Such is the Kingdom >> 
 
 promoting his moral welfare as in promoting his 
 material welfare? This youth in the Maryland 
 penitentiary has given us all a hint worth think- 
 ing about." 
 
 An Omaha lawyer, who for many years has 
 served on the Nebraska district bench, has a bright 
 little boy who, like other little boys before him, finds 
 it difficult at times to keep in the straight and narrow 
 path. This lad's name is Murray. He occupies a 
 tnmdle bed in his parents' room, and has the habit 
 of getting up in the night time and awakening his 
 parents, pleading for the privilege of sharing their 
 couch. One night he had indulged this habit once or 
 twice and was reproved, promising that in the future 
 he would be "dood." The following night, about one 
 or two o'clock his parents were aroused by the child's 
 sobs, and the mother enquiring as to the cause of his 
 grief, the little fellow exclaimed: 
 
 "Muddie, it's awful hard to be dood!'* 
 Not long ago a little boy who had frequently been 
 reproved by his mother for his "badness," entered her 
 room, and putting his Uttle hand on her shoulder said: 
 "Mamma, won't you please let me be bad just for 
 fifteen minutes?" 
 
 It is not at all strange that these Uttle folks find it 
 hard to put down their mischievousness when even 
 their elders find it so difficult to avoid real meanness. 
 To avoid the evils to which flesh seems to be heir 
 requires constant struggle on the part of men, and 
 while it is, perhaps, not practicable for every one to 
 keep books like the Maryland convict, every one would 
 find it advantageous if he required a daily reckoning
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '* 185 
 
 between the "two men" who are in every one of us, 
 thus seeking, as the Richmond newspaper sug- 
 gests, "to make as favorable an exhibit as possible." 
 
 Great faults grow from small weaknesses; disastrous 
 results come from what, in the beginning, seem incon- 
 sequential lapses. It would be well if the little folks 
 covild be taught early in life the value of little things, 
 not only for the purpose of economy so far as money is 
 concerned, but as a help toward the correct life. A 
 writer in a Chicago newspaper gives a hint of "the 
 value of little things" when he says: 
 
 From waste paper alone one railroad last year 
 realized $5,000. 
 
 Pins, pens, nails, old brooms, bottles, tin cans 
 and worn out machinery of all sorts are gathered 
 up along the route by all the railway companies 
 and turned into money. Even the ashes are sold 
 or utilized for improving the road bed. 
 
 These things seem small to command the atten- 
 tion of a rich railway company. But it must be 
 remembered that the railway company is rich 
 largely because it looks after the little things. 
 
 The greatest corporations in the world are not 
 above taking care of the fractions of pennies. 
 
 The railroad scrap-heap of the country last 
 year reached the value of $1,250,000 — a most 
 respectable sum of money, notwithstanding it 
 came from picked-up pins and paper, old nails 
 and old brooms. 
 
 If some man who has lived long enough to recognize 
 the mistakes of his life could reduce those mistakes 
 to figures, giving to even what at the time seemed
 
 186 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 to be the smallest of these errors their proper place in 
 the column, he would render distinct service to society. 
 
 Every profane word uttered, every unkind act com- 
 mitted, every impure thought tolerated, every enmity 
 cultivated, every piece of folly makes some contribu- 
 tion to the list of errors and weakens the structure of 
 character imdergoing the building process. On the 
 other hand where, at every step in life, an effort is 
 made to cultivate in thought and deed those things 
 suggested by the better man within us, the good re- 
 sults count up rapidly. 
 
 Between the "two men" within every one of us, it 
 is, as the poUticians would say, "a long and heated 
 struggle." Every time the better man wins a victory 
 he finds, somehow or other, new strength for the suc- 
 ceeding contest; and the one who in the process of 
 character-building ignores these small things works 
 upon the sand, where the man who places a proper 
 estimate upon them builds upon the rocks.
 
 '* Of Such is the Kingdom ' » 1 87 
 
 MILESTONES ON LOVE'S PATHWAY 
 
 I HE "riddle solvers" are filling the newspa- 
 pers with suggestions as to the best method 
 of disposing of the "marriage problem," by 
 which they mean, in truth, the divorce evil. 
 One would think that the holy institution upon which 
 the world's homes are built and through which the 
 world's peace is made possible had come to be re- 
 garded as an experiment, and admitted to be, as a 
 general rule, an experiment that has failed. But the 
 failure is not with the institution itself. It is with 
 the individual and, comparatively speaking, is only 
 with a few individuals. So admirable is the institu- 
 tion that it has stood the test of time and survived 
 the faults and the follies of most of the men and the 
 women who have taken advantage of it. 
 
 Various "remedies" have been suggested and some 
 who are so foolish as to imagine that they even 
 think they think, suggest that marriages be con- 
 tracted for a five or ten-year period, with the right to 
 renew if both parties agree. It is unnecessary to 
 dwell upon any proposition in which it is assumed 
 that the marriage tie is not the holiest of all earthly 
 bonds. Some one ought, however, to register a pro- 
 test — in the name of the married lovers living and the 
 married lovers dead — against the effort to make it 
 appear that the institution should be judged in the 
 records of the divorce courts rather than in the ar- 
 chives of civilization. When a tmiform divorce law
 
 188 " Of Such is the Kingdom '* 
 
 is adopted by all the states the divorce evil will have 
 been reduced to the minimum. But even with the un- 
 doubtedly large number of divorce suits, marriage is 
 by no means a failure. In the language of a great 
 statesman, it has "done more toward the peace, 
 happiness, settlement, and civilization of the world 
 than any other part of the whole scheme of divine 
 wisdom." 
 
 "All the world loves a lover." It is interested in 
 the youthful sweethearts gathered at the trysting 
 place, but its profound admiration is commanded by 
 the picture of the husbands and wives who are the 
 sweethearts of today, even as they were the sweet- 
 hearts of twenty or thirty years ago. No opportunity 
 should be lost by those who have found that marriage 
 is not a failure to impress their convictions upon the 
 rising generation. In this effort they will be greatly 
 helped by reference to a little volume prepared by a 
 New York woman as a gift to her husband the gift 
 to mark the end of the second decade of their wedded 
 happiness. 
 
 The book referred to is a collection of letters 
 and poems written to a charming woman by her hus- 
 band and compiled for the purpose of commemorating 
 the anniversaries of their married life of twenty years. 
 On their twentieth anniversary this happy wife dis- 
 tributed among her friends 300 copies of this little 
 volume. 
 
 She explained that her purpose in giving publicity 
 to the book was to "teach husbands and wives that 
 wedding anniversaries are good things to remember,
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom » 189 
 
 for they recall a tenderness and affection that should 
 not be forgotten." 
 
 The little volume was entitled "Milestones on Love's 
 Pathway," and in the dedication, addressing her hus- 
 band, the compiler said: 
 
 "Accept this little compilation of some of the 
 very many beautiful letters you have written to 
 me. I have called them 'Milestones on Love's 
 Pathway.' May they recall to you the happy 
 occasions, and may the thought that I have 
 preserved them inspire you to continue these 
 lovely milestones — which mark the way on the 
 road of happiness, strewn with your kind deeds 
 and loving affections." 
 
 Such things as these are not intended for the eyes 
 of men and women whose feet are not familiar with 
 the holy ground to which they lead; but in cottage and 
 in castle, all over this broad land, there are thousands 
 of men and women with whom marriage has been 
 successful. There are in the homes of America 
 thousands of caskets that are filled with just such love 
 letters as these, written in many cases, by a gray- 
 haired lover to a gray-haired sweetheart. Li this day, 
 when we are apt to judge of the institution of mar- 
 riage by the records of the divorce courts, it is in- 
 structive, as it is refreshing, to be reminded that that 
 institution is to be judged by the experience of those 
 into whose domestic life has come some tempest, but 
 much sunshine, rather than by the experiments of 
 those who have seen all tempest and no sunshine.
 
 190 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 It is safe to say that these lines will be read by many 
 men who after years of wedded life, may in all truth 
 say: "The wife is dearer than the bride." 
 
 We need to impress these things upon the boys and 
 girls now growing into manhood and womanhood. We 
 need to impress upon them the fact that the home is 
 the hearthstone of civilization, and that the wedding 
 day must not terminate the period of courtship if 
 governments resting upon the home are to be 
 preserved.
 
 " Of Such is the Kingdom '» 191 
 
 MENDING GOD'S LAW 
 
 [NEWSPAPER dispatch from St. Louis tells 
 of the finding of the body of a sixty year old 
 man who had committed suicide because he 
 was barred from work by the age limit. He 
 left a note saying that he agreed with the theory that 
 when a man reached a certain age he should be chlo- 
 roformed, adding: "An old man and a poor man has 
 no place on earth. I am broke and no one will give 
 me work. They look at me with a smile, and say, 
 'We've got a man.' This is no temporary insanity 
 on my part." 
 
 This is the most pathetic of the several similar 
 incidents all growing out of a scientist's absurd rec- 
 ommendation. The recommendation, considered by 
 itself, is not in the least serious, but when we remember 
 that the tendencies of the times seem to be strictly 
 in accord with it, and that in many instances aged 
 men who have taken their lives have referred to "the 
 theory," then that theory becomes of general import- 
 ance and interest to society. 
 
 It would be difiicult to imagine anything more pa- 
 thetic than the death of this St. Louis man. Accord- 
 ing to his own statement, he was old and poor and he 
 imagined that he "had no business on earth." 
 Because he was aged, no one would give him work, 
 and when his body was found in Forest Park we are 
 told that "clutched affectionately in one of the cold
 
 192 " Of Such is the Kingdom 
 
 »> 
 
 hands was a baby's shoe which he had evidently 
 carried in his pocket for years." 
 
 Many will recognize in that baby's shoe a link that 
 should have bound this man to his Ufe until it was 
 claimed by his Maker. 
 
 According to "the theory," the man who is more 
 than 40 years of age has passed the period of useful- 
 ness while the one who is more than 60 should be 
 chloroformed. 
 
 There is, of course, no danger that the chloroform 
 proposition will be adopted, and therefore the im- 
 portant part relates to the 40-year proposition. This 
 is so because of the growing tendency on the part 
 of great corporations and other large employers to 
 refuse to give employment to men who have passed 
 the age of 40 years and to get rid of such men already 
 in their service as rapidly as possible. If a man is 
 in health there is no reason why he should not be at 
 his very best after he has passed the age of 40 years; 
 and there is no reason why a man should not be in 
 perfect health at that age, so far as the mere wastes 
 of time are concerned. 
 
 The disposition to establish the 40-year limit upon 
 the usefulness of men is one of the greatest dangers 
 threatening our civiUzation. Whenever that limit 
 shall be generally recognized among employers, then 
 it will be quite the proper thing, in all seriousness, 
 to advocate the proposition that the man who has 
 passed 40 years shall be escorted to some secluded 
 spot and put to death. 
 
 Our civiUzation is, indeed, a wretched affair if it 
 has brought us to the conclusion that two score years 
 shall mark the termination of a man's life. Our pro-
 
 (( 
 
 Of Such is the Kingdom »' 193 
 
 gress must have been rapid if the business houses, the 
 professional offices, the workshops and the corpora- 
 tion headquarters can best conduct their affairs 
 without that calm and dispassionate consideration, 
 that wide experience, that devotion to duty and that 
 industry which, as a rule, is marked among men who 
 have passed their fortieth year, but which is often 
 conspicuous largely because of its absence among 
 less matured men. 
 
 Such a rule as the 40- year limit cannot long stand 
 the test of intelligence. It is the outgrowth of the 
 peculiar age through which we are passing, an age 
 described by some as the "age of gold," by others, 
 and without large distinction from the foregoing defi- 
 nition, as the "age of greed," and by others as the 
 "trust age." Corporation organizers, greedy to 
 grasp every penny within or without their sight, are 
 anxious to put all possible pressure upon men whom 
 they employ and obtain what they beUeve will be 
 the highest possible results. They want not men but 
 slaves; they want every ounce of result, even though 
 to obtain it they wring the last drop of blood from 
 their hired man's veins. They are mistaken when they 
 think they cannot get the very highest results from 
 the healthy man who has passed his fortieth year. 
 But, as the corporationist closes his eyes to the fact 
 that by his oppressions of the people he is laying up 
 serious trouble for himself in the future, he gives no 
 consideration to the history of the human race in 
 all the ages and in all the lands, a history that serves 
 as a stinging rebuke to the rule he now seeks to make 
 against the lives of men. 
 
 Better let prevail the good old rule, *< A man's a man 
 for a' that and a' that." Better "let every tub stand
 
 194 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 on its own bottom." Let the man who is capable of 
 earning a salary be given the chance and permitted 
 to draw that salary as long as he shall discharge his 
 duty faithfully and well, regardless of the number of 
 years he shall have spent in this vale of tears. 
 
 If in the average city every man who has passed 
 the age of 40 were discharged, that city's business 
 machine would be at a standstill. V/hile we would, 
 imdoubtedly, have a large supply of "young blood in 
 commerce," pay days would be few and far between, 
 and the newspapers — if, indeed, there were any 
 newspapers under those conditions — ^would be filled 
 with the announcements of business failures. 
 
 We are told that the old Hindoo saw, in his dream, 
 the human race led out to its various fortunes. "First, 
 men were in chains that went back to an iron hand; 
 then he saw them led by threads from the brain, 
 which went upward to an unseen hand. The first 
 was despotism, iron, and ruling by force; the last was 
 civilization, ruling by ideas." 
 
 Ideas that kill hope and destroy life, ideas that 
 are repugnant to God's eternal laws, can have no 
 permanent place in a civilization worthy of the name. 
 "God never made His work for man to mend." We 
 have been told that "age does not depend upon years, 
 but upon temperament and health; some men are 
 born old and some never grow so." And experience 
 has justified the fine statement made by a distin- 
 guished writer that among many men, even when 
 the spirit dies out with increasing age, "the power 
 of intellect is unaltered or increased and an originally 
 educated judgment grows broader and gentler as the 
 river of life widens out to the everlasting sea."
 
 ** Of Such is the Kingdom " 195 
 
 A "LONELY" HEART 
 
 (NEWSPAPER writer referring to a famous 
 actor to whose memory the world was just 
 then paying tribute, said that he "carried a 
 lonely heart with him wherever he went." 
 It was related that on one occasion this actor said: 
 
 "With the applause of the theatre still ring- 
 ing in my ears, v/ith the memory of the kind 
 faces still blazoned in my memory, with the con- 
 sciousness that I have won the affection of multi- 
 tudes whom I can never meet in person, I have 
 often gone home from the theatre feeling utterly 
 desolate and alone — yearning for the intimate 
 human companionship which fate has denied me." 
 
 Another editor referring to this statement, said: 
 "No stronger note of pathos was ever struck," adding: 
 
 "In how many hearts has such an echo sound- 
 ed! Men and women there are in plenty, we ven- 
 ture to say, who have gone through life, apparently 
 crowned with the honors of an admiring people, 
 with naught but an ache in their heart and a 
 longing for one touch of a hand, one sound of a 
 voice. We phlegmatic ones, who are content to 
 accept what fate holds out to us and who make 
 of our little joys the sum and substance of human 
 happiness, have but little conception of the eter- 
 nal gloom in which some souls walk. We may 
 be thankful that the artistic temperament is 
 not ours, we may be glad that our nerves are
 
 196 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 sound and our brains free from mold, but the 
 pathos of the situation of those accursed as was 
 Irving appeals to us nevertheless." 
 
 There are a "mighty heap" of people in this world 
 for a man upon whom great honors have been showered 
 to retire to his domicile "feeling utterly desolate and 
 alone — yearning for the intimate human compan- 
 ionship" which, as he says, "fate has denied me." 
 
 It is absurd for a man occupying the position held 
 by the great actor to talk about "carrying a lonely 
 heart" with him "wherever he went." It is absurd 
 for men of strength and intelligence to say that when 
 they "yearn for intimate human companionship" 
 fate denies them the boon. 
 
 There are in this fine old world of ours, so many 
 helpless and uninfluential men and women who yearn 
 for "intimate human companionship" and who are 
 imable because of their poverty-stricken condition 
 to realize upon their ambitions that it seems the 
 height of absurdity for a man who has — so far as 
 financial condition is concerned — everything the 
 heart could wish, to say that he is denied that which, 
 as it were, is waiting at his very door. 
 
 "Intimate human companionship," indeed! All 
 over this world today men and women, poor and 
 helpless, so far as world's goods are concerned, yet 
 rich in heart and intellect, are waiting willing and 
 anxious to give, without money and without price, 
 the very thing which, according to the late actor, 
 was the only thing lacking to the completion of his 
 perfect life.
 
 ** Of Such is the Kingdom >* 197 
 
 Where the newspaper editor herein quoted sees 
 boundless pathos in what he calls the actor's ''artistic 
 temperament," others may see nothing but wasted 
 opportimities. Wherever this actor went he was 
 crowned with honors, and yet we are told that he 
 had "an ache in his heart and a longing for one touch 
 of a hand, one sound of a voice!" 
 
 Well, there are many men and women who are 
 poorer than this actor was, and some men and women 
 who are richer than he was, who have "an ache in the 
 heart." But not all of these have made the mis- 
 take which he seems to have made. He would not 
 have carried a "lonely heart" if he had helped to 
 bear the burdens of others, and sought the great 
 benefits always to be derived by one who, display- 
 ing tender sympathies and giving kind words, casts 
 his bread upon the waters, not necessarily that it 
 may return to him in many days, but rather in order 
 that he may derive the best results from life. 
 
 There is on earth today altogether too much suf- 
 fering and sorrow for any man, himself beyond the 
 distress of physical wants, to "carry a lonely heart." 
 There are too many tears to be dried, too many sobs 
 to be checked, too many naked limbs to be clothed, 
 too many empty stomachs to be filled, too many 
 hopeless and heartsick men and women to be encour- 
 aged, for a man, stalwart in health and powerful in 
 finances, as this great actor was, to "carry a lonely 
 heart." 
 
 On one occasion John Randolph, of Roanoke, spent 
 the night at a southern home. On the following 
 morning he mounted his horse in a group of slaves 
 and was about to ride away when the mistress of
 
 198 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 
 
 the home presented him a subscription list for the 
 benefit of the Armenians. Hastily returning the 
 paper to his fair hostess, John Randolph waved his 
 hand over the group of slaves, and said: "Madam, 
 the Armenians are at your own doors." 
 
 At the door of every human being opportimity 
 is knocking; it is not always the opportunity of build- 
 ing libraries or of foimding collegiate professorships; 
 but it is the opportunity of giving words of comfort 
 and of cheer to men and women who are struggUng 
 under heavy loads and who in many cases, need but 
 a word to inspire them to new and holier effort. 
 
 A man whose entire life has been devoted to good 
 deeds, and yet with whom poverty and misfortune 
 seem to have been constant companions, recently 
 complimented a fellow upon certain of his efforts, and 
 added: "Such efforts will bring much more from you 
 to others than from others to you; but that is the 
 way of this life's gigantic panorama of the universe 
 within our view; some seem destined to receive and 
 some seem destined to give." 
 
 It may have been that this great actor was "destined 
 to receive." It may have been that with all of his 
 successes he had failed to learn how much better 
 it is to give than to receive. 
 
 Some one has written that "nothing is more odious 
 than that insensibility which wraps a man up in himself 
 and his own concerns and prevents his being moved 
 with either the joys or the sorrows of another." The 
 man who so incumbers himself has wasted his best 
 opportunities and, as may have been in this case, 
 has "carried a lonely heart"— even unto the grave.
 
 '' Of Such is the Kingdom '' 199 
 
 Men obtain the best from life when they cultivate 
 those tender sentiments which cluster around the 
 eternal truth: "I am my brother's keeper." Con- 
 fronting every human being is the duty to grasp every 
 opportxmity not only to advance public interests 
 but to ameliorate individual misfortune. 
 
 For years, and for years, in the nurseries of America 
 tired children have been lulled to sleep by the sweet 
 music of a mother's song; for years, and for years, 
 that song has been the choicest of the nursery rhymes; 
 it has refreshed sweet mother singers, relieved troubled 
 fathers, and given to the little ones for whose benefit 
 it was sung an inspiration and a guide for their future 
 life. Every man and woman who has grown up 
 within the memory of that tender verse has had the 
 inspiration to make the world happier and better; 
 every human life whose conduct has been moulded 
 along the lines of that simple song, has provided ma- 
 terial contribution to the sum of human happiness. 
 Every man and woman who has profited by the les- 
 sons of that little verse has made a reasonable success 
 in fife, even though wealth and position were denied. 
 In every hour of our existence every one of us needs 
 to be reminded of that song. Written in letters of 
 gold it should be displayed in the apartments of every 
 king, of every public ofiicial, of every busy merchant, 
 of every man and of every woman who needs to be 
 reminded that it is not all of life to Hve, nor all of 
 death to die. Like a sweet echo from the past, as 
 a stirring reminder of the present, as a high inspira- 
 tion for the future, the simple words of this little song 
 comes to us today: "Little drops of water, little
 
 200 '' Of Such is the Kingdom " 
 
 grains of sand, make the mighty ocean and the 
 pleasant land. Little deeds of kindness, little words 
 of love, help to make earth happy like the heaven 
 above." 
 
 The poet who complained of the "hermit souls 
 that live withdrawn in the place of their self-con- 
 tent" provided a hint and an inspiration to the help- 
 less, hopeless man who is tempted to "carry a lonely 
 heart" when in his song of humanity he wrote: 
 
 "I see from my house by the side of the road, 
 
 By the side of the highway of life, 
 The men who press with the ardor of hope, 
 
 The men who are faint with the strife. 
 But I turn not away from their smiles nor their tears, 
 
 Both parts of an infinite plan. 
 Let me live in my house by the side of the road, 
 
 And be a friend to man. 
 
 "Let me live in my house by the side of the road. 
 
 Where the race of men go by; 
 They are good, they are bad, they are weak, they are strong. 
 
 Wise, fooUsh, and so am I, 
 Then why should I sit in the scorner's seat, 
 
 Or hurl the cynics ban? 
 Let me live in my house by the side of the road, 
 
 And be a friend to man."
 
 '*0f Such is the Kingdom" 201 
 
 " JIM " 
 
 )IM " was not famous as the world gauges 
 fame. He had a wonderfully wide acquaint- 
 ance among individuals, so wide, indeed, that 
 
 in the face of the fact that Nebraska did not 
 
 seem to know him he was one of the best known 
 Nebraskans. 
 
 Manifestly it does the dead no good that the living 
 speak well of them, but those who feel a sorrow they 
 cannot define are disposed to say something by way 
 of tribute, and these tributes, paid in faithful spirit 
 to deserving men, do the world no harm. I do not, 
 by any means, intend to place "Jim" upon a pedestal. 
 I know that there are, all over this world, men just 
 like him — men who are obeying the divine injunction, 
 "Bear ye one another's burdens." He obeyed that 
 injunction. 
 
 We who knew something of "Jim's" circumstances, 
 reaUzed that although at times his own treasury was 
 depleted, it seemed to be overflowing — and all for 
 the benefit of his fellows. We knew men staggering 
 under heavy loads, in some cases not so large as his 
 own, who were aided in their troubles and largely 
 relieved of their burdens by "Jim's" advice and co-op- 
 eration. We knew — and this is one of the brightest 
 stars in the constellation of "Jim's" good deeds— 
 that, never in all his life, did he forget the widow or 
 the orphan of a friend.
 
 202 "Of Such is the Kingdom" 
 
 It is easy to understand how one man will rush to 
 the support of another, strong and powerful, but when 
 the husband and father is gone and there is no chance 
 of recompense in business or in politics, it is too often 
 the case that there are no friends in sight. But "Jim" 
 was not that kind of a friend. The same fidelity, the 
 same honest friendship he displayed toward his strong 
 and influential companion in politics or in business 
 was transmitted to that companion's widow and 
 orphan — and in the transmission it seemed to grow 
 and thrive. 
 
 "Jim" was one of those men with whom one could 
 not associate for an hour without learning much. Not 
 everyone knew how thorough a student he was; yet 
 everyone knew that his sympathies were broad and 
 deep, that his heart was big, and that wherever men 
 were hopeless, wherever women were friendless, 
 wherever children were fatherless, they could find in 
 "Jun" a faithful friend. 
 
 It was "Jim's" privilege to occupy several places 
 of honor and trust, public and private. As a member 
 of the legislature he was a free man who served the 
 people faithfully. As steward of one of Nebraska's 
 state institutions, he was methodical and business- 
 Uke and never did an unclean dollar stain his hands. 
 As a citizen he was vigilant for the public good. As 
 a man he was pure and upright. As a friend he was 
 true and faithful. He gave to the world considerably 
 more than the world ever gave to him. 
 
 Poets may sing of love and philosophers may write 
 of friendship; but one may search poetry and philos- 
 ophy in vain for an adequate description of the great
 
 *^0f Such is the Kingdom" 203 
 
 concern which for more than seventeen years "Jim" 
 had in my welfare. I am not capable of rising to 
 the heights of love ever occupied by his great soul, 
 but he taught me love and loyalty for one's friends 
 in every hour of our acquaintance. 
 
 There are in Nebraska so many men, women and 
 children to whom "Jim" did some loving service that 
 I am sure I express their sentiments when I write 
 above his grave, in paraphrase of the sweet epitaph 
 he loved so well: 
 
 "Warm western sun, shine kindly here; 
 Warm western breeze blow softly here; 
 
 Green sod above, lie light, lie light! 
 Good night, dear heart! Good night. Good night."
 
 204 "Of Such is the Kingdom" 
 
 KEEPING CHRISTMAS IN THE HEART 
 
 ?GRAN' rasslin' match is goin' on in ivery 
 corner iv th' civylyzed globe," says Mr. 
 Dooley, " an' we're all in a tangle, fightin', 
 quarrelin',robbin', plundhrin', or murdhrin', 
 accordin' to our tastes. It's what Hogan calls th* 
 struggle f'r existence, an' it'll always go on while 
 there's a dollar in the wurruld, a woman, or a ribbon 
 to wear in our coats. But on the three hundred an' 
 sixty-fifth day suddenly we hear a voice: *Gin tie- 
 men, gintlemen, not befure th' childher.' An' we 
 get up an' brush th' dust off our clothes and shake 
 hands, pretindin' it was all fun. Th' kids have come 
 in." 
 
 Wouldn't things be changed if after the truce ob- 
 served December 25, the men and women of the 
 world failed to renew the fighting and the quarrel- 
 ing? Wouldn't life be more than worth the living if 
 after keeping Christmas in the form, by filling the 
 children's stockings on Christmas eve and exchang- 
 ing gifts and salutations with friends on Christmas 
 day, we kept Christmas in the heart for the balance 
 of the year? 
 
 One writer gave us a hint when he said that the 
 kindness and good cheer generally prevalent during 
 the Christmas season represents the normal condition 
 of society v/hen it shall reach that perfection pos- 
 sible among human beings. And there are those who 
 believe that in spite of wars and rumors of wars be- 
 tween natio^o*. in the face of oppression and greed
 
 *^0f Such is the Kingdom" 205 
 
 among individuals, we are moving to that very con- 
 dition where — keeping Christmas in the heart — men 
 and women will obtain during all the year the inspi- 
 ration and exaltation they derive during the few 
 hours of the designated season when they keep 
 Christmas in the form. And those who indulge in 
 this bit of optimism tell us that Love is leading the 
 way. 
 
 Well, Love knows the way; and the men and wo- 
 men who follow her call will find it. 
 
 And how are we to put in the entire year "keeping 
 Christmas in the heart?" Certainly not by hanging 
 up the stockings every evening of the year; nor by 
 continual exchange of gifts; nor by making perpetual 
 the strain and labors of the Christmas season as we 
 now observe it. But rather by toning down some of 
 the madness — or, if you prefer to call it, the enthu- 
 siasm — of that season, so that in our efforts to make 
 a showing for ourselves and our immediate friends 
 we put no undue strain upon the pocketbook of our 
 bread-winner, and impose no undue burdens upon 
 the poorly paid shop girl. She — though we some- 
 times forget it — is the child of some other parents 
 who are just as anxious that their child be comfort- 
 able and free from vexatious burdens as we are that 
 our child be surfeited with Christmas gifts. 
 
 It is by the use of a little leaven that leaveneth 
 the whole lump; by a little spreading out of the great 
 pile of friendly salutation, of generosity, of good 
 cheer and of kindly disposition that now characterize 
 the Christmas season; so that without detracting from 
 the joy of that period, we contribute to the continu- 
 ing happiness of men and to the permanent weU- 
 being of the world.
 
 206 ^^Of Such is the Kingdom^* 
 
 One would be thought simple, indeed, were he to 
 ask in this day: "What is love?" There are, ready 
 at hand, so many answers to the question and most 
 of them are plainly illustrated in every day life. 
 
 The mother bending o'er her first bom tells us 
 that is love— and the love light that lies withm that 
 mother's eyes tells us that, at least, is truth. 
 
 The father, ready to sacrifice his all for the future 
 of his boy, tells us that is love; and we know that 
 he speaks as one who feels and, feelmg, knows. 
 
 The maiden knows that love is described in that 
 picture where: 
 
 "A warrior so bold, and a virgin so bright 
 Conversed as they sat on the green. 
 They gazed on each other with tenderest delight, 
 Alonzo the Brave was the name of the Knight — 
 The maiden's the Fair Imogene." 
 
 The manly lad with the first touch of down on his 
 lip knows what love is when, turning to the sweet- 
 heart of his youth, he says: 
 
 "If you become a nun, dear 
 The bishop Love will be; 
 The cupids every one, dear I 
 Will chant— 'We trust in theel"' 
 
 One poet tells us "Love is madness, love is sadness"; 
 another that it is "The sweetest joy, the wildest woe." 
 One grown crusty in bachelorhood calls it "a delusion 
 and a snare"; and a hopeless one declares "Love is 
 the tyrant of the heart; it darkens reason, confounds 
 discretion; deaf to counsel it runs a headlong course 
 to desperate madness." 
 
 But the biliousness of the poets and the cynicism 
 of the despondent cannot affect the views of the man 
 who has walked by love's side; walked by love's side
 
 "Of Such is the Kingdom" 207 
 
 when he gathered the myrtle with Mary; walked by 
 love's side when he led to the altar the girl of his 
 choice; walked by love's side at the cradle of the first 
 bom to that holy union; walked by love's side — and 
 held within his own trembling grasp love's firm hand 
 — by the little grave in which was centered that 
 common interest which binds two hearts closer than 
 any marriage vow yet spoken by a priest. 
 
 We know that when the maid and the lad, the 
 mother and the father, and the friend have spoken 
 they have told us of love — and that that is love, in- 
 deed! But all these are but representative of the 
 real thing — the outcropping in particular individuals 
 of that which was to affect all individuals; the tri- 
 umph in particular quarters of that which was to 
 dominate in all quarters; the hint — strong and beau- 
 tiful, but a mere hint nevertheless — of that great 
 "truth of truths" which Disraeli described as "The 
 principle of existence and its only end." 
 
 Keeping Christmas in the heart as a rule of life 
 rather than as a mere holiday pastime it will not be 
 necessary "when the children come in" for us to 
 "brush th' dust off our clothes an' shake hands pre- 
 tindin' it was all fun." Then "the children's sea- 
 son" will last the year 'round; then the air will be full 
 of music; the world will be full of flowers; life will be 
 full of hope — because the hearts of men are full of 
 love. 
 
 The world is not growing worse as some of the 
 disconsolate would have us beheve. It is growing 
 better and there flows, at this moment, from the 
 hearts of men more of the milk of human kindness 
 than at any other time in the history of the world.
 
 208 "Of Such is the Kingdom" 
 
 What if meanness and oppression are revealed? The 
 very revelation shows the power of public opinion; 
 and shows, also, that the trend of men's thought is 
 upward. What if doctrinaires complain that men 
 are becoming indifferent to the details of creeds? 
 That is because they are more determined than ever 
 in their efforts to get closer to God. 
 
 One of the best known of Nebraska bankers, re- 
 sponding to the question: "Is the world getting 
 worse?" replied, "No," and added: "There never was 
 a generation in this country in which the moral hazard 
 as a basis for credit entered so largely as in this." 
 
 Practical men are turning to the better things of 
 life. They know that love and the things it stands 
 for are alone worth cultivating; they know that to 
 cherish malice, to lay traps for one's neighbor, to 
 encourage vanity and indulge in bombast is a verita- 
 ble waste of time. 
 
 "Keeping Christmas in the heart" will yet become 
 the habit of men; and he who adopts that habit will 
 find 
 
 "My bounty is as boundless as the sea, 
 My love as deep; the more I give to Thee 
 The more I have, for both are infinite." 
 
 In art and literature the little child is made the 
 representative of innocence for obvious reasons. The 
 Danish queen who wrote, "Oh keep me innocent, 
 make others great" voiced what is today the wish of 
 many thoughtful parents with respect to the future 
 of their children, as it well might be the wish of 
 thoughtful men with respect to the future of their
 
 »0f Such is the Kingdom^^ 209 
 
 race. Men of the past who were controlled by vanity 
 where they were not moved by greed, struggled under 
 the embarrassments and handicaps of those who 
 would be "great"; let the men of the future be touched 
 with the satisfying qualities of innocence and find 
 that contentment awaiting those who are willing to 
 seek it along the simple lines where Love will lead the 
 way. 
 
 For my own children I breathe this Christmas 
 prayer: 
 
 Give them knowledge; but hold them true. 
 
 Ripen their intellect; but keep their hearts young. 
 
 Lead them to the heights where by learning much 
 from their teachers men may give much to their fel- 
 lows; but let them retain to the end a practical trust 
 in the tenderness of men and a simple faith in the 
 goodness and the allness of God. 
 
 Let them be kind to every creature — to every man 
 grown weary, to every woman grown faint, to every 
 child made homeless, to every bird in the air and to 
 every beast in the field — finding in all things some- 
 thing to command their concern, and in all beings 
 something to stir their affections. 
 
 Keep Christmas within their hearts, work-day and 
 play-day alike, making each one feel, during all the 
 journey through life, that: 
 
 "Whatever mine ears can hear, 
 Whatever mine eyes can see, 
 In nature so bright with beauty and light, 
 Has a message of love for me."
 
 tfcl
 
 \ 
 
 DES MOINES, lA., REGISTER AND LEADER: "It 
 
 is deserving of the tributes paid it." 
 
 PITTSBURG, PA., DISPATCH: "It is one of the 
 sweetest and most inspiring little volumes that one 
 could wish." 
 
 WASHINGTON, D. C, HERALD: "This is a book 
 thoughtful, earnest and sincere; a book of high inspir- 
 ation and noble ideals, a book that everyone would be 
 the better for reading." 
 
 ST. LOUIS POST DISPATCH: "It is a book of in- 
 tensely interesting human interest stories and is well 
 worth reading, not only as a pleasant pastime but for 
 the real good that is to be derived from its perusal." 
 
 CHICAGO, ILL., INTER-OCEAN: "The book is one 
 admirably suited to the family circle and the fireisde 
 where it might be read aloud to the advantage of all." 
 
 JOHNSTOWN, PA., DEMOCRAT: "It contains 
 that touch of nature which makes the whole woild kin." 
 
 ST. LOUIS REPUBLIC: "It is a relief to read 'Of 
 Such is The Kingdom' after reading a modein liighly 
 imaginative and altogether impossible novel." 
 
 COLUMBUS, 0., PRESS POST: "There is nothing 
 sordid or out of tune out in the volume, but it 
 strikes a new note of simple goodness \Ahich per- 
 vades the world." 
 
 BIRMINGHAM, ALA., NEWS: "It is full of those 
 thoughts which will appeal to all peaople and specially 
 to the mothers, the teachers and all who love child 
 life." 
 
 KANSAS CITY, STAR: "It is a simple and forceful 
 appeal and the best in human personal relation." 
 
 THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC, ATLANTA, GA: "It 
 is just such a book as should be in every househol<I 
 and read by every young girl and boy in the land, and 
 women and men too for that matter, for it appeals to 
 the highest instincts and Godlike nature within us." 
 
 Have you read The Nebraska Book, \ 
 **0f Such is the Kingdom," by Richard 
 L. Metcalfe? 
 
 It is seUing in every State in the union. 
 
 If you want to 
 make a gift to a 
 friend, young or 
 old, send a copy 
 of this book. 
 
 Read on inside pages 
 what high authorities 
 say about this book. 
 
 209 pages, printed on good paper, bound in 
 cloth, and sent postpaid for $1.00. Address or- 
 ders to WILLIAM B. METCALFE, 
 
 General Agent, 
 
 P. O. Box 28 Lincoln, Nebraska.
 
 "Such is the book which Richard Metcalfe sends out of the 
 
 IRVING BACHELLER, author of "Eben Hoklon," 
 
 Ui\t rbitii'. (.uiin.: "Yuur little book stands for the 
 
 bc>t things and I wish you a million readers. 1 have 
 
 ' btfn channeti with tlie freshness and the spirit of it." 
 
 JOHN M. HARL.\N, Associate Justice, United States 
 Supreme Court: "Your little book. 'Of Such is the 
 Kingilom.' has been read by me with more than or- 
 dinarj- interest. Indeed, I have read it through twice. 
 No one can read these stories from life without both 
 interest and prtjfit, or without having a higher concep- 
 tion of his duty to God and to his fellowman." 
 
 W. J. BRYAN, Lincoln, Neb.: "To those who have 
 read these .>-tories, they need no praise; to those who 
 have not lead them, I commend them as soothing, 
 strengthening and in>^i)iring. They are really heart 
 talks and explain the .secret of .Mr. Metcalfe's success 
 as a joumali.-<t. He knows human nature and is uni- 
 versal in his sympathies." 
 
 DAVID J. BREWER, .V-ssociate Justice, United 
 Stateii Supreme Court: "It is one of the most en- 
 joyable book>' we have lately seen. There is something 
 about it which makes the strongest appeal to every 
 gyntpathetic heart, to everyone who believes in his 
 fcllowmen and the possibilities of a better life." 
 
 ALTON B. PARKER, New Y'ork: "I desire to ex- 
 ^,T■ !(iniir;i«i<iii tor the book. It cannot but prove 
 
 a V to all who are fond of children and delight 
 
 to journey «ith them in 'The Kingdom of Never CJrow 
 Old.' " 
 
 CONGRESSMAN CHAMP CLARK, Bowline; Green, 
 .Mo.; It is not only a deliglitfuJ book but wholesome 
 and ought to do a world of good. I wish that every 
 father and mother in the land had a copy." 
 
 DR. I. K. FUNK, of the great publishing house of 
 Funk & Wagnalls Company, New Y'ork: "1 have read 
 it aloud to my family with increasing pleasure and 
 edification. It siiould have a place in every family 
 libraiy and should be read whenever shadows thicken.' 
 
 E. BENJAMIN ANDREWS, Chancellor Nebraska 
 State University, Lincoln, Nebraska: "When 1 read 
 a chapter in 'Of Such Is The Kingdom,' 1 said, 'Here is 
 a jewel.' Reatling on and on I changed to 'Here is a 
 whole casket of jewels.' The book is rich with fine 
 thought and tender and elevating sentiment. It Will 
 have a host of readers, none of whom will give it up till 
 he has read it through." 
 
 GEN. CHARLES F. MANDERSON, Omaha, Neb.: 
 "Y'our sweet book, 'Of Such is the Kingdom,' came to 
 me like a blessing and has filled my home with lasting 
 perfume. The first chapter won me; and my wife and 
 I, in joint bondage, have remained your willing and 
 contented captives." 
 
 CHARLES E. MAGOON, Governor of Cuba: "The 
 book is literally a pure delight and there must be some- 
 thing wrong with anyone who does not enjoy it." 
 
 JOHN WANAMAKER, Fonner Postmaster General, 
 Pliiiadelphia, Ta. : "1 feel sure that its perusal will 
 1)0 helpful to any who read it. It is a book that one 
 would care to keep by him for future reference." 
 
 J. C. W. BECKHAM, Governor of Kentucky: "I 
 have read it with much pleasure and gladly commend 
 it to all as an interesting and valuable book." 
 
 EDWARD F. DUNNE, Former Mayor, Chicago: "To 
 aJiy fatlier or any human being who loves children this 
 book is a treasure which he would not part with for 
 money."
 
 ''est — a book which, once read, abides in memory *s heart." 
 
 JAMES K. VAR DAMAN, Governor of Mississippi, 
 Jackson, Miss.: "This book is truly a message from 
 the heart — a message which brings with it peace and 
 love and hope. No man or woman can read it with- 
 out being benefited. 1 wish that it could go into 
 every American home." 
 
 NEWELL DWIGHT HILLIS, Plymouth Church, 
 Brooklyn, N. Y.: "It is a suggestive and inspiring 
 study." 
 
 UNITED STATES SENATOR E. J. BURKETT, Lin- 
 coln, Nebr. : "I am dehghted with it, as eveiyone 
 must be who reads it. Those beautiful stories are 
 so tender and so touching that they reach the very 
 heart and soul of a man." 
 
 UNITED STATES SENATOR NORRIS BROWN, 
 
 Kearney, Nebr.: "It is a beautiful book and has won 
 my heart." 
 
 D. W. C. HUNTINGTON, Chancellor Wesleyan Uni- 
 versity, University Place, Nebraska: "I have taken 
 sincere pleasure in reading it and trust that many others 
 may experience the same." 
 
 CONGRESSMAN G. M. HITCHCOCK, Omaha, Nebr.: 
 "1 spent several pleasant hours last night with the 
 little volume and find its touching stories delightful." 
 
 ALBERT LEONARD, editor American Journal of 
 Pedagogy, Boston: "I like the tone of the book from 
 the first to last. It is good to liave a book of this kind 
 to turn to, for we all need to have our attention called 
 to what is sane and wholesome in human life." 
 
 JUDGE CHARLES B, LETTON, Associate Justice 
 Nebraska Supreme Court, Lincoln, Nebraska: "1 have 
 read it with enjoyment and appreciation and trust it 
 may find many readers who may heed its counsels." 
 
 LOUIS F. POST, in The Public, Chicago: "They are 
 stories of childlike affection, sometimes in clilldren and 
 sometimes in grown-ups, which have been lovingly 
 gathered and touchingly phrased by a man of tender 
 thought and broad sympathies." 
 
 ^ JUDGE GEORGE A. DAY, Judge District Court, 
 ()maha, Nebraska: "It is a wholesome book, which 
 does one good to read." 
 
 JUDGE JOHN J. SULLIVAN, Former Chief Justice, 
 Nebraska Supreme Court, Columbus, Nebraska: "It is 
 good — thoroughly good — from beginning to end. I 
 shall read it again. It is well worth a second reading 
 either for pleasure or inspiration." 
 
 G. W. WATTLES, Vice-President United States 
 National Bank, Omaha, Nebraska: "The book is one 
 that must appeal to the better nature of every man 
 who reads it." 
 
 JUDD MORTIMER LEWIS, in Houston, Texas, 
 Post: "It is a book every father and mother and lover 
 of children will be delighted with." 
 
 DR. GEORGE L. MILLER, President Humane So- 
 ciety, Omaha, Nebraska: "It is a moving song of 
 love in simplest prose. Its gentle music of the heart 
 cannot fail in touching appeal and inspiration for all 
 that is good and kind in human nature." 
 
 JUDGE WILLIAM H. MUNGER, United States Dis- 
 trict Judge, Omaha, Nebr.: "The work cannot help 
 but prove to be of great benefit to all who read it." 
 
 MAURICE H. DONAHUE, Judge Circuit Court, 
 P'ifth Circuit, New Lexington, Ohio: "I regard this 
 book as one ol the best and most helpful books I have 
 ever read. It is a clear, concise and masterful expres- 
 sion of a clean, healthy mind,"
 
 HENRY BARRETT CHAMBERLIN, in the Voter, 
 Chicago: "Childhood — its poetry, its charm and its 
 power; parenthood — its joy, its sorrow and its beauty; 
 friendship — its strength and its loyalty; the loveliness 
 and the pathos of life which, as it passes, both gives 
 and takes away — these are the themes which engage 
 the pen of Nebraska's noted v\Titer. And the subjects 
 are treated lovingly and tenderly, albeit there clings 
 about them a gentle melancholy — the melancholy 
 which the mature thoughtful man, recalling days and 
 friends who are no more, must feel even though he 
 has conquered a serene philosophy which, viewing life 
 steadily as a whole, accepts with calm courage its 
 sorrows, and while feeling them deeply and sympathet- 
 ically, yet pronounces it good. Such is the book 
 which Richanl Metcalfe sends out of the west — a book 
 which, once read, abides in memory's heart." 
 
 FORMER UNTTED STATES SENATOR WM. V. 
 ALLEN, Madison, Nebr. : "Every man, woman and 
 child should read it, and I am convinced it is destined 
 to exercUe a wnder influence in making good men and 
 women than its author could possibly have contem- 
 plated when it was written." 
 
 GEORGE E. ROBERTS, Director of the Mint, Wash- 
 ington. D. C. "I have read your little book, 'Of Such 
 is the' Kingdom,' through, as everyone will who begins 
 it. It is refreshing and wholesome, for it frees the 
 mind from the sordid and petty cares that are too apt 
 to absorb our strength, and stirs those higher sensibil- 
 ities in which are the promise and potency of a better 
 humanity. It has a remarkable collection of stories 
 reve.iling the sweet influence of children and the 
 inherf>nt worth of human nature." 
 
 PORTLAND 'OREGON! AN: "If you know a man 
 who hates a child ju.st put in his hands 'Of Such is the 
 Kinedom.' It will be like a drop of water in the desert 
 a sudden "^eam of aunahine into a dark room." 
 
 THOMAS E. WATSON in Watson's Magazine, Atlanta 
 Ga : "In this volume there is much to soften the :ieart, 
 purify the thoughts and inspire and renew one's better 
 nature. In the awful contest between the good and 
 the bad whi('h rages evermore in the soul of each of us, 
 the good angel needs all the help it can get and books 
 like this do help." 
 
 LOUISVILLE, KY., COURIER JOURNAL: "Cor- 
 dially received by all sorts .and conditions of men." 
 
 INDIANAPOLIS, IND., NEWS: "Of a high moral 
 tone, extremely effective as preachment for a better 
 and higher life." 
 
 NEW HAVEN, CONN., UNION: "Its sympathetic 
 appeal to what is best in human nature as well as its 
 marked literary merit have made it one of the most 
 popular books on tlie market." 
 
 STANDARD, CHICAGO: "It is clean, wholesome, 
 exquisitely written, and furnishes a volume of fascin- 
 ating reading." 
 
 DENVER, COL., TIMES: "It is a book of simple 
 studies of child life, the child nature, the child spirit. 
 That the book has brought gratitude and praise from 
 the world's busy actors only proves again that the 
 roots of life are buried deep in interests more alive than 
 the great affairs of surface happenings." 
 
 ATLANTA, GA., NEWS: "It is a book for the quiet 
 hour when worries assail one and bad thoughts insist- 
 ently make themselves felt." 
 
 THE CHICAGO, ILL., DAILY NEWS: "Its appeal 
 in universal for the highest and best things in life and 
 character, as the love of children and of simple child- 
 like men and women, friendship and loyalty." 
 
 BUFFALO, N. Y. TIMES: "It is refreshing in its 
 simplicity and purity. The book is one you v;ill place 
 whore it may easily be reached for a second reading, 
 a book equally interesting to father, mother and chil- 
 dren."
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY 
 Los Angeles 
 
 This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. 
 
 SEficgji 
 
 AUG 41S87 
 
 Form L9-Serie8 4939
 
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 Id 
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 to 
 
 3 1158 00031 8484 
 
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 BY FACILITY 
 
 Have you read The Nebraska Book, 
 "Of Such is the Kingdom," by Richard 5 2 
 L. Metcalfe? 
 
 It is selling in every State in the union. 
 
 I 
 
 If you want to 
 make a gift to a 
 friend, young or 
 old, send a copy 
 of this book.
 
 J