Article August 11, 1917 Issue

"Keeping at it"

ANNA W. HOLLEBAUGH

In a school reader in use many years ago was a story the moral of which has long held deep significance to one who used the book. The illustration accompanying the story showed a little boy shoveling through a deep snow drift with a small fire shovel. Standing by him was a man scornfully saying to the little fellow: "Why don't you get a spoon to shovel with? How do you expect to get through that snow drift with that thing?" The answer came quickly, "By keeping at it, that's how."

By constant, patient endeavor, by keeping at it, is found the secret of success in all our human endeavors to accomplish anything of importance to ourselves and others. It is one way of expressing the constant activity of Mind or Spirit, that activity which is ever finding expression in all creation—never because of matter, but rather in spite of matter, since, as Mrs. Eddy tells us on page 279 of Science and Health, "Spirit and matter can neither coexist nor cooperate."

An illustration of this may be found in the tree and its shadow on the ground. When the wind blows through the branches the shadow appears to dance on the grass. But is the action in the shadow itself? Is it not simply a response to the action already expressed by the movement of the wind through the tree, since even when it is cloudy and there is no shadow the movement goes on the same as in the sunshine? Hence the folly of watching the shadow to see how much action there is in matter, or how much harmony or discord is in evidence. Rather should we seek to recognize the many proofs of the presence and power of Mind.

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