MAY 1. 1914 



555 



OUM HOME 



Editoir 



At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, 

 saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of hea- 

 ven ? 



And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set 

 him in the midst of them. 



And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be con- 

 verted, and become as little children, ye shall not 

 enter into the kingdom of heaven. — Matt. 18:1, 2, 3. 



Just recently, in the city of Cleveland a 

 new society has been started, called, if 1 am 

 correct, the " Safety First Society." It 

 came into existence because of the increas- 

 ing- number of children maimed or killed by 

 electric cars, automobiles, motor trucks, etc. 

 Its object is to educate the children, parents, 

 teachers, and everybody else, for that mat- 

 ter, how best to avoid the deplorable and 

 j)reventable catastrophes chronicled in every 

 daily paper. Proper teachers are to warn 

 the children in regard to playing- with 

 matches, drinking or eating stuft' out of bot- 

 tles, running before automobiles or street 

 cars, etc. Children and others are also 

 taught what to do when their clothing is on 

 tire ; remedies for poisons, danger of going 

 in swimming when very warm; reviving a 

 drowned person, etc. 1 think these matters 

 are to be not only brought up in our schools, 

 but " taught up " as well. God speed the 

 undertaking, and may it speedily bear good 

 fruit. 



The whole matter was brought to my 

 mind by an incident of less than a week ago. 



We had just been having a heavy rain, 

 and the ground was just in trim for setting 

 out plants. By mere accident, as it seemed, 

 1 went down to the lower i^art of our garden 

 (where it adjoins the " swimming-hole " in 

 the canal), and commenced transplanting 

 cassava " rooted cuttings." Looking over 

 the wire fence I noticed two boys, perhaps 

 a dozen years old, preparing to go in bath- 

 ing. As I overheard their frolic as they 

 chattered and splashed in the water I got to 

 thinking what a fine thing it was in many 

 ways to have a safe place where children 

 could be happy in the water. After a little 

 time I heard sounds that did not seem ex- 

 actly like " play." I found one boy stand- 

 ing on my side in the water, and the other 

 on the far side, aj^parently diving again 

 and again. While I was wondering that a 

 boy of his age could remain so long under 

 water, it suddenly occurred to me he was 

 exhausted, and I yelled to the one near me : 



" The boy is drowning! don't you see?" 



" Yes, I know he is." 



" Well, hustle over there quick and pull 

 him out ! " 



He only shook his head and didn't move. 



" Hurry up, or he may never come up 

 again. \ on must not lose a minute ! " 



Although his comrade and playmate was 

 fast losing strength, and not a dozen feet 

 from shore, and in comparatively shallow 

 water, I could not get him to budge an inch. 

 A responsibility rested on my shoulders I 

 scarcely ever felt before. While I meditated 

 climbing the high barbed-wire fence and 

 plunging into the chilly water, old as I am, 

 1 caught sight of Wesley at work a few rods 

 away. I yelled, " Come quick! boy drown- 

 ing! " After some delay in getting Wesley 

 over the fence he plunged into the water, 

 T all the time hurrying him up. I did not 

 know it then, but Wesley cannot swim. 

 After he had waded until the water was up 

 to his chin, and the boy still beyond his 

 reach, he hesitated. Let me say here that 

 never before have I known Wesley to hesi- 

 tate an instant when I told him what to do. 

 The boy lay on the bottom, and had ceased 

 to move, and I was in mental agony for fear 

 he Avould get down into the deep water. I 

 said, " Wesley, you mitst push on and get 

 the bo3' before it is too late," and then, oh 

 how I did pray that the next step might find 

 liigher footing, and the prayer was answer- 

 ed. Wesley dragged the apparently lifeless 

 body to shore, and after I had directed him 

 to put his liead down hill so the water could 

 run out of his lungs I alarmed the neighbors, 

 then I rushed back and called to Wesley : 



" Any sign of life? " 



I thought of the prophet Elisha and Ge- 

 hazi, and then called back, as I was off quite 

 a distance. 



" Now put his head up hill, and roll and 

 rub him! " 



Then I got to a telephone and called a 

 town doctor, and also got Dr. Morgan (one 

 of our family of beekeepers), who is old like 

 myself, and many years out of practice. I 

 prayed again as I ran back; and when in 

 sight, as I heard the welcome news, " Boy is 

 all right," I changed my " prayers to prais- 

 es." 



Wesley says there was no sign of life 

 until the boy coughed and sneezed, and ex- 

 pelled great cjuantities of water from his 

 mouth. When I talked about getting him 

 home, he laughed and said, " Ho ! I am all 

 right," and the two started off as merry as 

 if nothing had happened ; and although he 

 }3romised me to tell his father all about it I 

 am really afraid that, child fashion, he will 

 forget to say anything about it. The doctor 

 felt his pulse, and said he guessed his nar- 

 row escape had done him no harm. 



