October 1929
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man. The sudden turn of circumstances by which God lifted him to the most powerful position in Egypt, and his absolute fidelity to his Father in heaven through all life’s changes, invariably inspired Donald Donaldson of; the Cameron Clan, late of Scotland, which native heath he had left reluctantly at the behest of an enraged older brother whose heavy landholdings and lairdship seemed to have obscured his inner vision, so that he declared his yourtger brother Donald to be off in the head over “re- leegion.” Donald had weathered the displeasure of this im portant kinsman assisted by Aunt Margot for a while, but when her slender resources failed there was nothing to be done but to accept his older brother’s terms and mi grate to the new world—to the farthest shores of the new world, preferably, and begin there a new life of service for his Lord and Master. Donald remembered the early Pilgrim fathers as he crossed the great water, comparing their voyage and its purpose to his own. But after he landed he rapidly forgot everything in the swift fierce struggle for existence that ensued, for his brother’s as sistance had ended with his arrival on the Pacific Coast. For a while he had done janitor service in a tall office building, but this had interfered with his college work and so Donald found himself serving behind a marble slab in “The Chef Shop,” wearing a tall white square cap and a white coat to bear out the name of the place. He did not mind—much, except when certain girls came in and stared superciliously at their classmate. One of the most trying of these was Miss Althea Hitchcock Sumner, an officer in several of the campus societies and a leader of sorts. Donald had dubbed her to himself, infidel, aristo crat, patriot! He approved of the last term, like every true Scotchman, and admitted that it shed an aspect of nobleness over a character which he thought otherwise trivial. As to the aristocrat—he knew all he wanted to know about that group. His older brother was one. But Althea the infidel, the outspoken unbeliever, who used all her influence in every discussion in Philosophy 10, against his Bible, horrified and grieved him. In Scotland girls did not boast of their unbelief. And now, just at this moment as Donald was thinking of her, in came Miss Althea herself, fresh from an initia tion at her exclusive sorority house, thirsty and somewhat petulant from things that had displeased her ladyship dur ing the evening’s ceremony. A slip of a girl was that young thing with her, he reflected, as he peeled and sliced in half two very ripe bananas, laying them in a nest of black walnut ice cream, and covering them with a fluff of marron whipped cream, cracked nuts and a red cherry, and finally pouring a rich chocolate syrup over the whole —a dish called Nero’s Night Mare, and rightly so called, many mothers believed. “Only an infidel could digest that,” was the silent comment of Donald as he placed the two orders before these young women. To his surprise he was detained by Miss Althea, who usually ignored him. “Perhaps you could help us, Mr. Donaldson,” she re marked. He had been at the university three years and she had never called him by name before. She continued in her frank imperious way which held back nothing, be cause there could be nothing of which a Sumner would be ashamed. “We are informed by certain university authorities that our sorority is insufficiently chaperoned on occasions, and our house mother is absolutely unable to go with us on account of her lameness.” Donald was aware that the
:: H e a r t to H e a r t ::
But the Lord Was With Donald B y F lorence N ye W h itwell 'I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness .”—Psalm 84:10. ONALD DONALDSON wiped off the marble slab on which he was about to place a peach- melba. He sighed wearily, for it was after ten o’clock at night. The day had been a full one to say the least. The days are apt to be full when one is working one’s way through college, and sending a little money home to one’s good old aunt in Scotland, and carrying on such evangelistic activities as noon-day prayer bands among the students, plus preach ing on the street on Sundays, and teaching a young peo ple’s Bible Class, and attending all sorts of student meet ings, and studying hard besides. Donald wrinkled his brow a little as he thought how long it seemed since morn ing. He had arisen before five because he wished to have a pleasant feeling of leisure in his time alone with the Lord. His rather austere young face took on an ex pression of tenderness, almost of softness, as he remem bered the blessing he had received that morning from Hebrews eleven. It was verse 22 which had blessed him especially. “By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention o f the departing o f the children o f Israel, and gave com mandment concerning his bones.” Donald had always been fascinated by the life of Joseph as told in Genesis. First, the dreamy lovable lad with his visions of a great future and his youthful flaunt of these dreams before a group of envious brothers. Then the cruel trick by which these men sent him into a captiv ity that must have seemed hopeless. From a “coat of many colors” to slavery! “The grit of him!” Donald would mutter, involuntarily setting his own square jaw, as he read on to find young Joseph quietly making the best of a very bad combination against him. “And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound. . . . A n d the keeper o f the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and what soever they did there he was the doer o f it.” “And so Joseph was the only original, very first trusty,” Donald announced as he was preaching in the city jail— another of his many activities. “And do ye know why? Because he trusted in his God and wasn’t lazy. He didn’t lie down on his back and cry about his hard luck. I tell you, fellows, it’s God and God only that knows how to make a real man.” And so on and on until the poor out casts and'wrecks before him actually began to take heart of grace 1 afid to feel a little ray of hope steal into their long-darkened hearts, as they heard the Gospel of the cleansing blood of Christ. Yes! The life of Joseph was enthralling to this young
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