Article May 4, 1899 Issue

Individual Work

Violet C. Bath

I should like to write down a little thought that came to me, in the hope that it may perhaps help others as it has often helped me.

A fellow student and I were sitting one day by an open window, looking on to a river; we had been together for some weeks, and the day had come when we had to part. We had helped each other over many a little rough place, and were both working to bring to our consciousness that "there is no separation in Truth." As I was looking out of the window, thinking and working, a steamer with two barges in tow came winding its way up the river. The steamer was going along straight and steady, and I could see no human being upon her. The two barges were fastened to her by two longish ropes, and on each barge there was a man at the helm. When the man kept a firm hand on the rudder his barge kept along straight and steady; but if he were inattentive, or looked about him, paying more attention to the passers on the shore than to the work in hand, the barges bumped one against the other, tugged at the ropes, and the men were jolted and tossed, and had hard work to keep their balance; being tied to the steamer they were bound to follow, only it depended upon each individual bargeman as to whether their passage up the river was smooth or agitated. The only way each individual could help the other was by keeping his own barge straight and steady, then he did not bump and thump and shake that of his neighbor. If his fellow traveler was perhaps a little careless, or not keeping a good lookout for all the little boats, or even the big ones that were round about him, his neighbor could give him a warning call, or a word of advice, but he could not touch his rudder or prevent his barge being bumped as a reward of his carelessness.

I could not help thinking it was just the same with our two selves. In the same way as each barge was tied to the steamer and had to follow it, but it depended upon the mortal who guided it as to whether its passage was rough or smooth, we were inseparable from Principle; but it depended upon our two individual selves as to whether our passage up the river was smooth or rough. If we were honest, always at our post, with our eyes open ready to meet every foe, either large or small, with our hand always steadily on the rudder, our passage would be smooth, and we would follow Principle side by side. But if we looked about us or deserted our post, we should not only make our own passage rough and difficult, but we should mar the progress of our neighbors, giving them many a thump and a bump. We both had to follow where Principle led, and all we could do to help each other, was to keep our own barge straight along the narrow way, without looking to the right or to the left. Whatever little word of advice, or encouragement we might be able to give one another, we had to follow the guidance of Principle, be led, be drawn, be one with Him. So the way of His appointing, not our will but His, be done, and we both were making for the same port, both had the same goal in view, "The Kingdom of Heaven."

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