The Family Circle

New Zealand Tablet, 13 November 1919, Page 45

The Family Circle

EARLY # DAYS. Looking back along life's pathway, ' ■■' Y " ♦Oft a drear and barren track, ' Lo, I reach at length a doorway Whence come dreamlike memories back. And I. see the quaint old cottage Nestled there against the hill; Round the porch the roses cluster, Breathing forth their sweetness still. ; Yonder flows the murmuring river, Past the church, a ruin grey, To whose mouldering walls the ivy Clings and fondly hides decay. Here, a child, at eve I've wandered, Yet with feelings tinged with fear, 'Midst its peaceful, sombre beauty, For the dead were buried near. Yet I waited, idly dreaming, As the river flowed along; I could see the trees above it Bending low to catch its song. Till the twilight gloom would deepen, And the day's warm tints efface; And a bird's unbidden vespers Fill the ancient;, holy place. With, the grey night stealing o'er me, And her garments trailing low, And her mystic peace around me, Home through fragrant fields I'd go. When for me at last life's sunset, Fades forever in the West, In the gloaming I will hasten, Safely, gladly Home to rest. —Eleanora, in the Irish Weekly. RELIGION POINTS THE WAY. Tho Church has been tho bulwark of liberty during the long centuries since she was established. She has always taught her children respect for law and obedience to legitimately constituted authority. Every student of history knows the conditions that existed before Christianity was ushered in. All know how quickly the world was renovated once tho influence of the Church was exerted upon mankind. While the Church demands obedience to her legitimately constituted ecclesiastical superiors, and enjoins upon her children strict adherence to the dictates of religion, she inculcates reverence and obedience to civil authority justly ruling, and imposes this obligation as one binding in conscience. To strengthen the arm of just government, to give society through the enactment of just laws the blessings of peace, she has urged upon the faithful a full measure of co-operation and respect. Glance over the ages that are gone, and you will note that wherever the Church has been heeded civic virtue and moral responsibility have been held in honor by mankind. To-day the Church is no less insistent that her children should exemplify before the world the glories of religion. There is need for men to take thought whether it is better to barter away their inheritance which is dearer than life for a "mess of pottage," or stand courageously before the world . as champions of Christian truth and ethics. Evils there will be, but the Catholic has but one stand to take, and that is on the side always sponsored by the Church. ; Catholics from childhood have been taught righteousness. It becomes their bounden duty to promote the principles upon which the stability of society rests, principles for which the Church has stood for 20 centuries, principles for which our forefathers fought and upon which they reared the greatest Republic that the world has ever known. ■'/"-- "" ~ ; ■;■;>■' ■ _ .. In a word, the Church, as the foremost exponent of liberty through the ages, teaches her children that true freedom' can v : come only -by obedience to God's law and respect for / all legitimately constituted authority. The Church ' teaches ceaselessly < and unerringly what i .the j duty of i every Catholic : is. .i-. We. must heed those teachings. Therein only lies the -guarantee of domestic peace, of" national stability, and of- international^ tranquillity. ,? •■<--■'"

;■?>-> i. j. REQUIESCAT IN PACE. % %,>• Sweet, gentle nature, learned, pious,.. kind, ; -il i Your task is nobly- done, the task assigned 2 To you by Heaven. You did not . point the way Alone, but led and in your meekness lay % The secret of your hold on those - H Placed in your care. Your eyelids close -xV% ■ On a world the better for your stay. '■'>■-'■ it From many hearts will rise this day The sad, sweet prayer, Requiescat in Pace./ 4 : ■ ■K'>"-; —P. G. Woods. NATIONAL GREATNESS. Father Hays, at Isleworth, London, recently, . in the course of special sermons, stated that the greatest and gravest danger which to-day menaced not merely the life and well-being of nations, but the very existence of the fabric of our Christian civilisation, was the decay of homelife and the decline of virtue in the family. The greatness of a nation depended upon its home-life and the virtue of its citizens. No nation deserved to live that did not stand for the eternal principles of truth and justice and liberty. If we built our Empire on mere material prosperity, what had we? An Empire that would pass away. If we built up our homes and our family life without supernatural virtue and sent our children to face the perils of the age without a Christian education, what had we but a people drifting slowly but surely to paganism ? Jesus Christ came oh earth to redeem humanity and to regenerate society. By the example of His life, which was the highest, the holiest, and the most' perfect, He had taught us that the shattered ruins of our civilisation could be rebuilt only on a moral and spiritual basis. What the world required to-day was a new proclamation of Christ's gospel to humanity and a new enforcement of the principles of the Saviour in the lives of men. The home was the corner-stone of the social fabric, and if we would regenerate society and reform the world we must begin with the individual in the home. What was wanted was the living spirit of the living Christ, inspiring the minds and dominating the lives of all who professed His Name. FROM ALTAR BOY TO ! His cheeks grew red from the candle heat As the carpet under his noiseless feet. And no two stars could be half so bright As his deep brown eyes in the candle light. An angel, he seems, with his surplice wings, Who knows when God is to come and rings. And the clouds from the censer swinging there A fragrance leave in his golden hair. It fills us all with a wondrous dread, His nearness unto the Holy Bread. Now I wonder what path in life he'll plan, A doctor—a lawyera merchantman ? God keep him always there, we pray, ' Treading the altar's plush highway. ■ —Leonard Feeney, S.J. REAL EXCITEMENT. "'.'. >v "Yes," said a meek-looking man, "I've no doubt you've had some great hunting experiences in your travels abroad before the war?" "I have indeed," said his burly friend. "Buffalo-hunting?" "Yes." "And bear-hunting?" "Of course!" "Well, you just come round and let my wife take you house-hunting and bargain-hunting with her, then you'll begin to know what real excitement is!" ROSARY ..FROM SHRAPNEL. The boy in the corner bed of the base hospital had been wounded in six places with shrapnel; and when the lead had all been taken out of him, and he was pronounced to be convalescing nicely, nothing would satisfy him but that the nurse should give him the enemy lead and a pair of pincers. Before the war he had been apprenticed to a jeweller, so he knew how to set about his self-appointed task. He carried it out neatly, and 59 little balls were formed of the lead—six of them somewhat larger than the rest —and then pierced and strung together..? And soothe, rosary was made. ■■ y^.v i .i_,

. When was finished, its maker, still- weak and sufferin&^,klssed xt and sent it to his mother. And when it reached its destination a proud, mother took it to the village church, where, at her request, the priest blessed and. indulgenced it. , * : ; . ; ~ v . . _ And daily now she prays for a blessing for her son and on her country—praying upon the balls of lead which had so nearly caused the death of her son. What wonder it now and again her fingers stiffen on the lead, even whilst her lips are moving in prayer.—Exchange. HOW IT ENDED. While his mother was away on a visit, young William neglected to say his prayers. Upon Mrs. ' Jones' return there was a reckoning. "Why didn't you say your prayers, you naughty boy?" Well, you see, it was this way, Ma: I forgot 'em the first night and nothin' happened. 'N' then I didn't say 'em the next night, an' still nothin' happened. 'N' so I decided I wouldn't never say 'em again if nothin' never happened." And then something happened. WHERE HE'D WON THEM. The small boy with the ginger hair and freckled face was walking aimlessly down the street, when he caught sight of a purple-faced veteran with gorgeous uniform and medal-spotted vest posing in the doorway of a business establishment. '■ "Get them medals for pigeon-flying?" he asked. "Pigeon-fiyin' ! No! Run off, Johnnie." "For sweet peas at a garden show, p'r'a'ps?" "Run off, d'ye hear!" Cricket medals, eh? Who did her play for?" "If you don't want a clip on the ear you'd better run homo quick!" "Must 'a' been fairly good at runniii' to get that lot," persisted the boy. " 1 —— M !! !" came from the veteran. "Any'ow," gasped the small boy as he sidled off with some alacrity"any'ow, I don't reckon you ever won 'em at a Sunday school!" A FRIENDLY FLASH. _ Down in the docks they were talking about a schooner which had been struck by lightning, when the reporter singled out an old mariner and said:— . , "Captain Haggles, it seems to me I've read or heard of your brig being struck?" "Yes, she was," answered the old yarn-spinner. "Where was it?" "Off Point aux Barques, about fifteen years ago. Very strange case, that. Probably the only one of the kind" ever heard of. Wo wore jogging along down when a thunderstorm overtook us, and the very first flash of lightning struck the deck amidships, and bored a hole as big as my leg right down through the bottom of the vessel." "And she foundered, of course?" "No, sir. The water began rushing in, and she would have foundered, but there came a second flash, and a bolt struck my fore-to'-gallant-mast. It was cut off near the top, turned bottom end up, and as it came down it entered the hole and plugged it up as tight as a drum. When we got down to dry dock we simply sawed off either end and left the plug in the planks." SMILE RAISERS. "I want something original for this recess," gushed Mrs. Moneybags. "What would you suggest, a landscape or a seascape?" "If you really are striving after originality, madam," replied Mr. Helpful, "why not have a tame fire-escape?" The cost of living is high, but the only tears worth shedding are profiteers. Wife (reading): "Big checks for dresses will not be in demand this season." Husband: "Thank heaven!" Bones: "Do you know that lady across the road?" Jones: "Let me see. There's my wife's hat, my daughter's dress, and my mother-in-law's parasol. Yes ! It's our cook!"