THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF MOTHERS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIII, Issue 29, 13 November 1885, Page 9

THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF MOTHERS.

(From the Catholic Times.) A.T the patronal feast of the Chnich of St. Anne, Spicer street, the sermon was preached by his Eminence the Cardinal- Archbishop of Westminster, from the words, " A gracious woman shall find glory." Having made a touching reference to the first night he visited St. Anne s Church, and expressed the satisfaction and joy he felt at knowing that the spirit of St. Anne was upon them, both pastors and people, a fact which was proved by the care taken of their little ones, his Eminence pointed out that in the life of St. Anne they had brought before them the duty of a mother, and what a mother ought to be. God has so ordained, said his Eminence, that the mother has the chief and the first part in forming, shaping and fashioning the soul of the child. s

The father has little to do until the child grows to a certain age but for all the first years of the life of a boy or girl, it is the mother who has to bring up the child. The potter with the clay in his hand can form and shape it as he wills. The mother has power over the mind, the heart, the conscience and the will of the child Tbe mother exercises her power, first of all, by right of love. Just'asyou put iron into the fire if you wish to soften it and to beat it into any shape, so the love of a mother can do what no father can do. The child often will shrink from the father with a kind of fear, but will run to the mother because it trusts in her love. Therefore, the bringing-up, rearing, and training of a child belongs to the mother. How great, then, is the responsibility which rests upon you, mothers ! If you are holy, humble, faithful and pions, if you practice your religion, if you lead a good and' holy life, if you allow the brightness of your holy faith to be seen in your life, how much you may do in forming and training your children, bringing up your boys after the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, and your girls after the example of our Immaculate Mother. What I wish to bring before you to-night is your responsibility with regard to your little ones, and I do not know that I can do this better than by showing you how God loves every little child. And if the love of God for a little child be so great, how can you, without being guilty of sin befoie Him, have hearts without love, or be careless in that which He, with all the love of His eternal charity, and the watchfulness and tbe providence of His care, is continually striving to do for your little ones 1 The love of God is your example, and as God loves these children, you are bound to love them nccording to the full measure of the love of your hearts, and to do for them all that lies in your power. " Suffer little children to come unto Me," said our Lord, " for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven." Our Lord took the little children in His arms and laid His hands upon them and blessed them. Again, He said to His Apostles, " unless you become as httle children, you shall in no wise enter into the Kingdom of Heaven." Once more, He said, " Take heed how you scandalise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels do always behold the face of My Father who is in Heaven." Once more, He said, " If any man scandalise one of these little ones who trust in Me, it were better for that man that a millstone were tied round his neck and that he was cast into the depths of the sea." If, then, God set such a price upon tbe soul of a little child, what is the price at which we should value it? Why, his Eminence asked, was it that God loved little children so much, and, proceeding to enumerate tbe reasons, pointed out that amongst others one was because His own image was reflected in the soul of a little child. In grown-up people that reflection was often blurred, but in the soul of a little child tbe image of God was brightly reflected. Another was because they were heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven. They had all been made heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven, but every man that committed a mortal sin forfeited his rights to that inheiitance. This was not the case with a little child. For this reason we should love little children. There is another reason, said his Eminence, why they should be the special object of our solicitude and carp, and that i*s because they are in such danger. First of all, as they grow up, all the sin that is in us— the sinful thoughts, the sinful imaginations, the sinful inclinations— they are all like seeds in the mind and in the soul of a little child, and as the child grows up, the seeds will grow up too, and become a source of danger, temptation and peril. There is aaother great danger. We have not only to n>ht against the sin that is in us, but the sin that is round about us. The world is on every side of our little ones. The world is like the air we breathe, and the nir we breathe ip often tainted. And we sometimes drink in fever and all manner of sickness, when we are in a sickly atmosphere. And so the world is tainted, and little children, growing up in that atmosphere, are drinking in the fever and temptation of tbe world. Go through the streets of this great city, and you will understand my meaning. Every little child that goes over the threshold of your homes goes out into these streets, where, as I have said the a»r is tainted, where everything that strikes the eye and ear is charged with evil. And nobody knows how soon these little children may begin to learn and to know what they see and hear and bo be tainted, stained and poisoned. There is another dangerbad companionship. God only knows how great the danger is Again, sometimes that which should be the greater shelter and safety to the little child is the greatest danger and the cause of all ruin. A holy home is the best school for a little child to grow up and learn in. The home of Anne, the home of Mary, was a holy home If your homes were like that holy home, then your daughters would grow up in the likeness of our Blessed Mother, and your sons after the example of our Divine Saviour. 1 trust that you have all homes of that kind. I know you know as well as I that there are homes in this great city anything but what I have been describing. What is the condition of the home of the drunkard? Miserable and unhappy.

I know the condition of tbe drunkard's home, because the poor little ones of the drunken father and mother are to be found in the Protestant schools of the Poor Law, where they are brought up without the knowledge of their faith. The last reason I will give is this —the offspring of all the lower anima'a as soon as they come into the world can take care of themselves. The offspring of man made

to the image and likeness of God, the highest and noblest of all God's creatures, comes into the world so helpless, so weak, so ignorant, so unable to take care of itself that unless you, fathers and mothers take care of your offspring they must inevitably perish. From the beginning you have to watch over them, to teach them to walk to teach them to speak, to teach them to know and to tell what is true to instruct them in what is right and wrong. Think, then, of the responsibility you have with regard to yonr little children, remember* mg that you will have to give an account of every one of them at tbe last day.

There are a few counsels I wish to give yon. The first is this— take care to make your home what I was just now describing— the shelter and safety of your children. Let no evil come over yonr threshold. Lead lives like good Christians and Catholics, so that your little ones may learn of you all the day long. Never let an angry or unholy word be heard under your "roof. Let your home be tbe best school in which your children can learn, and take care whom you admit into your home. I have had reason to know within the last year what miserable homea there are in this great city. I know that there are dwelling-places that are not worthy of the name of homes— hovels that are not fit for man to dwell in. lam aware of the existence of these things, but I want you to remember this— that a borne does no* consist in a good house. There is many a good house in which there is no home to be found, and I will tell you why. It is because of the disorder and misery of the whole family.

By a good home I mean a home like that of the holy familyall living together in faith and charity and the lore of God. Home is a sacred word. Take care that your children shall see you every Sunday and day of obli nation in the church ; lead your children by the hand to the holy Mass. Take care that your children axe ia time for school every day, and make sure that they are always ia time for the religious instruction, and teach your children to be dutiful to their teachers and loving and kind to their companions. Teaih them to be industrious in learning their lessons, for, next to their religion, their learning at school is the most important part of their education. Once more, I wish I could enroll them all in the League of the Cross. I think I may say that with confidence in this church. First of all, I see a large number of tbe members of the League here around me. These men »re helping- by their example, to redeem our people from the curse— aye, I will say the hell~of intoxicating drink. These men have banded themselves together to keep the League of the Cross in its full vigour and its full power. I will ask of them now to keep a witch over every one that has the name of a Catholic and over every Catholic child. I will ask of them if they see a Catholic child in the streets, or if they see a child whom they think ought to be a Catholic to find it out, and if they see any peril besetting that child, let them do what they can to protect it. There is another reason why I should have confidence in expressing the wish I have. It is this : I have myself enrolled numbers of your little ones already in the League of the Cross, and I know the good Fathers have enrolled ma iy more. I have one more word to say, and now lam speaking to young and old. I speak especially to the young men, young wom°n, boys and girls. Avoid all the occasions of sin. There are places In which I hope none of you will ever set a foot. I will not say that it ia unlawful for you to set your foot into a theatre or playhouse. Thai depends upon what the place is. There may be theatres, there may be playhouses where what you will bear and see will not be contrary to the law of God. I would say to you, however, that you are not bound to set a foot in a theatre or playhouse, and if you take my advice, you will never set your foot in one or the other.

Find your amusements in some safer places. There are also music halls and dancing-rooms in which none of you ought ever to put your foot. Fathers and mothers, keep your sons and daughters from all such places of amusement. Once more, be careful as to°\rhat company your children keep. There is no danger greater to the soul than a bad friend. A bad book is a curse, but a bad friend is worse. Also tell your children when they walk throu.'h the street not to speak to anyone whom they do not know. Warn them against taking any gift from anyone in the streets. Warn them also against being enticed to any place of amuspment by anyone in the street. May youi great patron St. Anne, and the Immaculate Mother of God offer up perpetually their prayers in heaven for you. May God the Holy Ghost pour out upon you His seven gifts to make you wise and strong ; mar He open the hearts of all to know the will of God, and may He protect you from the dangers which are round about you. May the Holy Ghost pour out upon you the love of God, and so bind you all to the foot of the Ckks and to your poor little ones, so that at the last day you may stand before our Heivenly Father, and that you all may enter into the Kingdom of Eternal Life.