it was
not so much the degree of help afforded as the manner of helping, that
lightened the burdens.

Some had a coarse, rough, clumsy way of assisting a neighbor, which,
though in fact it might be of real use, yet seemed, by galling the
travellers, to add to the load it was intended to lighten; while I
observed in others, that so cheap a kindness as a mild word, or even
an affectionate look, made a poor burdened wretch move on cheerily.
The bare feeling that some human being cared for him, seemed to
lighten the load.

But to return to this kind neighbor. She had a little old book in her
hand, the covers of which were worn out by much use. When she saw the
blind woman ready to faint, she would read her a few words out of this
book, such as the following: "Blessed are the poor in spirit; for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven." "Blessed are they that mourn; for
they shall be comforted." "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh out for
us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;" and one of
these little promises operated like a cordial on the sufferer.

THE CLERGYMAN.

A pious minister sinking under the weight of a distressed parish,
whose worldly wants he was totally unable to bear, was suddenly
relieved by a good widow, who came up, and took all the sick and
hungry on her own shoulders. The burden of the parish thus divided
became tolerable. The minister being no longer bowed down by the
temporal distresses of his people, applied himself cheerfully to his
own part of the weight. And it was pleasant to see how those two
persons, neither of them very strong, or rich, or healthy, by thus
kindly uniting together, were enabled to bear the weight of a whole
parish; though singly, either of them must have sunk under the
attempt. And I remember one great grief I felt during my whole journey
was, that I did not see more of this union and concurring kindness, by
which all the burdens might have been easily divided. It troubled me
to observe, that of all the laws of the valley, there was not one
more frequently broken than the law of kindness.

THE NEGROES.

I now spied a swarm of poor black men, women, and children, a
multitude which no man could number; these groaned, and toiled, and
sweated, and bled under far heavier loads than I had yet seen. But
for a while no man helped them; at length a few white travellers
were touched with the sorrowful