Orleans County Monitor

We count success a good thing. But the measure of our success should be the measure of lives rounded to a bounteous fullness with good deeds, pure thoughts, and holy purposes.

The success which comes only from the gathering together of earthly treasures even though the glittering dust be pure gold and the sparkling baubles genuine diamonds, or sapphires or rubies or other stones of like precious worth, counts for little in the summing up of our lives if they constitute our all and only treasures. We cannot wear them as spiritual ornaments, nor will they serve to satisfy a single immortal need in themselves alone. They are good and pleasant things. So, too, are flowers and delicate foods. But all these have their place; and they should be kept subordinate to growth of character, nor ever be permitted to become stumbling blocks in the way of our getting truer riches.

These words apply equally well to house-keeping as to other avocations. To feed the hungry and to dispense bountifully is the privilege of her who holds the keys of the storeroom and the pantry, and quite as much her duty as to provide light and warmth and exquisite food for her family and her guests.