the native to church and into all the other walks of life.—James S. Gale, "Korea in Transition."
(2233)
OFFENDED FEELINGS
To think about something else is the best
and only sure cure for offended feelings.
To think about the offense—its unkindness,
its injustice, its meanness of spirit, and all
its other ugly aspects—only adds to its sting
and deepens our own suffering or anger.
This hurts us, and helps no one. Eggs are
not the only things that are given added
life and power by being brooded over. If
we want to enlarge and multiply everything
unpleasant in that which has offended us,
brooding over it will do it. If we want to
have done with it and get it out of our life
as quickly as possible, to turn deliberately
away from it and concentrate our thought
and energy upon something else is our sure
road to success. "When any one has offended
me, I try to raise my soul so high
that the offense can not reach it," Descartes
is credited with saying. But we can not lift
ourselves by mere will power. We can lose
ourselves by devotion to something else—and
thus we can lose the offense.—Sunday School Times.
(2234)
OFFENSE, ROCK OF
Fred J. Atwood voices the regret of those who, by failing to live, will lead others astray:
Because, professing still to be
A follower of the Lamb of God,
I walk in devious paths where he
Is never seen, has never trod,
E'en thus it is that some, through me,
The Master's face may never see.
Because, professing to be wise,
And to have found the Truth, the Way,
I oft am seen in Folly's guise,
Unmindful whom I thus betray,—
Yet so it is that some, through me,
To heaven's gate may lose the key.
Because, professing his dear name
Whose love is infinitely great,
My tongue will even friends defame,
And flashing eyes oft tell of hate,—
Alas, alas, that some, through me,
May, hopeless, face eternity!
(2235)
Offerings—See Love's Acceptable Offering.
OFFERINGS, EXTRAVAGANT
When Alexander was a young man, he
was one day present at the offering of
sacrifices, and Leonnatus, one of his teachers,
who was standing by, thought he was
rather profuse in his consumption of frankincense
and myrrh, for he was taking it up
by handfuls and throwing it on the fire.
Leonnatus reproved him for his extravagance,
adding that when he became master
of the countries where these costly gums
were procured he might be as prodigal of
them as he pleased. Alexander remembered
the reproof years later, and finding vast
stores of these gums in Gaza, he sent to
Leonnatus large quantities of them, telling
him that he might not have occasion to be
so sparing for the future in his sacrifice
to the gods. (Text.)
(2236)
OFFERINGS, THE POOREST
In the middle of the summer season tails
of sick cattle are principal native offerings at
Saint Herbot, a small parish not far from
Paris, France. The annual cattle fair brings
together a great number of dealers from
all parts of Brittany. Business goes on from
early morning until three o'clock in the
afternoon, when every one adjourns to the
church and joins in the service, at which the
benediction of heaven on the worshipers'
heads is implored. The custom is for the
breeders to cut off the tails of sick animals
and lay the tails on the altar, the idea being
that this ceremony will restore the sick
animals to health. The tails are afterward
sold and considerable money realized from
the sale.
Many people are just this way toward
God. The poorest products of their life
they give to God, and make themselves
believe that is giving. To give the tailings
of the threshing floor is to give
chaff. To give the tailings of the reduction
mill is to give the low-grade
ore. To give the tail ends of anything
is to give the poorest.
(2237)
OFFERINGS, UNWORTHY
At the heathen festivals in India, the
traffickers in sacrificial goods resort to all
sorts of devices. Low-caste men have baskets
containing little pigs from two days to a
month old. These they sell to the high-caste
worshipers, cutting the throat of the
