Article March 28, 1931 Issue

Work

ARCHIBALD R. COOK

Many valuable lessons might be drawn from the very commonplace things of life if one would pause to ponder quietly those daily happenings so near at hand.

A certain activity which took place recently in front of the writer's home brought its lesson and seemed to impress more clearly the truth of the words of Mary Baker Eddy on page 2 of her Message to The Mother Church for 1900: "The song of Christian Science is, 'Work—work—work—watch and pray.' " Another constructive lesson which also came through this incident was that one's work in Christian Science should not be intermittent, listless, or humanly laborious, but should express continuous, tireless, joyous activity.

As the result of the march of progress, an old worn-out boulevard was being widened and entirely made over into a new one. Stately old trees were being uprooted with great heavy machinery and carted away; giant steam shovels were removing the entire surface down to its very bottom, and new base material was replacing the old. The noise of heavy steam rollers, the clanking of chains, the continuous sound of dumping rock, the shouting of directions by the overseers, greeted the ear of the passer-by throughout the long street day after day, until it ran into weeks and months. And to the eye the entire stretch of street took on an aspect of confusion. For many days no apparent progress was made. The workers toiled without ceasing, but the upturned condition seemed only to take on a different form of confusion. Yet, as they pressed on, whether the change was perceptible to the eye or not, each day brought them a little nearer the goal of the perfect boulevard. Many of the groups of workers chanted songs as they were busy at their places along the road, some of them being occupied in breaking up the old surface, while others were putting on the second and third treatment of the covering.

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