SELFISHNESS by W. E. Shepherd

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Feb 4, 1903

SELFISHNESS

By W. E. Shepherd

(W. E. Shepherd, in Pentecost Herald.)

SELFISHNESS is one of the meanest traits in depraved nature. It is through and through a seeker of its own. Selfishness rushes pell-mell into the street-car when the crowd is waiting to enter, for fear it will not get a good seat. On the trains it will keep a valise alongside of itself when others are looking for a seat, not offering the place to another. It will pour the cream off of the milk and leave the rest of the folks the skimmed milk. It looks for the best piece of steak on the plate, hunts for the easiest chair in the room, takes the largest orange on the table, and always looks out for number one. Selfishness will take a trip to the summer resort and let the wife stay at home with the children and wear her life away in work. When the baby cries with the colic, selfishness always expects the mother to get up and rock the sufferer, and even make a fire during cold nights. Sometimes it will get mad because the baby is interfering with its sweet rest, and grumbles out its fury for being disturbed. Selfishness takes meals at the restaurant when wife and children scarcely have a crust at home. If possible it will have a good suit of clothes if the rest of the family go in rags.