The Family Circle

New Zealand Tablet, 9 December 1915, Page 61

The Family Circle

THE MAN WHO WINS. The man who wins is an average 'man; Not built on any particular plan. Not blessed with any peculiar luck; Just steady and earnest and full of pluck.

When asked a question, he does not ‘ guess ’ — He knows, and answers, ‘ No ’ or ‘ Yes ’ ; When set a task that the rest can’t do, ' He buckles down till he’s put it through.

Three things he learned : that the man who tries Finds favor in his employer’s eyes; That it pays to know more than one thing well ; And it doesn’t pay all he knows to tell.

So he works and works, till one fine day There’s a better job with higher pay; And the men who shirked whenever they could Are led by the man whose work made good.

For the man who wins is the man who works, Who neither trouble nor labor shirks; Who uses his hands, his head, his eyes; The man who wins is the man who tries. Sacred Heart Review. A PAINTING THAT WAS NOT A PICTURE. The great painter Hogarth,- ,it is said, was quick to resent an injury, whether fancied or real. On one occasion a famous nobleman employed him to paint a picture of the destruction of Pharaoh’s host in the Red Sea. Hogarth had been warned by a friend to bo on his guard: that his new -patron was a driver of hard bargains and a most parsimonious man. ‘ I think I can look out for my own interests, however,’ answered the painter. So it proved. The nobleman at once began to find fault with the price set by Hogarth. ‘ I will give you just half of what you ask,’ he said, ‘ and not one farthing more.’ ‘ Very well,’ said Hogarth. - ‘ I do not often lower my prices; but on account of the immense advantage it will be to me to have so distinguished a customer, I will make an except!op in your favor.’ The nobleman, unconscious of the sarcasm, bade hinrproceed. In two or three days the artist announced that the picture was finished. The great patron was thunderstruck at the shortness of the time occupied, and went, with some misgivings; to inspect the work of art which he had procured at such a low price. He simply found all of the space painted over a bright red color. He was highly indignant, at which one does not wonder. ‘What do you mean,’ he cried to Hogarth, ‘by daubing some of your miserable paint -on my wall and calling it a picture? You know I ordered a painting of the Red Sea.’ ‘ And you have it,’ answered Hogarth, with great calmness.

‘ But where are the Israelites?’ persisted the other. ‘ Oh, they have crossed over!’ ‘And where are the Egyptians?’ ‘ Every single one of them is drowned.’ The nobleman began to laugh'. ‘ You have beaten me at my own game,’ he said. ‘Allow me to present you with the price you at first demanded; and I hope that at your first leisure you will paint me a picture of the Red Sea more easily recognised than.the one before me. —Ave Marin. ■ THE DOCTOR’S STORY. * Children, I have a story to tell you,’ the old doctor said to the young people the other evening. ■

‘ Let us hear it,’ was the response, and the doctor gave his story as follows :■ v" 1 ‘One day—a long, hot day-it. had been, too, I met my father on the way to the nearby town. “I wish you would take this package to ; the village for me,” he said, hesitating. Now, I was a boy of 12, not fond of work, and was just out of the field, where I had been at work since daylight. I was tired, hungry, and dusty. It was two miles into town. I wanted to get my supper, and to wash and dress for singing school. My first impulse was to refuse, and to do. it harshly for I was vexed that I should be asked to do such anerrand after my long day’s work. I thought he would go himself, should I refuse. He was a patient, gentle old man. Something kept me from saying noone of Gods good angels, I think. “Of course, father, I’ll take it., ’ I said heartily, as-I gave my scythe to one of the men. Father gave me the package. “ Thank you, Jim, he said, ‘‘l was going myself, but from some cause I don t feel well to-day.” He walked with me to the road, that turned on to the town. As he left he put his hand on my arm and said, “ Thank you, my son. You ve always been a good boy to me, Jim.” I hurried into the town, delivered the package and hurried back home. When I came near the house I saw a crowd of farm hands at the door. One of them, the tears rollmg down his face, came to me and said, “ Your father fell dead just as he reached the house after he left you The last words he spoke were to you.” I’m an old man now but I have thanked God all my life that those last words were “ You’ve always been a good boy to me.” ' THE EXCUSE. A. kindergarten teacher in our snow country tells a good joke on herself. She had been very strict in requiring .written excuses from the mothers in case of absence. The morning .of the big snow storm only a few of the babies made their appearance. The next day they all came with written excuses, except one tot named Willie. When asked for his he said: ‘I did ferdit it.’

He was cautioned to bring it the next day. W illie s mother was quite disgusted. It seemed to her that any one with the slightest pretensions to gray matter ought to know the reason for his absence. The next morning he arrived all rosy with the cold, and handed the teacher his excuse. It read: ,;■ Deal Miss C , : Little Willie’s legs are fourteen inches long. The snow was two feet deep. Very truly yours, Mrs J .’ J J

ITER FAVORITE GUEST. Two ladies sitting on a cottage verandah by a lakeside were discussing some young girls who had recently visited the resort— house-party of some six or eight guests of the granddaughter of one of the ladies. _ ‘ What a lovely set of girls you had at the cottage !’ said the other lady to the grandmother. ‘Yes,’ she answered heartily, they are all nice girls, and were all anxious to do their part in helping in the work, sweeping, washing dishes, and coming often to me to do something more. They were a very willing set of girls, and I enjoyed their stay.’ ‘I. knew you would,’ replied the younger lady, ‘'especially when I knew Sue Draper was to be of "the party. She’s such a pleasant girl, and Rose Bartlett, too.’

Certainly they are,’ said the older lady. ‘They have a fine training and they do credit to it ; but neither of- them was my “favorite guest. Faith Stuart filled that place.’ The younger lady raised her eyebrows, a little perplexed, .‘Did she? Might I ask why? She seems a nice girl, but so quiet, and not so gay and attractive as the others.’ NS The grandmother smiled. ‘Perhaps not to people in general, but especially so to me. And if I were asked to indicate her charm, I should . say .it . was because she saw what was to be done, and did it without

J ■ asking, and was refreshingly quiet about it all. She drew the shades when the sun poured in, she got fresh water for the vases, and she never' forgot to close the doors. I’ll admit _ her natural qualifications were less than those of some of the others—she is not so handsome as Rose, nor so clever as my own granddaughter, but I could well spare a little of Madeline’s vivacity if she could exchange it for a little of Faith’s gentleness and thought for others. ‘ Oh, but,’ expostulated her friend, Madeline’s a dear girl, and she would do just the same, only it isn’t natural for young girls always to think of other people —they have so many absorbing concerns of their own.’ . ‘ I suppose that’s why I find the one who does think so especially attractive,’ said Madeline’s grandmother. TOOK TO THE WATER. A woman who lives in Chicago has a canary of which she has long been fond, and is now both fond and proud. Its cage hangs in a room heated by a large coal stove. One afternoon the woman was going out for a little while, and as the fire was low she filled the stove and opened the draught. She was gone longer than she expected, and when she got back the stove was red hot, and the''air of the room was like a furnace seven times heated. Her first thought was of the canary. She glanced up at the cage. The bird was nowhere in sight, and she stepped into a chair, expecting to find the little fellow lying on the floor of the cage, dead. Instead, to her delight, there he sat in his bathtub, squatting down in the water, with nothing, out but his head, and even that he was ducking at short intervals.

JAPANESE PROVERBS. * It has been said that the Japanese are as apt and unique in their proverbs as they are in their works of art. What, for example, could be more appropriate to men in certain desperate circumstances than this; ‘ Man may shout when he can no longer swim ' ? ‘ While the tongue works, the brain sleeps,’ is another saying of the Japanese, which expresses their contempt for loquacious persons. The Japanese are quick at repartee. Their wit is keen and tempered, and they can often administer a perfect snub in brief, terse form. In illustration of this there may be cited the following instance. There was being tried in court a case involving the possession and ownership of a piece of property". The litigants were brothers. The holder, who was clearly not the rightful owner, had assaulted and ejected his brother and was protesting his right to defend his claim.

The examining magistrate listened very patiently to him until he closed with the words, ‘ Even a cur may bark at his own gate.’ Then the judge quaintly voiced the judgment, as if stating an abstract point of law : ‘ A dog that has no gate,bites at his own risk.’

A DEAL IN DUCKS. * You say it is quite impossible for you to agree with Farmer Perry on these points?’ said Hodges’s solicitor to him. ‘ Aye !’ answered Hodges. ‘Then I’m afraid there’s no help for it; the matter will have to go before the judge.’ ‘ Very well,’ said Hodges. then, after a pause, he added : ‘Do you think it would do any good to send the judge a couple of fine.fat ducks? 1 ‘Not unless you wish to 'lose your case,’ said the lawyer decisively. And Hodges left,' apparently convinced.

In due course the case was tried, and Hodges gained a verdict. * I believe I won because I sent them ducks, after all,’ he said to his lawyer afterwards.

What!’ said the astonished man of six-and-eight-pences. ‘Do you men to say -you sent them?’ ‘ Aye 1’ was the reply; ‘ but thinking bn what you said, I sent ’em in Perry’s name !’ CANNOT SPEAK ENGLISH. It is hard to be called upon to see the point of a joke without being given sufficient time in which to do so. A gentleman with a serious face said at a recent small gathering of people : ‘ What are we coming to ? Statistics show that in Yorkshire there are 30,000 persons, all natives of the West Riding, who cannot speak the English language!' ‘.lmpossible!’ everyone exclaimed. man. And all English, you sayX’ ‘ Certainly—and all under two years of age!’ NOT TO EAT IT.

During a particularly nasty dust storm at one of the camps a recruit ventured to seek shelter in the sacred precincts of the cook’s domain.

After a time he broke an awkward silence by saying to the cook ;

‘ If you put the lid on that camp-kettle you would not get so much dust in your soup.’ The irate cook glared at the intruder, and then broke out;

See here, my lad. Your business is to serve your country.’

‘ Yes,’ interrupted the recruit, * but not to eat it.’

NOT TO BE REPEATED. A Scottish prison chaplain, recently appointed, entered one of the cells on,his first round of inspection ami thus addressed the prisoner who occupied it. ‘ Well, my man, do you know who I am?’ No, nor I dinna care!’ was the nonchalant reply. ‘ Well, I’m your new chaplain.’ Oh, ye are? Then I hae heard o’ ye before!’ " ‘ And what did you hear?’ returned the chaplain,, his curiosity getting the better of his dignity. ! Well, I heard that the last twa kirks ye were in ye preached them baith empty; but I can say ye willna find it quite sao easy to do the same wi this one.,” ALL THE DIFFERENCE. » ‘ Young man,’ said the banker, ‘ I’ve decided that it’s about time for me to put a check on your aspirations towards the hand of my daughter.’ ‘ Oh, thank you, sir. But wouldn’t it be better to wait until we’re married —then the cheque would come as a wedding present. It would save my feelings a great deal.’ BOTH HAD EXPIRED. ‘ Do you want the court to understand,’ he said’,. ‘ that you refuse to renew your dog license?’ ‘ Yes, sir, but ’ ‘We want no “ but.” You must renew the licenseor be fined. You know that it expired on January 1,. don’t you ?’ ‘ Yes, sir; so did the dog, sir.’