minister was not thinking either of
what he had written, or of what he intended to write. In his imagination
he was far away in a little Western town with a missionary minister
who was poor, sick, worried, and almost alone in the world--but who was
poring over the Bible to find how many times his Lord and Master had
told him to "rejoice and be glad."

After a time, with a long sigh, the Rev. Paul Ford roused himself, came
back from the far Western town, and adjusted the sheets of paper under
his hand.

"Matthew twenty-third; 13--14 and 23," he wrote; then, with a gesture of
impatience, he dropped his pencil and pulled toward him a magazine left
on the desk by his wife a few minutes before. Listlessly his tired eyes
turned from paragraph to paragraph until these words arrested them:

"A father one day said to his son, Tom, who, he knew, had refused to
fill his mother's woodbox that morning: 'Tom, I'm sure you'll be glad to
go and bring in some wood for your mother.' And without a word Tom went.
Why? Just because his father showed so plainly that he expected him to
do the right thing. Suppose he had said: 'Tom, I overheard what you said
to your mother this morning, and I'm ashamed of you. Go at once and fill
that woodbox!' I'll warrant that woodbox, would be empty yet, so far as
Tom was concerned!"

On and on read the minister--a word here, a line there, a paragraph
somewhere else:

"What men and women need is encouragement. Their natural resisting
powers should be strengthened, not weakened.... Instead of always
harping on a man's faults, tell him of his virtues. Try to pull him out
of his rut of bad habits. Hold up to him his better self, his REAL
self that can dare and do and win out!... The influence of a beautiful,
helpful, hopeful character is contagious, and may revolutionize a whole
town.... People radiate what is in their minds and in their hearts. If
a man feels kindly and obliging, his neighbors will feel that way, too,
before long. But if he scolds and scowls and criticizes--his neighbors
will return scowl for scowl, and add interest!... When you look for
the bad, expecting it, you will get it. When you know you will find the
good--you will get that.... Tell your son Tom you KNOW he'll be glad to
fill that woodbox--then watch him start, alert and interested!"

The minister dropped the paper and lifted his chin. In a moment he was
on his feet, tramping the narrow room back and forth, back and forth.
Lat