With the dying sun.
The mind has a thousand eyes,
And the heart but one;
Yet the light of a whole life dies
When love is done.
—F. W. Bourdillon.
15. Treatment of the Aged.
A play was to be performed at the principal theatre of Athens, and the seats were soon taken. When the theatre was full, an old man came in and looked around for a seat. He saw a party of young Athenians beckoning to him. In order to get to them he had to climb over seats and push his way through the crowd, and when at last he reached them, they sat down, and, instead of giving him the seat he had expected, took up all the room, leaving the old man standing. In this theatre were some seats fitted up for strangers. These were filled by young Spartans, who were much displeased at the conduct of the Athenians, and beckoned to the old man to come to them. When he was near them, they all arose and received him with great respect. As the whole assembly saw this they burst into a shout of applause. The old man then said, “The Athenians know what is right, but the Spartans practise it.”—Selected.
16. Civility to Strangers.
It was through his civility to two strangers that Mr. Winans of Philadelphia is said to have obtained, some years ago, his invitation to go to St. Petersburg and manufacture locomotives for the Russian Czar. The Russian agent had been shown with indifference through the larger establishments of Philadelphia, but on their coming to Mr. Winans, who owned a third or fourth rate factory, he took so much pains to show all its parts and workings, and was so patient in his explanations and answers to their inquiries, that within a year he was surprised when asked to transfer his works to Russia. He went, and accumulated a large fortune.