THERE is a verse in God’s word that says, “Be ye kind one to another.” Do you know, little children, what it means to be kind? If not I will tell you. It means to try to make those who are about us happy and comfortable. There are many ways in which little girls and boys can be kind. They may be kind to their little brothers and sisters by being willing to give up their playthings to them, or perhaps by sharing something nice they have to eat. They may be kind to Mamma by being good and obedient, and by being always ready to help her if they can. If we love any one very much we will show it in kind looks, kind words, and kind actions.
I want to tell you a little story about a young teacher who showed her love and kindness to the little children in her school by risking her own life in order to save their lives. It was several years ago, in Valley County, Neb., that Miss F— was teaching in a little country school-house. She had thirteen little children in her charge. One morning in the middle of the winter, when she went to school, the sun was shining brightly, and the morning was fair and beautiful. The sky was blue, and a soft breeze was blowing from the south. But before the morning was half over, it suddenly began to grow dark. Miss F—looking out, saw that an awful storm was coming up. She began at once to get the children ready to go home, but almost before she could do anything, the fierce wind that had risen blew in the doors and windows. Thinking the school-house might be blown away, she took some strong twine and bound the children all together, so that they should not be separated, and then tied it around her own waist, as quickly as she could. She was none too soon, for without any more warning the wind wrenched the building lose and whirled it away from above their heads, leaving Miss F—and the children out in the terrible, cold storm.
With brave words and smiles the kind teacher told the little ones not to be frightened. She took the smallest one up in her arms, telling the other ones all to keep hold of her body and her clothes, and she would take them to a place of safety: The poor children suffered terribly from the cold. Some of them cried and hung back, and some of them begged her to leave them here to die. Do you think she left them? Oh, no! Straining every muscle and nerve she struggled on, dragging them with her, always cheering them on with words of hope. Sometimes they would all stumble and fall down in some big snow drift, and every time they fell it was harder to get them up again. At last, when the teacher herself had almost lost hope, she saw the outline of a building ahead. “Children! Children!” she cried out with joy, “look! There is a house just ahead, dears. Courage! Struggle just a little longer, keep on struggling, and we shall be safe!”
When they reached the door of the little farm house, and stumbled across the threshold, kind hands quickly took them, and everything was done to relieve their suffering. The poor teacher was so badly frozen that she nearly lost her life, but when at last she recovered, it was to find that every one of her thirteen little ones had been saved. How glad and happy she was that her efforts had not failed!
Does this little story remind you of anything else? Does it not make you think of the Lord Jesus’ love in laying down His life for us? Jesus tells us that we should love one another as He has loved us.
In our picture we see a Mamma teaching her dear little child to be kind to his pets. How gently she holds him, as she talks to him about the little chickens. She wants him to be kind to them as she is kind to him. The mother hen, too, is kind to her wee babies, teaching them how to find the grains of corn. Let us learn always to be kind, in big things and in little things—to be kind to our parents, to our playmates, and to every little creature that God has made, for that is what God wants.
ML 08/14/1904