Mrs. Lee's Way by Ellen Bennett

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jun 19, 1884

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 10, No. 24.

Mrs. Lee's Way.

By Ellen Bennett

Mrs. Lee's way! How surprised Mrs. Lee would be if she could see those words, for never was there a more unpretending little woman, or one with less idea of having a "way" especially her own than my cousin Ruth Lee. It was last winter that I, Ellen Bennett, went to visit her. We had met but once before; that was on her wedding-day, two years by-gone.

She was a rarely lovely bride, gifted with that undefinable charm which seems peculiarly to belong to some people. At our first meeting I had asked myself, "What is the secret of this loveliness?" but not till my visit did I find the answer that solved my query.

It was after I had been in her home about a month that I chanced one day to take up a volume of Mrs. Browning's poems, and opened at the lines:—

"She was not as pretty as women I know, And yet all your best, made of sunshine and snow, Drop to shade, melt to naught in the long-trodden ways, While she's still remembered on warm and cold days. "Her air had a meaning, her movements a grace; You turn from the fairest to gaze on her face; And when you had once seen her forehead and mouth, You saw as distinctly her soul and her truth."

As I finished reading the lines, I went straightway to cousin Alexander's study, exclaiming:—

"I have found at last a word-picture that is a duplicate of my heart's picture of your Ruth. I have found the secret of her charm."

I think Alexander was pleased; for he smiled while he read every verse of the brief poem, though all he said was:—

"Yes, it is like Ruth; but you do not here find the full secret of her loveliness."

No! I did not then recognize that the secret was bounded by her much pondering of the Bible command: "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."

And yet, Ruth never seemed to talk religion as some do; she just lived it; just lived in the light of Christ's felt presence; so that her every deed and word had a glow which kindled warmth in other hearts, because, being pervaded with a sense of her Saviour's love, she could no more help imparting gladness than flowers can help giving out their fragrance. Now I am not going to detail Ruth's life; I am only going to give you an illustration of what I call "her way"—a way that seems to me full of hints for the great company of women all our broad land over, whose queendom is home—the "place of peace;" and do you remember how Ruskin goes on to say, "Wherever a true wife comes, this home is always round her; the woman is to be within her gates, as the center of order, the palm of distress, and the mirror of beauty?"

You may think my example of Mrs. Lee's influence very insignificant, for it has to do only with her treatment of her servants. I had been with her but a few days when I noticed the peculiar gentleness with which they always addressed her. I noticed, too, that she never forgot, in the giving of even the simplest command, the gracious little prefix, "Please;" never forgot, in return for service rendered, a pleasant, "Thank you;" and somehow Mrs. Lee's "please" and "thanks" always seemed to echo with the kindly note of a heart-smile, if there be such an echo, and I think there is.

I also observed she turned everything to account, teaching lessons of love and faithfulness through every event. And it is wonderful how full of such lessons are the occurrences of what we are wont to call a "most common-place day"—only one must look to find them. I was particularly impressed with this on Palm Sunday. Bridget, Cousin Ruth's waiter-girl, came home, bringing a branch of palm, which she carried straight to her mistress, saying:—

"I knew you would like to see it, ma'am."

I listened in amazement. Could it be that my orthodox cousin, Ruth Lee, would encourage Bridget in setting store by that bit of green? Would she find a lesson to teach from it? Yes, indeed, she did; for, with a smile bright as a sunbeam, she extended her hand, replying, "Thank you, Bridget;" and immediately she began the tender story of the long-ago triumphant entry into Jerusalem's city, telling it in language simple as that one would use in speaking to a little child; and yet her words were like a poem, so glowingly—though she was only talking to Bridget, ignorant Irish Bridget—she described the rejoicing multitude who, out of love for Him, the Christ, scattered their very garments before him, strewed his pathway, too, with branches of the palm and olive, and sweet as a song was my cousin Ruth Lee's voice, as she added:—

"Though we, Bridget, cannot thus show our love to Christ our King, we can yet strew olive and palm branches before him."

What did she mean? Only a moment I was left to wonder, for she continued:—

"I do not mean real bits of palm, like this I hold in my hand, but I mean this should be a reminder to us that every act of kindness, every act of faithful service, every temptation resisted, because we love Christ, and would show our love by striving to follow him, he will notice and accept with pleasure, as he did the palms the Judean people cast before him because they wanted to show him honor. And so all the year through, till next Palm Sunday, let us keep this little green branch as a reminder that the dear Lord Christ, who loves us, will be pleased every time we try to do right because we love him."

Just then the dinner-bell rang, but it was a good place to end the conversation.

Going down-stairs I whispered to Ruth:— "Where do you find authority for such teachings to your servants?"

In reply she quoted the words of Bonaventura:— "Then do we go to meet Christ with boughs of olive when we exercise the works of mercy and of charity, and with a branch of palm when we bear away the victory against any temptation; and we strew our garments under the feet of Christ when we lay down our lives for the love of Christ."

Later in the day I overheard Bridget repeating the conversation to Jane, the cook, and saying:—

"It seems, after hearing Mrs. Lee's words, as though my bit of palm was worth twice as much. To think of her giving it such a meaning!"

Giving it a meaning! Oh, how we might help those whose creeds differ from our own by just giving them a meaning for the much they do not understand. And this ever-ready help-giving to all was the something that I call Mrs. Lee's way.

Do you smile at it, or do you find a hint in it? I repeat, there is a hint that might aid many and many a perplexed home-mother over rough places in her home government.—Sel.