A young girl in Scotland was in danger of perishing in a storm,
when the stream was in flood. She vowed that if God would save
her life and help her in the future, she would build a bridge
over the dangerous chasm. Her prayer was heard. She lived to
build the bridge, and to leave an endowment for the poor of the
parish. On the keystone of the bridge were written these words:
“God and We.” That was the secret of success in her life-work.
(1291)
* * * * *
A missionary in China met an aged man who was measuring with the
length of his body a pilgrimage of one hundred miles. He would
kotow; that is, bump his head three times upon the ground, then
prostrate himself full length; get up, repeat, and still repeat.
When asked why he was doing this he said: “My son was very
ill. I prayed and vowed to the god of health that if he would
spare my son, I would measure with my body every mile of this
pilgrimage to the tombs of my ancestors. He was spared to me. I
must keep my vow. No one can help me. I must go alone.”
Was he not presenting his body a living sacrifice, mistaken, of course,
in form, but faithful in spirit?
(1292)
* * * * *
Out of gratitude to the girl who saved the lives of his three
children when fire occurred at his home in Williamsburg,
Brooklyn, William Landsberg cheerfully submitted himself to
physicians at the Long Island College Hospital and allowed them
to take forty square inches of skin from his body in order that
it might be grafted upon the burned body of Miss Elsie Wobetta,
who had been employed as a domestic at his home.
Landsberg agreed to the operation when he learned that it was
necessary in order to save the girl’s life. Earlier in the
morning the physicians had already taken twenty square inches
of skin from the unburnt portions of Miss Wobetta’s body, but
this was not nearly enough to cover her frightful burns, and her
condition was too precarious to submit her to another shock.
Landsberg was notified, and he immediately quit work and went
to the hospital, where he placed himself at the disposal of the
surgeons.
“It is the least I can do for the girl who saved the lives of my
little ones,” he said calmly, when the doctors told him that the
test would be a severe one.
He was placed on the operating table and the operation of
removing the skin was performed. Strips of skin an inch wide and
five inches long were taken from Landsberg’s body.
The operation brought to light the heroic act on the part of
Miss Wobetta that should entitle her to a Carnegie medal. Some
time ago fire broke out in the Landsberg home. The upper part of
the house was soon in flames and during all the excitement--it
was early in the morning--no one seemed to think of the three
children of Landsberg except this young domestic, who fought
her way through the stifling smoke and flames until she reached
the nursery. There, altho her own clothing was aflame and she
was almost stifled by the smoke, she rescued the three small
children and helped carry them to a place of safety.
She was frightfully burned on the arms, breast, side and back,
and it was not thought for a long time that she could survive.
For several weeks she lingered and the surgeons agreed that all
that could save her life would be the grafting of new skin on
the burned places that would not heal.
(1293)
See INVESTMENT RETURN; RESCUE; UNSELFISHNESS.