82 Civic Helpfulness 



He visits them, looks after them if they are sick, 

 baptizes the children, comforts those in sorrow, and 

 is ready with shrewd advice for those who need aid ; 

 in short, shows himself from week's end to week's 

 end a thoroughly sincere, earnest, hard-working old 

 Christian. This is perhaps the healthiest type. It 

 is in keeping with the surroundings, for in the coun 

 try districts the quality of self-help is very highly 

 developed, and there is little use for the great or 

 ganized charities. Neighbors know one another. 

 The poorest and the richest are more or less in 

 touch, and charitable feelings find a natural and sim 

 ple expression in the homely methods of performing 

 charitable duties. This does not mean that there 

 is not room for an immense amount of work in coun 

 try communities and in villages and small towns. 

 Every now and then, in traveling over the State, one 

 comes upon a public library, a Young Men's Chris 

 tian Association building, or some similar structure 

 which has been put up by a man born in the place, 

 who has made his money elsewhere, and feels he 

 would like to have some memorial in his old home. 

 Such a gift is of far-reaching benefit. Almost bet 

 ter is what is done in the way of circulating libra 

 ries and the like by the united action of those men 

 and women who appreciate clearly the intellectual 

 needs of the people who live far from the great 

 centres of our rather feverish modern civilization; 



