Not long ago, while two thousand prisoners of Sing Sing were taking their daily exercise in the yard by the Hudson, a boat carrying three boys rounded the point and came down the river. The wind was blowing and the water was rough, making it difficult for the boys to manage the boat. As the three lads came opposite the exercise yard, the little craft capsized. None of the boys could swim. They began to struggle for life and to cry for help. The prisoners in the inclosure immediately stopped exercising and rushed to the fence next to the river. As the boys, cried for help, the men pleaded with the guards to be allowed to rescue them. It would have been an easy matter for a few of those strong men to have saved the boys, but they were prisoners. And the three boys perished.
A perishing world cries for our help. Can we stretch out a strong hand to help, or are we prisoners of sin? David recognized that he himself must be sin-free in order to help others.
Ps. 51: 1-14.
W.E. Bement
South Lancaster, Mass
