REWARDED FOR KINDNESS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22402, 24 April 1936, Page 8 (Supplement)

REWARDED FOR KINDNESS

Some years ago, in a foreign city, horses were continually slipping on the smooth and icy pavement of a steep hill, up which loaded waggons and carts were constantly moving. Yet no one seemed to think of any better remedv than to beat and curse the animals who trigged and pulled and slipped on the hard stones. No one thought of a better way, except a poor old woman,* who lived at the foot of the hill. Jt hurt her so, to see the poor horses slip and fall on the slippery pavement, that every morning, old and feeble as she was, with trembling steps she climbed the hill and emptied her ash pan, and such ashes as she could collect from her neighbours, on the smoothesit spot. At first the teamsters paid her very little attention, but after a little while they began to Hook for her, to appreciate her kindness, to be ashamed of their own cruelty, and to listen to her requests, that they would be more gentlo with their beasts. The town oflicials heard of tho old lady's work and they were ashamed, too, and set to work levelling the hill and reopening the pavement. Prominent men came to know what the old woman had done, and it suggested to them an organisation for doing such work as the old lady had inaugurated. All this made tho teamsters so grateful that they went umong their employers and others with a subscription paper and raised a fund winch bought the old lady a comfortable nnnuiiv for life. So one poor old ivoman and her ash pan not only kept the poor overloaded horses from falling, nnd stopped the blows and curses of their drivers, but made every animal in the city more comfortable, improved and beautified the city itself, and excited an epoch of good feeling and kindness, the end of which no one can tell. —Rev. F. M. Todd.

: What do we live for, if it is not j j to make life a little less difficult for j j each other?— George Eliot. j '■■■■■■■■■•■■• a■ >■«■*■■■■*