Good deeds may be done by any one in any walk of
life; by the solider in barracks or on the battle field, the women in the home,
the nurse in the hospital the businessman in his office the boy at school, or
the inventor in the workshop. The actual performance of a good deed adds to the
happiness both of the doer and of those for whom it is done the memory of a
good deed excites love and gratitude revenues man’s belief in his kind and
inspires other to go and do likewise it is an incentive to them to live purely
act sprightly and deal justly with their fellow-man.
The source of good deeds is self-sacrifice. That
was a noble act of the Swiss patriot who, when his countrymen were unable
to break through the solid phalanx of
Austrian spear men rushed upon the spears gathered as many as he could in his
arms and plugged them into his breast thus creating a gap through which the
Swiss could enter and with and win the
day. He knew that he was rushing to certain death but he considered his own life
of little moment if he could only show the way to victory and strike a blow for
his country. Nobility is not the prerogative of men grace darling set an
example of heroism in well doing which has never been surpassed the stammer
Forfarshire. While on its voyage from hull to Dundee struck on a rock and
snapped in two the fore part of the vessel, containing nine persons remained
fast. A mile away there was a light house. Occupied by an old man, his wife and a daughter, grace seeing the men
on the wreck grace darling entreated her father to let down a boat, but he
declared that on account of the boisterousness of the sea it would be certain
death. Yet he let down the bout grace darling was the first to enter it the
chances of rescue were small indeed nevertheless they toiled on, and by great
care and vigilance made-their way to the wreck amid the breakers. And succeeded
in rescuing all the survivors.
It is terrible to reflect on the remorse of those
of who with great powers for good, worked evil. Charles ix, who authorized the
massacre of the Huguenots on the night of St. Bartholomew. Was tortured by its
horrors during his dying moments. Every moment, vision of corpses covered with
blood haunted him how he wished he had spared the innocent. What a contrast was
the end of Pericles, the great Athenian
statesman while those about him were commending him for things that theirs might have done as well as himself, he
interrupted them with a rebuke because
they took no notice of the greatest and most honorable part of his character
that no Athenian, through his means. Ever went into mourning.