An old fable tells of a good man to whom the Lord said he would give
whatever he most desired. Besought by friends to ask great things, he
refused. Finally he asked that he might be able to do a great deal of
good without ever knowing it. And so it came about that every time the
good man's shadow fell behind him or at either side, so that he could
not see it, it had the power to cure disease, soothe pain and comfort
sorrow.
When he walked along, his shadow, thrown on the ground on either side or
behind him, made arid paths green, caused withered plants to bloom, gave
clear water to dried up brooks, fresh color to pale little children, and
joy to unhappy mothers.
But he simply went about his daily life, diffusing virtue as the star
diffuses light and the flower perfume, without ever being aware of it.
And the people, respecting his humility, followed him silently, never
speaking to him about his miracles. Little by little, they even came to
forget his name, and called him only "The Holy Shadow."
It would be a splendid thing if all would learn the lesson taught in the
fable--that the man who would do good should have the courage to be
unconscious of the good he is doing, and so as unlike as possible the
rich woman of whom some one has told, who turned a deaf ear to every
petition for help unless there was a subscription paper circulated and
she was given the chance to head the list. "But no poor person came into
her house who said, 'May God reward you!' She never experienced the
pleasure of making a poor woman on the back stairs happy with a cup of
warm coffee, or hungry children with a slice of bread and butter, or an
infirm man with a penny. Perhaps she satisfied her conscience by saying
that she did not believe in indiscriminate charity. Frequently that
excuse is given conscientiously but how often the real meaning is, 'I do
not believe in charity that does not make people talk of my
generosity.'"
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus taught the folly of giving in such a
manner. The lesson was enforced by two pictures--a man standing on the
street, giving alms to the poor, while attention is called to his
generosity by the sounding of a trumpet which everyone must hear, and a
man whose giving is so much a matter of secrecy that he does not think
of it a second time. There is no rolling of it over as a sweetmeat under
his tongue, as if to say, "What a generous man I am!" Nor is there any
motive in the giving but pure desire to glorify God. All this is
properly included in the interpretation of "Let not thy left hand know
what thy right hand doeth."