SELFISHNESS

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jan 23, 1893

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 19, No. 12.

I HAPPENED to be coming through Bangor a few weeks ago on the last day of an agricultural fair. The cars were crowded with all sorts of country folks who had come into the city for their annual recreation and sightseeing. A grand chance to study human nature at its best and at its worst! Such a scramble for seats as the train backed into the station to be filled! Everybody wanted the best seat. Great burly men with the strength of their shameless manhood ruthlessly crowded from the platform delicate women with babes in their arms. One man rushed in and preempted two double seats, turning over the back of one and fencing off his claim with an umbrella, which he held stoutly across the entrance. One woman took defiant possession of two seats with bag and baggage, and successfully held the spare one by telling all applicants that it was engaged.

And then what solid comfort they all seemed to take in seeing the great crowd of late comers anxiously scurrying through the aisles in a vain search for a resting place! How glad these fortunate ones were in their plush comfort that they had denied themselves a last look at the fine horses on the fair grounds, and by that act of self-denial had succeeded in getting into the train ahead of their neighbors! And yet the majority of these people were good respectable people of the good State of Maine. Many of them would doubtless suffer much to bless a brother man in need. Many of them were Christians, I presume. They were simply yielding to those selfish impulses which are the surest indications that the world is as yet far from the standard of Him who pleased not Himself.