Then whispered conscience, “It is thine own fault.  A man need not feel alone because there are none in the world who bear his name, or share his blood.  All men are thy brethren.  Thou art one of the great human family, and what hast thou done to relieve the poor and suffering around thee?  Will not thy Master say to thee at the last day, ’I was an hungered, and you gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and you clothed me not; sick, and in prison, and you visited me not.  Inasmuch as you did it not to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it not to me.’”

This was a strong and direct appeal, and it was not without its effect.  Then muttered Mr. Cleveland to himself again, “Well, how can I help it?  It has not been for want of inclination.  Heaven knows I am always ready to put my hand in my pocket whenever people call on me for charity.  How can I help it if the poor and suffering do not make their wants known to me?”

Then again spake Conscience:  “Thou art trying to deceive thyself, but thou canst not deceive nor silence me.  Thou hast known of the existence of suffering, and thine indolence has prevented thee from going abroad to relieve it.  Did thy Master thus?  Did he not go about to do good?  Did he not sit down to meat with publicans and sinners?  Can you stand here, and look out upon such a night as this, and not think of those who are exposed to its bitterness?  Can thy human heart beat only for itself when thou thinkest of the thousand miseries crying to Heaven for relief?  Resolve, now, before thy head touches its comfortable pillow, that with the morning’s dawn thou wilt resolutely set about thy work; or, rather, thy Master’s work.”

“It is very hard,” still muttered Mr. Cleveland to himself, “that these thoughts will continually intrude themselves upon me.  They give me no peace of my life.  Stifle them as I may, they come with tenfold force.  People have no business to be poor.  I was poor once, and nobody gave charity to me.  I had to help myself up in the world as well as I could.  I hate poor people; I hate unfortunate people; in fact, confound it!  I hate the world and everybody in it.”

Then answered once again the still, small voice:  “For shame, Mr. Cleveland, for shame!  You will ruin your soul if you thus darken the light within.  You know better than all this, and you are sinning against yourself.  You want to be happy; well, you may be so.  There is a wide field of duty open before you; enter, in God’s name, and go to work like a man.  What you say about having helped yourself, is perfectly true, and you deserve all credit for it.  But remember that the majority of the poor are entirely destitute of your advantages.  You had the foundation rightly laid.  A thousand circumstances in your early life conspired to render you energetic and self-relying.  You had the right sort of education, and Providence also helped to train you.  Besides, once more I ask you, did your Master stop to inquire how human misery was brought about before he relieved it?  Away with this unmanly, selfish policy!  Follow thy generous impulses, follow out the yearnings of thy heart, without which you never can have peace; above, all, follow Christ.”