W (continued 2)

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WORK TRANSFORMED

As the water drops of the storm-clouds are transfigured by the sunlight into rainbows, so the lowliest work is transfigured by thoughts of God shining through it. So it was with the old negro washerwoman who sang, as she climbed the stairs wearily at night after her hardest day, “One more day’s work for Jesus.” So it was with the Christian child in the mission Sunday-school, who was asked, “What are you doing for Jesus?” and replied, “I scrubs.”

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WORK VERSUS WORKER

James Buckham is the author of this poem:

Whittier, in a similar vein, wrote:

(3507)

Work, Unrecompensed—See Ill-paid Work.

Working Hard—See Encouragement.

Working Men and Church—See Christ Approved.

WORKING TOGETHER

Faraday, the distinguished chemist, says:

The change produced by respiration so injurious to us (for we can not breathe the air twice over) is the very life and support of plants and vegetables growing on the surface of the ground. These latter absorb carbon—the leaves taking up the carbon of the air to which we have given it in the form of carbonic acid, and grow and prosper. Give them a fine air like ours, and they could not live in it, but carbon and other matters make them grow. All trees and plants get their carbon from the air, which carries off what is bad for us and at the same time good for them—disease to the one is health to the other. So we are made dependents not only on our fellow creatures but on our fellow existers as well, all nature being tied together by the law that makes one part conduce to the good of another. (Text.)

(3508)

WORKING WITH GOD

(3509)

Workmanship—See Beauty from Fragments.

WORKS DESTROYED

When Thomas Carlyle was writing his famous history of the French Revolution, and when he had the first volume ready for the printer’s hands, he one day loaned the manuscript to John Stuart Mill, his intimate and admiring friend. This friend’s servant girl, seeing the pile on the library floor one day, and wanting some kindling, unceremoniously put the whole of it into the stove and kindled the fire with it. Thus the priceless labor of many years was in a few moments swept away.

Mill came himself, pale and trembling, to break the news to the author. When he heard it, his spirit fairly broke down under the terrible disaster.

If the loss of a book is such a calamity, how unspeakably terrible will it be to have the works of one’s lifetime burned? There are men of whom the divine word says, “They shall be saved, but their works shall be burned.”

(3510)

Works, Immortality in One’s—See Immortality of Influence.

WORLD IMPROVING

In the old days the bee-master to reach the honey killed the bees, but now he contrives to spare the bees, who continue to live on and share their own sweetness. A similar transformation is being effected in the hives of human industry. There is an attempt to get more justice, fairness, and even mercy, into commercial rivalries; to substitute some plan of cooperation for the existing competition, if that is possible. That glove-fights are being substituted for prize-fights is indeed a slow approach to civilization, yet the thinnest gloves are a concession to the rising sentiment of humanity; so in business, modern society is getting rid of certain naked brutalities of antagonism, and giving to reason and compassion a larger place. With aching head and aching heart, thousands to-day feel that the struggle for gold and bread is bitter enough; yet a better spirit slowly emerges, tempering the fiery law.—W. L. Watkinson, “The Transfigured Sackcloth.”

(3511)

World, Need of the—See You.

WORLD NOT INDISPENSABLE

During the latter portion of his life, declares a writer in Everybody’s Magazine, Emerson seemed to live much in the world of souls, and came back with difficulty to take cognizance of physical affairs.

At the time of the Millerite excitement, he was walking one day down Bromfield Street, Boston, when he met one of his friends, who remarked: “This is the day when the world is to come to an end, according to the Millerities.” The Sage of Concord looked reflectively at his friend for a moment, and replied: “Ah, well, we can do without it.”

(3512)

WORLD, THE, IN THE CHRISTIAN

A ship in the water is good, but water in the ship is bad. A transatlantic liner, years ago, owing to some defect in one of its pumps, began to pump water into the ship instead of pumping it out. As they thought the ship had sprung a leak, they pumped all the harder, with the result that the ship only filled the faster. Presently the water rose so that their fires were extinguished. Then, thinking that they were going to the bottom, they abandoned the ship. Later on, some Englishmen found her tossing in mid-ocean, water-logged. Going on board, they ascertained the trouble, pumped her out, brought her in and secured $300,000 salvage money.

Just so the Christian in the world is good, but the world in the Christian is bad. The believer who allows the evil practises of the sinful world to dominate his heart can not possibly succeed; and yet there are men who, like those in the ship above mentioned, seem to pump the world into themselves as fast as they can.—A. F. Schauffler, The Christian Herald.

(3513)

Worldliness—See Amusements.

Worldliness, Vanity of—See Church Indispensable.

Worldly Life—See Pleasure, Mockery of.

Worry—See Things.

WORRY, DON’T

(3514)

WORSHIP, ENFORCED

Some ministers would welcome the method described below for our churches at home:

Some interesting new methods and agencies are noticed in the Baptist Missionary Magazine as having been introduced into the missionary church at Sinwaugan, Philippine Islands. A band of policemen has been instituted to see that all the members of the church attend the services on time. These policemen hunt up delinquents, and if they can not give good reasons for their absence, bring them to church. In the church they keep order among the throngs of children who attend.

(3515)

WORSHIPER, A MOTHER

One of the first Christian novels of Japan tells of a widow, whose only son was a careless, aimless boy. His mother tried to inspire him with the lofty purpose of reestablishing their house, then in danger of becoming extinct. Her efforts were all in vain, until one day she took him to his father’s grave and kneeling there with him, sternly rebuked him in the face of the dead for his thoughtless life. Then drawing a dirk she handed it to him with this startling order: “Die, coward! Die with this dirk here and now! Then I will follow you!” In this way this Spartan-like mother aroused her boy so that he became a great and successful man. He never could cease to love and reverence her. He said: “The fire of my mother’s face burned into my soul and gave me the supreme decision of my life. Therefore, I am a worshiper of my mother.” This represents some of the best traditions of Japanese family life, and with such a basis, it is easy to see how welcome with many is the Christian truth, which emphasizes the duties of parents and recognizes the rights even of children.—John H. De Forest, “Sunrise in the Sunrise Kingdom.”

(3516)

Worshiping Idols—See Fetishism.

WORTH, ESTIMATING

The difference between a good job and a bad one is nothing—unless the man with a good one is a good man.

A certain office in Chicago had this fact demonstrated. There were two men on the pay-roll who had an equal opportunity for a new place, a place much in advance of that held by either. One of the men had a good job, the place of assistant to the head of a department. The other was only a clerk. The first man got $30 a week, the second was paid only $18. When the time came for the head to look around and select the man for the new position his eyes fell on the two under consideration, and he began to sum up their merits.

“My idea of a man for this new place,” he said, “is one who has proved by his steadiness, industry, and economy that he is ambitious, that he wants to and means to do well, and who, generally speaking, has shown that he’s a strong character. Now, while Johnson, at $30 a week, is obviously first choice for the place, I won’t give it to him until I’ve compared him with Nagle, who’s only getting $18. I’m going to look them over first and find out who really is the bigger man of the two.”

A week later the office was surprized and shocked to see Nagle, the clerk, get the coveted place.

“Why in the world did you do it?” a friend asked the boss.

The answer was short and to the point. “I looked ’em up, and found that Nagle was a better man than Johnson, in spite of the fact that the latter had the bigger job. Johnson has been getting $30 a week for two years. He’s single, but he hasn’t got a cent of savings in the bank. Nagle has been getting $18 for the same length of time. But Nagle has been taking care of his money, and now he has $300 to his credit in his savings account. Johnson goes out and blows in his money and doesn’t give a single thought to the future. Nagle plants a few dollars every week. Do you suppose there can be any question as to the ability of these two men?”

And when you think it over this is about as good a test of worth as any that could be made.—Chicago Tribune.

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WOUNDS, CURIOUS

Simon Stone was shot in nine places, and as he lay for dead the Indians made two hacks with a hatchet to cut his head off. He got well, however, and was a lusty fellow in Cotton Mather’s time. Jabez Musgrove was shot with a bullet that went in at his ear and came out at his eye on the other side. A couple of bullets went through his body also. Jabez got well, however, and lived many years. Per contra, Colonel Rossiter, cracking a plum-stone with his teeth, broke a tooth and lost his life. We have seen physicians dying, like Spigelius, from a scratch; and a man who had had a crowbar shot through his head alive and well. These extreme cases are warnings. But you can never be too cautious in your prognosis, in view of the great uncertainty of the course of any disease not long watched, and the many unexpected turns it may take.—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

(3518)

Wounds of Christ—See Stigmata.

WOUNDS THAT SPEAK

The advocates in ancient Rome gave effect to their appeals by producing on fit occasions the living image of the client’s misery, and his claims on the compassion of the courts. Thus, when Antony was defending against the charge of pecuniary corruption, Aquilius, who had successfully conducted the campaign in Sicily against the fugitive slaves, and was unable to disprove or refute the charge, in the midst of his harangue, after appealing in impassioned tones to the services rendered to his country by the brave soldier who stood by his side—he suddenly unloosed the folds of his client’s robe, and showed to his fellow citizens who sat upon his trial the scars of the wounds which had been received in their behalf. They could not resist the effect of such a sight, and Aquilius was acquitted. (Text.)—Croake James, “Curiosities of Law and Lawyers.”

Many a heart, like that of Thomas, has been softened and convinced by the sight of the marks of Christ’s passion.

(3519)

Writing Life Records—See Records, Living.

WRONG RETROACTIVE

(3520)

Wrongs, Little—See Little Sins.

X-Ray as Detective—See Detection; Exposure.