KINDNESS BROKE HIS HEART.
By G. E. B.
[G. E. B., in Herald of Light.] A FEW years ago a poor, dirty, ragged, dissipated tramp found his way into the Bowery Mission in New York. On that particular morning the pianist was absent and the singing done by that motley crowd was anything but good. After several failures, Mrs. Bird, the leader, asked for a volunteer to play the piano. The young "hobo" in the back seat heard the request and volunteered. Amid the jeers of those assembled, he rose, slouched along the aisle, ascended the platform with bleary eyes and tousled hair, and seated himself at the piano. Every breath was held, every eye strained. Then a new light suddenly came into his eyes, the hopeless look passed away. As the dirty fingers fell upon the keys his entire being was changed, his whole frame quivered with emotion. The piano itself seemed to undergo a subtle transformation. When it was all over, Mother Bird spoke such kind words to the poor tramp, that they broke his heart. He became a Christian, and was presently appointed organist of the mission. His fame spread far and wide. Many churches offered him splendid positions, but he remained true to his Bowery friends. Some of the most beautiful Gospel songs of recent years are from his pen. He was one of the mission's most successful speakers. He died a martyr to his incessant toil for his suffering fellow men. A beautiful tablet erected in the mission to his memory reads, "Victor H. Benke, died July 15, 1904. The men of the Bowery loved him." "A word spoken in due season, how good is it!" Out of Mrs. Bird's heart, which was warmed by the love of God, came the words that rescued this poor, hopeless man, and gave the world one of the most beautiful characters of these last days. "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."