the presence of that charity which is rightly regarded as the essence of religion.—London Lancet.
(353)
Charm, A, Surrendered—See Reservation.
Chastening—See Affliction, Uses of.
Chastisement—See Discipline.
CHEER, GOOD
Eben E. Rexford writes this cheering philosophy:
Tell me, what's the use of fretting when we think that things go wrong?
It never makes them better; but I've heard it said a song
Makes the heavy load seem lighter, and will cheer the troubled heart
Till it quite forgets its worries, and its vexing cares depart—
As the wind that sweeps the marshes where the fog hangs, chill and gray,
Moves the mists that mar the morning till it blows them all away.
So, whenever storm-clouds gather till they hide the sun from sight,
And it's darker in the morning than it ought to be at night,
Then let's sing about the sunshine that is on the other side
Of the darkest cloud, my comrade. Let the song ring far and wide
On the listening ear of others who climb the hill with you.
Till the rifted clouds are scattered, and the gray old world seems new.
(354)
CHEER, SIGNALS OF
Sailors who navigate the seas on the South
Atlantic coast are always glad when they
near the harbor of Savannah, for that means
that they will pass within saluting distance
of the "little lighthouse girl." This is the
officially accepted title of Florence Martus,
who has for the last eleven years waved a
friendly signal to every craft passing between
the city and the sea. It is a hobby of this
young girl to greet the ships that go and
wish them a safe return, and greet the ships
that come and congratulate them on their
voyage.
The Martus dwelling is the only habitation on Elba Island. There is no landing wharf, and visitors arrive on an average once a year. The barks, the steamers, and the various other craft never get near enough for an exchange of greetings other than that most expressive form of good will, the waving of a handkerchief by day and of a lantern by night. And as the girl sends out her welcome, the seamen who know all about her, and who would resent the elimination of the ceremony which she so popularized, send back an answering salute, three "toots" of the steam-whistle. Then Miss Martus is as happy as a belle at a debutante party.
It is her desire that no vessel shall pass the lighthouse without receiving a salute. She never overlooks a sail in the daytime, and her handkerchief is ever ready for its service of cordiality. She says it is her ambition to signal every ship that touches at Savannah. She was asked her reason for signalling the passing sea throng, and she answered that it was to cheer the crew.
This beautiful and unselfish ministry
illustrates how a noble heart invents
ways to scatter sunshine. The world
passes us like ships on the sea. How
much interest do we take in others? How
far a kind word, or smile, or handshake
goes to help the friendless and hopeless.
It is not the great acts but the little
deeds of kindness that make human beings
happy. (Text.)
(355)
"That boy," said the foreman in the machine-shop, "will make a good workman. He always whistles at his work." (Text.)
(356)
Cherubim—See Love Rather than Knowledge.
Child, A, as Reconciler—See Good Will.
Child, A Little—See Soul, Your.
CHILD, FAITH OF A
The prediction that "a little child shall lead them" applies in this poem to a skeptic rather than to ravenous beasts.
A little child walked by my side,
I had lost faith in God and man,
He prattled of his joys and hopes
As only little children can.
I did not try to blast his hopes,
I did not tell him of my pain,
And, somehow, when our walk was done,
My shattered faith was whole again.
—Rena Hurd Ingham, Congregationalist.
(Text.)
(357)
