There is an old Dutch picture of a little child who is dropping from his hands a beautiful toy. Looking at the painting, one is suprized to see the plaything so carelessly abandoned; until, following the child's eye to the corner of the picture, one sees a lovely white dove flying down into the child's outstretched hands.
That is the way it will be with all of us as soon as we actually begin to see the pure beauties and joys of the higher life. All our silly playthings will be allowed to fall out of our hands. We shall let go of fashion and luxury, and idle dissipation, and proud ambition, and greed for gain, and desire for men's applause and for advancement in the world, and we shall stretch out our hands for the things that are best worth having. Those are the things which will stay with us. They will give something of their nature to our lives, and will ennoble everything they touch.
