A CONTRAST
When people once are in the wrong,
Each line they add is much too long;
Who fastest walks, but walks astray,
Is only furthest from his way.
--Prior.
At the age of nineteen Edwin was still untaught by man regarding the
hereafter and God. The little that he had gleaned from the words and
actions of the sinful people with whom he was forced to associate had
opened his understanding sufficiently for him to know that there is a
spirit life and some sort of reward for the evil and the good, but that was
about all.
His life in the home of Mr. Fitch had been hard indeed, but through all his
hardships the desire to do right had never left him, and the little prayer
learned in the poorhouse was still a comfort when he was lonely and sad.
Many times in the silent hours of the night as he repeated the words softly
to himself and realized the waves of strength and courage sweeping over
him, he was made to wonder, but he never thought of connecting the prayer
with God. To Edwin the words were simply a pleasant and sacred memory that
was treasured and appreciated, but his divine Teacher was using them as a
foundation for his spiritual education.
Although Elmer knew little more concerning the hereafter, he was far better
informed in the ways of the world, for his life had been paved with
opportunities, and he had made use of them. However, without a standard in
his heart such as Edwin had erected and with no home government to protect
and guide him, as a petted and humored and spoiled child he had indulged in
many sins until some of the crimes traced to his door were of the blackest
hue. He had already been tried for various crimes, but the latest trial was
for his having promised to marry a young girl, when he had already a living
wife and child in another part of the city. "Why," do you ask? "could this
difference be?" Take a look into the heart and life of each, and you will
discover the answer. Every thought and purpose of the one, regardless of
consequences, had been to do the right for principle's sake and because it
was right, and God, noting his good intentions, had guided him onward. The
other, from the time that he had stolen the pebbles in the silent hours of
the night, had sought for opportunities to do similar underhand deeds.
Was it the fault of Elmer that such things should be? Not altogether. The
greater blame must be laid at the door of those whose duty it was to warn
and advise him of his danger and to see to it that he obeyed them while he
was young; for it is very plainly stated in the Bible that the child should
be trained in its youth (Prov. 22:6). Nevertheless, the evil-doer must have
his just deserts; for "whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap"
(Gal. 6:7).
Elmer had continued his stealing until among the stolen articles were suits
of men's clothing, sums of money, and other things too numerous to mention.
He had also been guilty of forging notes. But the crime of deceiving the
young girl seemed to his friends the most humiliating.
Although Edwin no longer lived in the community of his mother or Mr. Fitch,
for he was supporting himself, he had learned what a mother's place in his
life should be and the attitude that a son should hold toward her. He
therefore, regardless of her former shortcomings, went occasionally to see
her. In answer to those who questioned how he could respect or visit his
mother after all that she had caused him to suffer, he would say: "She is
still my mother, just as though she had always been good to me, and I shall
always regard her as a mother. During my childhood I held nothing against
her for all the things I suffered, and why should I now?" Hearing of
Elmer's trouble, Edwin hastened to his mother's home, and while listening
to her tale of woe he heard her say:
"I just can't understand what Elmer means by doing such outlandish things
now that he is grown up. If he were a boy, I wouldn't think so much about
it, but here he is a man and bringing home to us nothing but sorrow and
disgrace. He can scarcely get out of one trouble until he is in another,
and he even sets the other children up to do things that are bad. Now, how
is it that you, whom I never gave credit for knowing anything, have never
caused me any anxiety or trouble in any way? No matter where you are or how
hard you have to work, I can never find any one that has anything bad to
say about you. I can't see why there should be such a difference."
"Why, Mother," Edwin answered, "it is very plain. I can tell you all about
it. Do you remember the time when Elmer took the pebbles from my pocket in
the night time? That was his start. After that he often took things from
your dress-pockets and money-drawer, and it was easy for him to slip in
behind the counters at the stores to help himself, for you always took his
part and shielded him; and you never taught him that he must be true to his
wife. You told me I must never speak to you of these things, and I did not
before, for I knew that it would do no good; but the little seed that was
planted in his heart that night when he was allowed to keep the pebbles has
grown until it is what you see it now. Elmer is a thief and will have to
receive from the law the punishment that you ought to have given him long
ago."
"I don't see how taking a few little stones out of your pocket could make
him a thief or amount to this," his mother said as the truth began to dawn
upon her.
"Why, Mother," Edwin answered, "it is just as natural for that little deed
to grow and multiply as for a thistle-seed to grow and increase when it is
dropped in the ground. One healthy stalk will bear a great many blossoms,
and every blossom will have an abundant crop of seeds. The little
thistle-seed is very small and perfectly harmless if watched and destroyed
before it has time to grow, but let it take root in fertile soil and get a
start, and it will surely yield many more thistles and continue to increase
long after the plant itself is forgotten."
While Edwin was speaking, his mother seemed to realize something of the
meaning of his words. The time to undo many of the wrongs that she had done
the growing boys when they were under her care had gone; but had she known
it, there was still a chance to help poor Edwin, who, through observation,
had discovered some deep and mysterious truths.
He had found that there is nothing certain upon the earth except that
everything must have a beginning and an ending, and that old age and death
are unavoidable. The stories of ghosts and superstitious sayings had opened
up avenues for thought, and he reasoned that if everything must die, and if
there is a heaven and a hell, and if God knows all we do and say, there
must be some way for a person to know in which of these places he will live
after he is dead.
For a long time the thought had troubled him, but although he had asked
many people regarding the matter, no one had explained it to his
satisfaction. Taking note of his mother's friendly attitude toward him, he
ventured to ask if she could give him any information on the subject, but
her answer was: "We can not know these things until after we are dead. We
must wait and see."
As Edwin left his mother's home to return to the place where he had been
working, he was more perplexed than ever; but he had decided that since the
good place and the bad had been made for a purpose and since the good and
the bad must inhabit their own proper places, he would not cease trying to
solve the problem until he proved that it was an impossibility to do so.
Poor Edwin! Could some one have read to him from the Bible--but no! Had he
listened, he could not have understood; he had no way of knowing that it
was God's word to man.
"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the
tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city" (Rev.
22:14).