Charles Wagner, in "The Gospel of Life," gives this interesting incident:
Something happened last winter, in Paris,
that I shall place side by side with the mite
of the gospel. You will remark the profound
analogy, the close spiritual kinship of these
two cases.
In the north wind of December a shelter was raised where warm soup was given to the unfortunate. A very old woman, who had long waited her turn, at length sat down and was served. Before she touched her portion, she noticed that a young, robust working man beside her had already consumed his with an avidity that betrayed that he was famished. At once she pushed her plate toward the workman and said to him: "I am not hungry, will you eat this?" The workman accepted. But some one had noticed all that had passed. As they went out, he took the old woman aside and said to her: "You were not hungry then?" "Oh, yes," she answered, blushing, "but I am old and can bear it, and that poor young man was more in need of it than I."
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VICE DEN DISPLACED BY MISSION
Persons passing No. 293 Bowery, formerly
the Germania Assembly Rooms, were invited
to come in and be "rescued."
"This is Hadley Rescue Hall," said the man at the door. "Please come in and be rescued while there is time. All are welcome."
"What!" exclaimed an astonished man; "the old Germania a mission! Why, this place was one of the biggest gambling dens the city ever had, and next door was McGuirk's 'Suicide Hall.' If I had the money that I blew in there I wouldn't be walking the Bowery to-day in search of a nickel for a cup of coffee."
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VICTORIES, DISASTROUS
Milman has told us how Pope John XXI,
bursting into exultant laughter as he entered
for the first time that noble chamber
which he had built for himself at Viterbo,
is crusht by its avenging roof, which that
instant comes down on his head. And thus
it is true, in a deeper sense, that many a
triumph crushes and extinguishes all that is
noblest in him who has won it. Doubtless,
failure and defeat are bitter, but hardest of
all to bear are not our losses but our victories.—Bishop
Potter, Scribner's Magazine.
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VICTORY
Baldwin, an Englishman, who went to Africa
only with the intention of shooting, one
day put this problem to himself, after having
been very nearly felled by a lion: "Why
does man risk his life without having any
interest in doing so?" The answer he gave
to himself was: "It is a question which I
will not try to solve. All I can say is that in
victory one finds an inward satisfaction for
which it is worth while to run a risk, even
if there is nobody to applaud."
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In 61 B.C., Pompey returned to Rome from the wars, having conquered the known world. He led a triumphal procession along the Via Sacra, occupying two days. In front were borne brazen tablets on which were recorded a list of the nations conquered and the trophies won in Africa, in Europe, and in Asia, representing nine hundred cities and one thousand fortresses. (Text.)
(3394)
See Winning.
VICTORY IN DEFEAT
Billy Boy was in a very serious frame of
mind; in fact, he was quite gloomy and dejected.
To be sure, his side hadn't won the
cricket match, but that was scarcely enough
to account for his present state of feeling.
He had lost before, and usually with pretty
good grace. But to-day no sympathy appealed
to him, no cheerful encouragement
won so much as a shadow of a smile. The
hopeful, merry, happy Billy Boy had entirely
disappeared.
Mother, whose experience with little boys had warned her of occasions when it was a case of "do-better-or-do-nothing-at-all," as Hans says in the Grimm story, waited for the situation to develop, and at last the silence was broken. Slowly, seriously, solemnly, Billy Boy said it:
"Mother, God was on the side of the bad boys, and they won. You see, we fellows thought we would try awfully hard and not get mad or cheat or say bad words. And not one fellow did. And the other fellows did—like fury. I guess they swore. And they won and we were licked. God was on their side all right, and it's not fair."
Ordinary comfort and explanation availed nothing. The fact remained. The faithful little band that had tried to do right had been beaten by the rough little crowd that didn't care anything at all about it. God was on the side of might—not right. This was self-evident and did not admit of explanation;
