be nothing.  Nothing, says St. Paul, but sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal—­an empty vessel, which makes the more noise the less there is in it.  If you have charity, says St. Paul, you will be able to do your share of good where God has put you, though you may be poor, and ignorant, and stupid, and weak; but if you have not charity, all the wisdom and learning, righteousness and eloquence in the world, will only give you greater power of doing harm.

Yes, he says, I show you a more excellent way to be really great; a way by which the poorest may be as great as the richest,—­the simple cottager’s wife as great as the most accomplished lady; and that is charity, which comes from the Spirit of God.  Pray for that—­try after that; and if you want to know what sort of a spirit it is that you are to pray for and try after, I will tell you.  Charity is the very opposite of the selfish, covetous, ambitious, proud, grudging spirit of this world.  Charity suffers long, and is kind:  charity does not envy:  charity does not boast, is not puffed up:  does not behave itself unseemly; that is, is never rude, or overbearing, or careless about hurting people’s feelings by hard words or looks:  seeketh not its own; that is, is not always looking on its own rights, and thinking about itself, and trying to help itself; is not easily provoked:  thinketh no evil, that is, is not suspicious, ready to make out the worst case against every one; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; that is, is not glad, as too many are, to see people do wrong, and to laugh and sneer over their failings:  but rejoiceth in the truth, tries to find out the truth about every one, and judge them honestly, and make fair allowances for them:  covereth all things; that is, tries to hide a neighbour’s sins as far as is right, instead of gossiping over them, and blazoning them up and down, as too many do:  believeth all things; that is, gives every one credit for meaning well as long as it can:  hopeth all things; that is, never gives any one up as past mending:  endureth all things, keeps its temper, and keeps its tongue; not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing, but, on the contrary, blessing; and so overcomes evil with good.

In one word, while the spirit of the world thinks of itself, and helps itself, Charity, which is the Spirit of God, thinks of other people, and helps other people.  And now:—­to be always thinking of other people’s feelings, and always caring for other people’s comfort, what is that but the mark, and the only mark, of a true gentleman, and a true lady?  There is none other, my friends, and there never will be.  But the poorest man or woman can do that; the poorest man or woman can be courteous and tender, careful not to pain people, ready and willing to help every one to the best of their power; and therefore, the poorest man or woman can be a true gentleman or a true lady in the sight of God, by the inspiration of the Spirit of God, whose name is Charity.