The Family Circle

New Zealand Tablet, 20 August 1914, Page 61

The Family Circle

ALL THE WAY.

When you come a wearysome bit of the road. Where the stones are thick and the path is steep. And the back is bowed with the heft of the load, The narrowing way is hard to keep. Don’t stop just then for a wasteful sigh, But challenge the worst with steadfast cheer ; If nowhere else, there is help on high— God’s angels will hasten, your pioneer.

When you reach a lonesome bit of the road. Curtained about with mist and murk, And you hear faint sounds from the dread above. Where shivering, grim hobgoblins lurk, Just laugh to scorn their doleful cries— This place is the place to whistle and sing; Brush the fog from your tearless eyes And close to the faith of your fathers cling.

When you stand at a sorrowful bit of the road, And a hand you love has loosed its clasp, When streams are dry that in sweetness flowed. And flowers drop from your listless grasp ; E’en now take heart, for further on

There are hope and joy and the dawn of the da)’. You shall find again what you thought was gone; ’Tis the merry heart goes all the way. BENEVOLENCE REWARDED.

A benevolent elderly gentleman, sitting placidly in a London tramcar, was induced to enter into conversation by two notorious sharpers. After a good deal of talk and some plausible lies they succeeded in persuading the kind-hearted stranger to buy a draft for 255 dollars, for which he gave them three 100-dollar notes and received from them 45 dollars in cash. Some minutes later the pair took their departure. On the first opportunity the conductor of the tram, who had noticed the transaction,- whispered sympathetically to the old gentleman that he was afraid the draft was a fraud. 1 Well, well,’ said the innocent old fellow, beaming blandly through his spectacles, ‘ it can’t be helped. But if that draft is a bigger fraud than my three notes, then I’m not forty-five dollars aheadwhich I rather fancy I am !’ HAD DONE ENOUGH. The only people who are positive they are fitted to bring up children in the way they should go are very old gentlemen and maiden ladies. An amusing little scene, in which the helpful old gentleman ’ figured, occurred the other day at a railway station. Quite a family party were assembled, of the class that believe in making the most of a free country, to await the arrival of an expected guest. Children were there galore, playing round the old gentlemen’s legs, falling periodically over his bag, squealing wildly as they ran into passengers, and retreating in heaps as a porter approached. The ‘ helpful old gentleman ’ stood it as long as he could conscientiously—then, looking over his spectacles, said severely ‘ Stop that noise, you children * Well, I like that,’ answered one of the mothers in a loud, angry tone. But if she did the old gentleman didn’t, and faced the woman as he continued * Now, look here, madam; I’ve brought up three families of children, and not a single child was ever allowed to annoy my neighbors.’ * Well,' i replied the irate lady, ‘ if you’ve brought up three families you’ve certainly done your duty, and I’ll thank you to allow me to bring up mine.’

THE REASON WHY.

A Birmingham man, arm in arm with an old friend, revisiting his native place, after an absence of many years, was discussing old times, when the returned one began a series of questions as to the friends of other days. > ‘Teil me,’ said Ije, ‘about your aunt, old Mrs, Blank. ■ She must be rather feeble now.’ • ‘ We buried her last year,’ said the other. ‘ Buried her? Dear me! Is the old lady dead?’ ‘Yes; that why we buried her,’ was the response. V ’ . v

THOUGHT OF MOTHER.

A boy, who afterward become Governor of the State of Massachusetts, once came near being drowned. The boat in which he was sailing was capsized, and he had to swim more than a mile ; but he finally reached shore in safety; and when he reached home and told his mother what a long distance he had to swim, she asked him how ho managed to hold out so long. ‘ I thought of you, mother,’ replied the boy, ‘ and kept on swimming. Jhe thought ol mother helped him in the moment of , his greatest need, and thus saved his life, not only to himself and to his mother, but also to-the State and the nation. ’I ho thought of mother has saved many boys and girls, men and women, from sinking, s Indeed, it has done more than that. The thought of mother has nob only saved men from death, but it has inspired them to the most noble and heroic achievements. The thought of mother’s love, mother’s life, mother’s toils, mother’s sacrifice, mother’s sleepless nights for our comfort and safety ; thoughts of these things have helped many souls over the rough and dangerous places in life, and finally into the Heavenly Father’s house. ;

GETTING AT IT

It is a good thing to remember the right word at the right time, but it is not everyone who does it by such a curious succession of ideas as the man who dashed into a chemist’s shop the other day, and accosted the assistant with—- ‘ Here, I say, I want some medicine, and I want it quick, too ! But for the life of me I can’t tell what the name is!’ ‘ Well, how on earth do you expect to get it, then?’ demanded the disgusted youth. ‘I can’t help you!’ ‘ Yes,* you can,’ said the would-be customer, promptly. ‘What’s the name of that famous Arctic explorer ?’ ‘Do you mean Nansen?’ ‘ That’s it! That’s it! And what’s the name of the other fellow that tried to reach the Pole some years before, you know? Celebrated character, you know ‘ Well, there was Ross, Kane, Franklin, Nares, Parry ’ ‘Good! I’ve got it! I’ve got it!’ shouted the customer. * That’s what I want! Gimme six-penn’orth of paregoric ! y

EVERY LITTLE HELPS. There was once a farmer who had a large field of corn ; he ploughed and planted the corn and harrowed it and weeded it. with great care, and on this field he depended for the support of his family. But after he had worked so hard he saw the corn begin to droop and wither for want of rain he thought he would lose his crop. He felt very sad, and went every day to look at his crop and see if there was any sign of rain. , . v; One day as he stood looking at the sky—and almost in - despairtwo little rain-drops up in the clouds, over his head, saw him, and one said to the other: Look at the poor farmer! I feel very sorry for him; he has taken such pains with his field of corn/ and- now

it is all drying up for want of rain; I wish I could do something to relieve him.’ ‘ Yes,’ said the other, ‘ but you are only a little rain-drop; what can you do? You can’t even wet one hillock.’ Well, said the first, ‘ to be sure I can’t do much, but I can cheer the farmer a little, at any rate, and I am resolved to do my best. I’ll try. I’ll go'to the field to show my good will, if I cagrdo.no more; so here I go.’ And down went the rain-drop and came pat on the farmer’s nose and fell on a stock of corn. Dear me!’ said the farmer, putting his fingers to his nose, ‘what’s that ? A rain-drop! Where did it come from ? 1 believe we shall have a shower.’ Ihe first rain-drop had no sooner started for the field than the second said : ‘ Well, if you go, I believe I will go too, so down went the second rain-drop on another stock.

A great many other, rain-drops having come together to hear what their companions were talking about, one of them said : ‘lf you’re going on such a good errand, I’ll go too,’ and down he went. ‘ And I,’ said another ; ‘ and I,’ ‘and I,’ ‘ and I,’ and so on till the whole shower of them came, and the corn was all watered and it grew and ripened, all because the first little rain-drop determined to do what it could. Never be discouraged, dear children, because you can’t do much. Do what you can. Angels can do no more.

EXTINGUISHED,

At a certain Midland station the other day an impressive-looking old gentleman, followed by, a young lady, entered a third-class compartment. As the train was moving out of the station a small boy, with an impudent, aggressive air, jumped into the compartment and planted himself between the old gentleman and his companion. With a condescending nod to the young lady, the newcomer produced a pouch and proceeded to roll a cigarette with easy assurance. The portly gentleman interfered.

‘ My boy,’ he began, ‘ this is not a smoking-com-partment.’

‘lndeed!’ ejaculated the youth. Having found a vesta in his ticket-pocket he lighted up. 1 My dear sir,’ he remarked, blowing a couple of whiffs of smoke in the old gentleman’s face, to that worthy’s utter disconjfiture, ‘ I certainly see no notice in this particular compartment giving permission to smoke. However, it is equally certain that there is no notice forbidding the same. This company, I am happy to say, is thoroughly up to date, and the old and obnoxious rules tending to interfere with the liberty of the subject are now obsolete.’ The old gentleman gasped, and the eloquent youngster shot an impudent glance at the lady. If he expected encouragement from that quarter he was disappointed. ‘ As you say,’ she remarked sweetly, ‘ a good many of the rules and regulations appear to be obsolete — the one referring to puppies and the guard’s van, for instance.’

The old gentleman beamed on his fair ally as orator and cigarette were alike extinguished. AN INQUISITIVE CHILD. The train was crowded. In one compartment a dignified middle-aged gentleman was trying to read. Among the passengers was a lady with a very sprightly little girl who had blue eyes, hair of glistening gold, and an inquisitorial tongue. She asked the dignified gentleman innumerable questions and played with his watch chain. > The mother fairly beamed upon him. He was becoming nervous, and turning to the lady, said: Madam, what do you call this sweet child The mother smiled, and replied: , ‘ Ethel.’ ‘ Please call her, then.’