Article September 22, 1934 Issue

Patience and Perseverance

PERCIVAL WILLIAM LAVERICK

In "Miscellaneous Writings" Mrs. Eddy has written (p. 340), "The lives of great men and woman are miracles of patience and perseverance;" and again (p. 230), "Success in life depends upon persistent effort."

On a cold, wet day in February the attention of a Christian Scientist was arrested by the green leaves of some daffodils just beginning to make their appearance through a crevice in the asphalt platform of a wayside railway station. The Scientist was struggling with a new business which had been founded in a period of acute depression. To mortal sense everything seemed to be conspiring to prevent its development and unfoldment. Unemployment had reached record figures and was increasing. Rigid economy was being preached on every hand, with the result that the home market was severely restricted and the export market had practically ceased to exist. Fear of the future and lack of confidence in the present clamored for admission, but thanks to the teachings of our beloved Leader they were refused admittance.

The Christian Scientist began to marvel at the patience, perseverance, and wonderful courage portrayed by the tiny green shoots of the daffodils. Evidently, they had originally been planted in a flower bed bordering the platform, but in order to widen the latter the asphalt had been extended over the bed. Could one imagine a more depressing circumstance from the point of view of the daffodils? Air, water, and sunlight had apparently been effectively excluded from the flower bed, and there seemed to have been left no hope whatever for the survival, let alone the development and unfoldment, of the daffodils. Yet, despite the adverse circumstances, they had not ceased to grow. By gentle and persistent effort the shoots obviously had found and utilized an opening, and were ready to receive the warmth of the sunlight and the soft refreshing rain. Each time the student visited the station he observed that the daffodils were gradually making progress, sometimes almost imperceptibly, until eventually they burst triumphantly into flower, proclaiming silently, yet certainly, the coming of spring.

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