A kindly act is a kernel sown,
That will grow to a goodly tree,
Shedding its fruit when time has flown
Down the gulf of Eternity.
JOHN BOYLE O'REILLY.
In the restless desire for acquisition,--acquisition of money, of
power, or of fame,--there is danger of selfishness, self-absorption,
closing the doors of our hearts against the demands of brotherly love,
courtesy, and kindness.
"I cannot afford to help," say the poor in pocket; "all I have is too
little for my own needs." "I should like to help others," says the
ambitious student, whose every spare moment is crowded with some extra
task, "but I have no money, and cannot afford to take the time from my
studies to give sympathy or kind words to the suffering and the poor."
Says the busy man of affairs: "I am willing to give money, but my time
is too valuable to be spent in talking to sick people or shiftless,
lazy ones. That sort of work is not in my line. I leave it to women and
the charitable organizations."
The business man forgets, as do many of us, the truth expressed by
Ruskin, that "a little thought and a little kindness are often worth
more than a great deal of money." A few kind words, a little sympathy
and encouragement have often brought sunshine and hope into the lives
of men and women who were on the verge of despair.
The great demand is on people's hearts rather than on their purses. In
the matter of kindness we can all afford to be generous whether we have
money or not. The schoolboy may give it as freely as the millionaire.
No one is so driven by work that he has not time, now and then, to say
a kind word or do a kind deed that will help to brighten life for
another. If the prime minister of England, William E. Gladstone, could
find time to carry a bunch of flowers to a little sick
crossing-sweeper, shall we not be ashamed to make for ourselves the
excuse, "I haven't time to be kind"?