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A Fire Engine Moral

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Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 21, 1874

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 44, No. 6.

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A Fire Engine Moral.

I stood silently near an engine, and learned a lesson. It was in the line, out of the way of the fire, but the hose was in its place. The engineer was a quiet, reliable-looking man, and there he stood. He seemed to be doing so little; he said nothing; there was no running and shouting, “Fire! fire! there is a fire! put it out! come and help! Don’t you see? Fire! Fire!”
But there was the “steamer” in perfect order, bright and clean, and it worked like a living, conscious, thing. Its short, quick strokes were like pulsations; now and then it seemed to slacken a little, and then it started up with renewed vigor, and we knew that far off, at the other end of the line of hose its work told.
The engineer was quiet and calm; now he opened the door and looked at the fire; now he touched a valve when the pressure was too great, and let the steam escape; now he added more fuel; now he raked out some ashes. And another man with oil touched the machine here and there, where the friction was fiercest.
They did not look at the fire, did not go near, and yet they were doing their utmost. You might have said they took no interest in it, that they were wanting in feeling; there were plenty of people who made more talk, and lamented for the poor man who was losing his all, perhaps; but after all, who was doing most?
There is a story running about which applies fairly as a hint when men ask questions as to that which does not concern them.
“There was a man in (say New Jersey or anywhere) who made a large fortune. Do you know how he made it?”
“No.”
“By minding his own business.”
I thought of this at the fire, and from all I took the lesson of which I spoke, in Christian work.
“Blessed is he that shall stand in his lot, in the end of the days.”
We want more Christians like these men at the engines, who shall steadily and earnestly do their part and attend to their own business, with no special talk, but a great deal of work.—Sel.