THINGS THOUGHTFUL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16735, 17 May 1922, Page 3

THINGS THOUGHTFUL.

TRUST IN MOTHERS. In a lot of cases young men are far too dependent on their mothers.—l)r W. A. Potts (Birmingham). We live in a world that is very sensitive to disturbances. Scientists tell us that the flight of a bird, the falling of a leaf, the laughter of a child, the vibration of a song changes the whole universe. Shall we send out into it the shouts of passion, the discordant cries of rage, or the melody of sweetness and cheer? i Pleasant thoughts build a house to live in, but each soul must learn for itself the art of building it. Life is made up, not of great sacribees or duties, but of little things, in which smiles and kindness, and small obligations, given habitually, are what win and preserve the heart, and secure comfort.—Sir H. Davy. Jt is not always enough to strike while the iron is hot; sometimes you must first strike until the iron is hot. CONSCIENCE. How beautifully was its office set forth in the ring which, according to an Eastern tale, a great magician presented to his prince 1 The gift was of inestimable value, not for the diamonds and rubies and pearls that gemmed it, but for a rare and mystic property in the metal. It sat easily enough in ordinary circumstances; but so soon as its wearer formed a bad thought or wish, designed or concocted a bad action, the ring became a monitor. Suddenly contracting, it pressed painfully oil the linger, warning him of«sin. Tho ring of that fable is just that conscience which is the voice of God within us, which is His law written on the fleshy tablets of the heart.—Dr Guthrie. Hooking on the bright side is com-; mendable, but the wise man looks on both sides. THE WAY*OF LOVE. In spite of all the egoism, all the cruelty and synicism, all the shame and wrong, that have been in the world since human life began, you will find i that the one act of faith upon which ; all advancing races instinctively unite j is that that man is admirable who sinks his self-interest in furthering the fuller life of his time. There may bo difference of opinion as to the best way of doing this, but scarcely any as to the desirability of doing it. The way of love, which may at times become the way of self-sacrifice, is the soul’s homeward road, the way that leads to the eternal.—Rev R. J. Campbell, M. A. PRAY FOR ME. jß;f thou shouldst never see my face again, Pray for my soul- More things are ! wrought by prayer Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice Rise like a fountain for me night and day. For what are men better than sheep or goats That nourish a blind life within the ! brain, If, knowing God, they lift not hands 1 of prayer Both for themselves and those who call them friend? For so the whole round earth is every way Bound by gold chains about the feet of God. Tennyson. OPINION. It is in our power to have no opin- j ion about a thing, and not to he dis i turbed in our soul concerning it ; for things themselves have no natural power to form our judgments.—Marcus 1 Aurelius. LEARNED BY SUFFERING. j 1 have suffered for love possibly ' more than any man has ever suffered. Hell itself can hold no torments great - i er than it has inflicted on me. It has caused me more misery, more agony, than I should have thought the human heart callable of. And yet I would not have had it otherwise; for 1 owe to it such glimpses of heaven, such an exaltation of happiness as nil glit well compensate me for an eternity of pain.—Keats. LOVE. Love is not to be reasoned down or lost in high ambition and a thirst of greatness. ’Tis second life, it grows into the soul, warms every vain, and , heats in every pulse.—Addison. A MAN’S SIMPLICITY. Simplicity is a state of mind. Tt j dwells in tho main intentions of our j lives. A man is simple when his chief care is the wish to bo what he ought j to be, that is, honestly and naturally ! human. And this is neither so easy j nor so impossible as one might think, j At bottom, it consists in putting our ! acts and aspirations in accordance with j the law of our being, and consequent- , ly with the eternal intention which willed that we should be at all. Let a flower be a flower, a swallow a swallow, a rock a. rock, and let a man be a man. and not a fox, a hare, a bog or a bird of prey ; this is the sum >f the whole matter.—Charles AVagner. a Ml who joy would win must share it— l Tap pi ness was born a twin. < —Byron. i NF.AV INSPIRATIONS. The best things which can come to t rar lives are not novelties but new » i nspirations of the one eternal life. Life j a all its forms makes all things new, t

and makes the world new. Events which have happened a million times before are nevertheless always new with each recurrence. What can be oldjr i than birth, childhood, love, marriage, death? But what can be more new. more full </f fresh in iuenco. bringing a sudden influx of joy or sorrow, awaken - ing the soul to a new life than these? A new truth makes all things new. i James Freeman Clarke.