Article February 3, 1912 Issue

KINDNESS

H. DAVIES.

St. Paul, who wrote under the guidance and inspiration of divine Mind, laid strong significance upon kindness as a particular phase of Love's manifestation, for he does not rest satisfied in declaring the fact to the Corinthians, in that wonderful thirteenth chapter of his first epistle to them, where love is analyzed with such a wealth of profound apprehension, but we find him repeating the admonition, with unmistakable emphasis, to the church at Ephesus: "Be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you;" and again, when he exhorts the Christians of the imperial city to "be kindly affectioned one to another."

When any one is described to us as kind, there looms before the imagination some one who is constantly performing kind acts, deeds which spring from a spirit of kindly solicitude for other people. We should expect to find such a one ministering to the welfare of all with whom he comes in contact, whether it be at home, at the office, in society; wherever, in fact, mankind foregather. A kind word, a smile, a kindly hand in assisting, as some one has aptly said, "lame dogs over stiles,"—of what incalculable service these kindly people are in the fierce strife of mortal existence. The very roughest place upon life's pathway may be made smooth by kindly sympathy, if only it is sympathy of the sterling sort,—encouragement and good cheer afforded to the forlorn and broken-hearted.

Perhaps, however, one of the most important ways, and none the less weighty because not ordinarily recognized as such, in which we can be kind one to another, is by punctually keeping appointments, being in our right place at the right time. It is, though we may not care to face the fact, one of the commonest, the most subtle forms of selfishness to keep other people awaiting our good pleasure. Lack of kindly regard for the feelings of others in this respect is manifested in a hundred ways. For instance, whole households are frequently thrown into confusion and much extra work is incurred if any member of the family is not at home at the appointed time for meals, or makes only a dilatory appearance at table. An endless amount of friction might be spared all round if the kindly habit of punctuality were more conscientiously cultivated.

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