Power of Kindness. A Grecian, named Arcadius, was constantly railing against Philip, of Macedon. Venturing once into the dominions of Philip, the courtiers suggested to their prince that he had now an opportunity to punish Arcadius for his past insults, and to put it out of his power to repeat them. The king took their advice, but in a different way. Instead of seizing the hostile stranger and putting him to death, he dismissed him, loaded with courtesies and kindness.
Some time after Arcadius’s departure from Macedon, word was brought that the king’s old enemy had become one of his warmest friends, and did nothing but diffuse his praises, wherever he went. On hearing which, Philip turned to his courtiers, and asked, with a smile, “Am not I a better physician than you?”
Good for Evil. Euclid, a disciple of Socrates, having offended his brother, the latter cried out in a rage, “Let me die, if I am not revenged on you some time or other.” Euclid replied, “And let me die if I do not soften you by my kindness, and make you love me as well as ever.”
Forgiveness. In a school in a town in Ireland, an instance occurred some time since, in the master’s accidental absence, of one boy being provoked to strike another, which was, of course, considered a serious ground of complaint. On hearing the accusation stated, the master came to the determination of punishing the culprit; when, to his great surprise, the injured boy came forward and earnestly begged for the pardon of the offender. The inquiry was made, why he should interfere, or wish to prevent so just an example. To which he replied, “I was reading in the New Testament lately, that Jesus Christ said we must forgive our enemies; and I forgive him, and beg he may not be punished for my sake.” Such a plea, under such circumstances, and urged too by a child who manifested a conscientious regard to the commands of Christ, was too powerful to be resisted. The offender was, therefore, pardoned, and it is almost needless to add, the parents of the boy, and indeed many others, were highly delighted at hearing of the interesting circumstance.
Punctuality is but Honesty. A committee of eight ladies, in the neighborhood of London, was appointed to meet on a certain day at twelve o’clock. Seven of them were punctual, but the eighth came hurrying in with many apologies for being a quarter of an hour behind the time. It had passed away without her being aware of its being so late, &c. A Quaker lady present said, “Friend, I am not so clear that we should admit thy apology. It were matter of regret that thou shouldst have wasted thine own quarter of an hour; but here are seven beside thyself, whose time thou hast also consumed, amounting in the whole to two hours, and seven eighths of it was not thine own property.”