PAINT, PUTTY, AND PIETY.
By Editor
A lady writes thus to The Christian at Work: “I wish you would say a word about putting one's religion into one's work. Last year I built a new house, and hired a professing Christian man to paint it. He makes good prayers at the prayer-meetings, and says a good word of advice to the young. But he didn't fill the nail holes of the upper and outer trimmings with putty, and he didn't paint the top edge of the doors of the upper story. He took care to slight his work just where he thought it would not be discovered. But the nails were drawn out by the sun, causing a leak, so that his neglect in this direction was discovered; then, having occasion to have the top of one door planed so that it might shut—again his slighted work told its story. I have ‘discounted’ that man's piety and prayers ever since. Perhaps this painter treated me as he did because I am a widow. Anyway, I prefer Christians who fill up the nail holes with putty, and paint the tops of the upper doors.” The editor adds: “Our correspondent has said quite as effective a word about putting one's religion into one's work as we could possibly say. And our friend is right;—we want such Christians as will do their work, not rendering eye-service as men-pleasers, but ‘with good will doing service as to the Lord, and not to men.’ O you ‘Christian’ painter, how could you let those nail holes go? How could you? How could you leave the top of those upper doors unpainted, and, above all, serve a woman, and she a widow, in this way? Was it manly? Was it Christianly? Was it honest? We advise that painter to pray less for others and more for himself, that the Lord may put in his heart as strong a desire for right doing as he seems to have for right talking. Yes, our correspondent is quite right,—we want more Christians who fill up the holes with putty, and paint the tops of the upper doors.” Now we would like to know if this woman paid fair wages for her work. Oppression in wages sometimes tempts to slighting the work. —The Christian.