The Presbyterian of the South : [combining the] Southwestern Presbyterian, Central Presbyterian, Southern Presbyterian. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1909-1931, August 11, 1909, Page 20, Image 20

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

2o TH The Family ( A TRYST. Psalms 41:1,3. I shall soon be over yonder, But it isn't so far away? Just across a shining threshold. into a origin ana gionous aay. I 1 have treasures over yonder, Treasures rich and rare. Culled from many a crossroad, Where life was bleak and bare. - ' 1 1 can hear the angel voices, And I know it will not be long Until 1 too can sing with rapture The glorious glory song. i It was joy to work in his vineyard; "Twill be joy to work over there, At whatever task ne appoints me iu me opirmana so iair. But, no; I am stronger ihis morning;' I shall work a while longer right here. Where so mar.y bodies need ciothing, Where so many hearts need cheer. Oh, the world is so full of beauty. So much joy and sunshine to spare. That if we but half did our duty, We would scatter it everywhere. Oh, the poor have many a heartache; They are hungrier for love than for bread; They'd rather have a good, hearty handshake Than clothes made of golden thread. And oh! the joy in the gloaming. To lay all at his blessed feet! The failure I made in the morning. The success 1 found later so sweet! t The words of love that were spoken In his name reached the tender place; Bruised hearts that were all but broken Were healed with his infinite grace. Oh, the joy! the joy in the gloaming! Our Saviour to meet face to face, . .*' % And draw fresh strength for the morning | To fill in the world ear place. i Ah, as frail, empty vessels, he'll fill us, urimful sf his spirit of leve; Nay,^ we 11 overflow with fhe spiatt *f Jesus, Aid that will draw souls up abovs. A spul! Oh, the heartbeats come' fdster! Chere is joy in heaves unfeelU. A soul! A soul for the -Master! A soul sheltered safe ia the fold! The Joy?oh, the Joy, hi the gloaming! A soul to lay at his feet! flescued by your toil of the moraing. The Joy?oh, the Joy Is aomplete! Susanna, * , E PRESBYTERIAN OF THE SOUT AUNT GRAIDY; A CHARACTER SKETCH. Aunt Graidy was certainly a singular person. It was probably because she had lived so much alone. People are not born singular, they grow so, I believe. Aunt Graidy had become morbid and self-centered, at least, that is what people snid. Down in her heart she had a store of loving affeetionateness, which, if you think about it, is better than affection. She had a good many friends that loved her and even leaned on her, but?she was not a pleasant person to live with, and the saddest thing about it was that she knew it! I am n'.t sure that she could tell you just when she began to find it out, but it was in God's own time. He never teaches us all of a lesson at one time. He is too wise and too patient for that, but the time came when Aunt Graidy needed to find it out so that she might take up the work which the Master had appointed her. She had gone on as heedlessly as a vnnnur nprann for o Inn or whilo WhoM she saw any one, especially- one she cared for, doing' what she believed wrong, she did not hesitate to say so. You see, she had very positive ideas of right and wrong, and about the proprieties?she was raised that way. Well, after awhile she began to notice one and another that she thought cared for her behaving as the priest and the Levite did to the poor fellow that had fallen among thieves?they passed her by on the other -side. * It set Aunt Graidy to thinking, and her thoughts were troubled thoughts, for she loved to be cared for and petted as much as she did when she was young? maybe more?and so she began to ask herself, Why is this? What is the matter? What can I do? Then she took this trouble where she had learned to carry all of her burdens, and she asked for light, for wisdom to see where she was wrong and for love enough in her heart to win back henfriends if God was willing. Now, AnHt Graidy was very human all this time. She had to fight pride, for, oh, how ft hurt to be left out ef so many things, and it was very hard to keep from Rnenkins- of th? mnttop Jest about this juncture she received a letter fqom a friend far away, who wrote her what a Joy and comfort her letters had been and how. she thanked Cod tor them. Poor old Aumt Gratdy was quite overcome. She leaned her head on the table by which she was sitting and shed tears of jay. "Why," she said to Mbrself, "maybe the Master means me te cheer and help others by letters rather thau #y talking. I talk too much when I g?t a ehance. Letters are safer than speaking anyhow. If you write what yon think, there's time for you bo read it over and In tear it up; but if you speak, nil P?n ?nt Ko/?lr - ^ ? W QVV vuv 0|n/ncil nuiUD, no matter how sorry you are. It would be well for me to hare a bandage over both eyes and mouth, especially in. the H. August ii, 1909. home circle." Then she recalled a quaint old prayer she had read somewhere: "Oh, that mine eyes might closed be To what concerns me not to see; That deafness m'.ght possess mine ear To what concerns me not to hear; That love my tongue might always tie h'rom ever speaking foolishly! kui wnat are wisnes: Lord, mine eye On thee is fixed. To thee I cry. Wash, Lord, and purify my heart And make it clean in every part; And when 'tis clean, Lord, keep it, too, For that is more than I can' do." Acting upon this convictioli, Aunt Graidy, by the grace of God. began to close her eyes to the friends who passed her by and busied herself with the friends who seemed to need her, for she was sure now that the friend who wanted her was the friend she wanted. The first thing she did was to make a list of people who might be cheered and comforted/by ner letters. She had time for this work, for sh<r did not keep house, and by shortening her visiting list, leaving only those who were sick nr In tonnkla ?.V.~ ~.?l~ ' w. nt nuu utt, otic; iimuc uns lime fclSliy. Then she began to find that she was spared a good deal of gossip in this way, and do you know that This singular old woman began, loo, to be happier than she had ever been in her life? She did not need to observe the eternal vigilance as to her tongue that she had once found necessary and which, alas! had so often failed. On several occasions, when she had found it particularly hard to be prudent, she had tried binding a handkerchief across her mouth, or keeping her eyes closed, when to open them was to see things that it pained her to see; but these performances only passed for samples of Aunt Graidy's eccentricities. "Aunt Graidy always was inclined to be eccentric," some one would say, with a laugh and a shrug of the shoulder. "Yes, and gets more and moj-e so," would be the reply; 'but she lets us laugh and does not seem to care." auiii urmuy minaea it more tnan her p#tle would let her show. She had tried very hard never to do or say anything that might help to fasten that opprobrious term upon her. She had never minded being called an old maid, for the condition had been a matter of choice, and she knew she was old, and that settled the matter; but to be called "ecesntric"! Ihat hart, because it seeme^d te set Her apart from the people around bar. She had been rajpcd to thferic that the true woman must pass through life as in the Bible?"great, but hidden." Poor old lady! She was really griewed for awhile over this matter, hut only for a while. Hev common sense, under 6od, came to her rescue, and she became busied again with her letters, and, as the days passed, she fyund her time se full of nlpssftnf wnrlr Uial alia ??oU" get that Mrs. So-and-So, or Miss Thtsand-So, or her old friend, Mr. Other One, had not asked for her when calling, and with the swiftly flying hours filled with little opportunities to do for others, and