Showing results by author "Timothy Shay Arthur" in All Categories

Mr. Winkleman thinks he ought not to have to watch his tongue in his own home. Yet one morning, his angry words bring his wife to tears, and he faces the conviction that perhaps a kind tone is not such a strenuous demand after all. Arthur begins and ends this story with verses from "Proverbs" describing the power of the tongue. Moral stories like this one helped define middle-class values in the 19th century.

Timothy Shay Arthur wrote many popular moral stories in the 19th century. In this tale, a family sends their son to a prestigious boarding school where he can academically prosper. Though things start off well, he soon falls in with the wrong crowd. The story mirrors the plot of the New Testament parable of the prodigal son, which shows the depth of forgiveness and the power of redemption.

In The Power of Kindness, a boy’s father is disappointed when his harsh words do not lead to respect from his child. Then, a friend gently suggests the following: “Try him with kind words; they will prove a hundred-fold more powerful.” When the father tries this, the boy experiences an immediate change of heart.

In this story, the narrator is recovering from an illness in the company of Lucy Latimer, a local lady who loves to help the ailing. When he notes a look of sadness in her eyes, she tells him of the “one great sorrow” of her life. Her brush with tragedy reveals the fruits such experiences can have in our lives.