it IB. love., vitally alliecl to kiiowledgie., which iw to deliver 

 man from his sins and sorrows. 



Not only is ignorant love a dangerous thing, it ie also 

 a helpless thing. It wells over with good wishes. But 

 mere good wishes, while having a sympathetic value, are 

 often practically helpless. A well-known proverb runs thus ; 

 "If wiehes were hoBses beggars v^'Ould ride." Good wiBhes 

 are no exception. The wish that the poor may be fed 

 and wfi-rmed does not of itself stock the larder or fill the 

 bunkers with anthracite coal. Good intentions, in order to 

 atta.in their end, need to have the practical knowledge of 

 ways and means. In other words, if our generous impulses 

 for the welfare of the home in which we live do not add to 

 themselves intellectual and well-considered action — action 

 which knowsi the nature of the situQition — they will remain 

 but pioius Vv'ishes which will be little better than the efforts 

 of a winged bird on the dusty road trying to fly. It "tries 

 to soar, but only agitates the dust the more. 



But let us not be unfair to the spirit of good will. 

 There is more in it than the wish to help. There is in it, 

 also, an eager urgency to find the way toi help. Wherever 

 there is a profound sensibility to a cry from a huma.n heart, 

 there are vision© of usefulness "and visions are the creators 

 and feeders of the world." Florence Nightingale, in her 

 early years, wasi moved by sympathy to visit the sick in the 

 humble homes in her own neighborhood. Having had no 

 experience as a nurse she often felt helpless. This led her 

 to take a course of training in a local hospital. Thus equip- 

 ped with all the modern methods of earing for the afflicted, 

 she was furnished, when the call came, to do her great 

 work for the wounded and sick soldiers during the Crimean 

 war. Her warm heart and trained skill made her efficient ; 

 illustrating Carlyle's words, "Love is ever the begimiing of 

 knowledge, ais fire is of light." The heat oi love and the 

 light- of knowledge work together. Between the apostle of 

 heat, and the apostle of light, ; that is, between the inspira^ 

 tional and the educational preachers there U3ust. be no 



