A PAGE OF WISDOM

Hokitika Guardian, 13 June 1929, Page 3

A PAGE OF WISDOM

A man wrapped up in himself a very small’, parcel.

You wili not push yourself far forward by patting yourself on the back. Things cannot be expected to turn up of themselves: we must in a measure assist to turn them up. God help those who help themselves.

. We must join action to prayer. When in a difficulty let us pray earnestly to God for the solution, but at the same lime let us use every reasonable endeavour to find the solution with the means that God has already placed at our disposal. • • •Happiness,” says one writer, “is a mosaic, composed of many smaller stones.” It is little acts of kindness, the little courtesies, the disposition to be accommodating, to i>e helpful, to Jbe sympathetic, to be unselfish, to be careful not to wound the feelings, not to expose the sore spots, to be charitable to the weaknesses of others, to be considerate—these are the little things which, added up at night, are bound to be the secret of a happy day. How much greater are all these than one great act of noteworthy goodness once a year! Our lives are made up of trifles; emergencies rarely occur. “Little things, unimportant events, experience so small as to scarcely leave I a trace behind, make up the sum total of life.” And the one great think in life is to do a little good to every one 'we meet. Ready sympathy, a quick eye, and a little tact are all that is needed.

The world reserves its big prizes for initiative; in other words, doing the thing without being told is to do it when you are told once. This has its application in the spiritual life. One of the great points of difference between the saint and the sinner is that the sinner knows what he ought to do and doesn’t do it, whereas the saint knows what he ought to do and does it.

• Between the saint and the sinner is a large class of good people of vary'mg merit who eventually do the right thing, but only after a lot of argumeat. An excellent rule to follow is: when a duty has to be done, don’t wait to lie told twice. The man with the savings bank habit is the one who never gets laid off; lie’s the one who can get along without his employer, but his employer cannot get along without him. Tinsavings bank habit means sound sleep, good digestion, cool judgement and manly independence. The most healthful thing I know of is a savings bank book —there are no microbes in it to steal away your peace of mind. It is a guarantee of good behaviour.