8. Gladstone and the Street-Sweeper

The minister of a church in London was called one day to see a street-sweeper in his parish who was ill. Asking him if any one had been to see him, to the surprise of the minister, the sweeper replied, “Yes, Mr. Gladstone came to see me.”

“Which Mr. Gladstone?” asked the minister.

“Mr. Gladstone, he told me his name was,” replied the poor sick boy.

“But how came he to see you?” said the minister.

“Well,” answered the boy, “he always had a nice word for me when he passed my crossing, and when I was not there he missed me. He asked my mate, who had taken my place, where I was, and when he heard I was ill he asked for my address, and he put it down on paper. So he called to see me.”

“And what did he do?” asked the minister.

“He brought me some nice oranges,” answered the boy, “and then he read to me some Bible and prayed, and it was so good!”

To a man like Gladstone, living humbly, simply, and sincerely, it is as important and as interesting a deed to do a kindness to a poor street-sweeper, and to comfort his heart with sympathy and love, as to form a cabinet to govern the English Empire. In such service the words of George Herbert have their full realization: