The Contribution



The contribution is taken up in

church, boys and girls throw in money which

their parents have given them for that purpose.

The money is not their gift, but that

of their father and mother. They have just

as much money to spend for their pleasure

as they had before. And so I once heard a

kind-hearted girl complain that she had nothing

of her own that she could give. I will

tell you what she gave in one day, and you

will see that she was mistaken.

She gave an hour of patient care to her

little baby sister who was cutting teeth. She

gave a string, and a crooked pin, and a great

deal of advice to a little three-year-old brother

who wanted to play at fishing. She gave

Ellen, the maid, the precious hour to go and

visit her sick baby at home; for Ellen was a

widow, and left her child with its grandmother

while she worked to get bread for

both. She could not have seen them very

often if our generous Mary had not offered to

attend the door and look after the kitchen

fire while she was away.

But this was not all that Mary gave. She

dressed herself neatly, and looked so bright,

and kind, and obliging, that she gave her

mother a thrill of pleasure whenever she

caught sight of the young, pleasant face.

She wrote a letter to her father who was absent

on business, in which she gave him all

the news he wanted, in such a frank, artless

way that he thanked his daughter in his

heart. She gave patient attention to a long,

tiresome story by her grandmother, though

she had heard it many times before. She

laughed at the right time, and, when it ended,

made the old lady happy by a good-night

kiss. Thus she had given valuable presents

to six people in one day, and yet she had not

a cent in the world. She was as good as

gold, and she gave something of herself to all

those who were so happy as to meet her.





Reformed Church Messenger