The Family Circle

New Zealand Tablet, 8 June 1916, Page 53

The Family Circle

MOTHER'S WAY. Oft within our little cottage, As the shadows gently fall, While the sunlight touches softlyOne sweet face upon the wall, Do we gather close together, And m hushed and tender tone Ask each other's full forgiveness For the wrong that each hath done. Should you wonder why this custom At the ending of the day, Eye and voice would quickly answer:. ' It was once our mother's way.' If our home be bright and cheery, If it holds a welcome true, Opening wide its door of greeting To the —not the few ; If we share our father's bounty With the needy day by day, 'Tis because our hearts remember This was ever mother's way. Sometimes when our hands grow weary Or our tasks seem very long; When our burdens looks too heavy, And we deem the right all Wrong; . Then we gain a new, fresh courage, And we rise to proudly say: ' Let us do our duty bravely This was our dear mother's way.' Thus we keep her memory precious, While we never cease to pray That at last, when lengthening shadows Mark the evening of our day, They may find us waiting calmly To go home our mother's way. —Rev. Abram J. Ryan. TOLD OF THE IRON DUKE. * The great Duke of Wellington was very particular about having his orders strictly obeyed, and had a chance once to become the victim of his own stern theory of discipline. It was while he was visiting Lord Derby at one of his numerous country mansions, which 1 was undergoing a series of extensive repairs; A number of the walls were being re-decorated, and in the great hall a beautiful new mosaic floor was being laid. In order to prevent any injury to it, Lord Derby bought a number of pairs "iTf slippers, which he had placed at the entrance to the hall, ordering a young workman, whom he chanced to see there, to insist that any one who entered should put on a pair of the slippers, and remove his boots or shoes. 'But if any one should refuse, sir?' asked the workman. Put him out.' ' Yes, my Lord.' Very soon after, that a hunting . party returned, and the Duke of Wellington, covered with splashes of mud, come tearing up to the door of the hall and started to enter. Take off your boots, sir!' called out the young man, who was mounted on a ladder near the ceiling. . The Duke, not comprehending the cause of this extraordinary order, grew red with anger, and strode farther into the room whereupon the workman, slipping down the ladder like a cat, promptly collared the astonished and indignant hero of Waterloo,, and thrust him out of doors. It was but- natural that he should report this behaviour T to his host, who, quite forgetting his r order" to the workman, {summoned' all the artisans before him and demanded to know who had committed this outrage upon his distinguished guest. The offen-

der stepped forward, all of a tremble. ' I did it, my Lord.' - ; And how came you to do so outrageous a thing, you rascal?' asked the indignant nobleman. Because you ordered me to,' was the reply.'Well, upon my word,' answered the "owner of the premises, ' I believe you are right. I was anxious that no one should dare to spoil my floor, you see,' he continued, addressing the Duke of Wellington: ' and— But the Iron Duke interposed: ' I withdraw my complaint, my dear friend, with a thousand apologies to you, as well as to this honest young fellow, who will, I hope, have the kindness to accept a sovereign from an old soldier who believes in obeying orders.'— Maria. HOW SOME WORDS ORIGINATE. Word building is as much a piece, of carpentry as is house building. Only it takes longer. Sometimes a century or more. And by that time the word's first meaning is usually changed. • For example, the old word for 'neighbor' was 'sib.' One's good neighbor was known as one's 'good sib.' _ This became shortened to ' godsib,' and later to gossip.' Then the word's whole meaning changed and gossip no longer meant good neighbor, but applied to the sort of talk exchanged between good neighbors. Take the word 'farmer,' too. The old word for ' farmer ' was ' boor.' (And ' boor ' later was used for describing farmerlike or rough persons.) The farmer living nearest to one was known as his ' nighboor,' and this phrase, in course of time, was twisted to 'neighbor.' You've heard the proverb ' Little pitchers have big ears.' Well, it doesn't refer to the utensil that holds water. ' Pitcher ' was a slang term with some such meaning as our word 'chap' or. fellow.' Thus, ' Little fellows have big ears' is a more sensible rendering of the proverb. VISITING CARDS. The origin of visiting cards has long been attributed to Louis XV. of France. Later researches prove that in 1572 a nobleman named Giacomo Contarini employed a small square of parchment, with his name and arms, to communicate with his brother, a student of Padua University. In Bologna, too, professors used to nail a scrap of paper, with their name, on the door of their studies when they did not wish to be disturbed. From Italy the usage of cards spread to France and, as they were the exclusive privilege of the rich, they were beautifully ornamented with drawings, miniature paintings, arabesques, and mottoes. Only toward the middle of the eighteenth century did they become objects of common use. Nowadays, they are probably regarded by many as an almost necessary element of the little social amenities of life. WANTED TO BETTER HERSELF. Rosie had been a naughty little girl. Her father, wishing to reprove her, said:. * Papa's Rosie is such a naughty girl I think he will just have to sell her.' After placidly surveying him for several moments she answered: ' Well, I want to be selled to somebody what has an automobile.' - -i THE OLD-TIME GAMES. r. The boys and girls of the present day, who become enthusiastic over the 'newest games, would be surprised if they: could discover how closely many -of the "oldtime pastimes resemble our own. v ; *\ ; i ■..■'"!•■ "'':£"■ I

The Eskimos of the frozen North, the Tupinambras of the Brazilian pampas, the gamins of the Paris streets, the boys and girls of London have one kindred tie—the love of sport. There is nothing new under the sun, said the wise man; and . especially is there nothing new in youthful games. Archaeologists have found dolls in Egyptian pyramids and on prehistoric tombs; the name of a popular ball-club was found scrawled upon the outer walls of Pompeiian houses, and one of the most exciting matches on record was the one stubbornly fought between the rival nines of Montezuma, King of Mexico, and Nezahualpili, 'tzin of Tezcuco. y The boys of ancient Greece and Rome played at whip-top, and quoits, and baseball, and pitch-penny, and blindman's-buff, and hide-and-seek, and jackstones, and follow-my-leader, just as do the boys of to-day; the girls were experts at see-saw, and swinging, and dancing, and grace-hoops, and dice-throwing, and ball-play; and, in Sparta, even at running, wrestling, and leaping. TALL STORIES. At a dinner one evening recently there were a number of famous artists. Frivolity prevailed, and soon the conversation turned to art. Said one of them : ' The other day I painted a little deal board in imitation of marble with such accuracy that, on being thrown into the water, it immediately sank to the bottom.' ' Faugh!' said another. ' Yesterday I hung my thermometer on the easel supporting my view of the Polar regions. It fell at once twenty degrees below freezing-point.' ' All that is nothing,' remarked the third artist, in conclusion. 'My portrait of a prominent New York millionaire was so lifelike that it had to be shaved twice a week/" SALA AND THE CABMAN. Before the days when it was necessary to economise in the matter of cab fares (says the Universe), the late George Augustus Sala enjoyed the delight of a drive round London on his way to the Daily Telegraph office at a trifling cost. Arriving at Charing Cross early one morning the journalist hailed a cab, and, in broken English ordered the driver to take him to ' ze Daily Telegraph.' The cabman, who showed himself to be bad at guessing, thought Sala to be a stranger to London, and took him for a long drive round the West End before pulling up triumphantly at the Telegraph offices. Sala handed the cabman a shilling, and in his best English thanked him for his nice long drive. The cabman's observations upon the characteristic humor of his fare are, unfortunately, lost to posterity. HIS ORDERS. ' Remember,' said the sergeant, ' no one is allowed to dismount without orders.' Murphy was no sooner in the saddle, than he was thrown to the ground. ' Murphy!' yelled the sergeant, when he discovered him lying. breathless on the ground, 'you dismounted.' 'I did.' ' Did you have orders V ' I did.' ' From headquarters, I suppose!' ' No, sir, from hindquarters.'

MUCH MISSING. A young fellow who was an inveterate cigarettesmoker went to the country for a vacation. Reaching the small town in the early morning, he wanted a smoke, but there was no store open. He saw a boy smoking a cigarette, and approached him, saying: ' Say, my boy, have you got another cigarette?' ' No, sir,' said the boy ' but I've got the makings. ' All right,' the city chap said. ' But I can't roll 'em very well. Will you fix one for me?' ' Sure,' said the boy. Don't believe I've got a match,' said the man, as he searched his pockets. The boy handed him a match. ' Say,' the boy said, ' you ain't got anything but the habit, have you X FROM SAD EXPERIENCE. The parish priest had preached a .fine sermon oa married life and its beauties. Two old Irishwomen were heard coming out of church commenting on the address ' 'Tis a fine sermon his reverence gave us,' said one to the other. ' It is, indeed,' was the quick reply, ' and I wish I knew as little about the matter as he does.' THE POLITE FARMER. ■ ' ■ A farmer was driving down . a narrow lane on his way to visit a friend, when he espied an old woman in the middle of the road picking up some pieces of turf, which had evidently dropped from some passing waggon. s. Pulling up his horse to prevent running over her, he said, rather sharply: ' Women and donkeys are always in the way.' 'Sure, sir,' she said, stepping to one -side, I'm glad you've the manners to put yourself last.' FINE DISTINCTION.' Little Molly had been very trying all day. That evening, when her grown-up sister was putting «her to bed, she said she hoped the child would be a better girl to-morrow, and not make everybody unhappy with her naughty temper. Molly listened in silence, thought hard for a few moments, and then said, wisely: ' Yes, when it's me it's temper; when it's you it's nerves.' _/