The Family Circle

New Zealand Tablet, 20 November 1919, Page 45

The Family Circle

|;JJ- —A BOY'S CREED. Be honest, lad, in word and deed, In all you say and do; Treat others ;in your walk of life As you'd have them treat you; Don't steal another's precious time, Or blot a spotless name You may not think that stealing, 'tis . Dishonest just the same. Be —there's nothing half so grand As character of truth; Let never trace of falsehood stain The glory - of your youth. Let every thought you harbor be As clear and pure as day, Sincerity of purpose gleam >, In every word you say. Be brave—don't be afraid to stand Up boldly for the right, And evil firmly to opposo With all your fearless might; For real courage only fears What it is wrong to do —■ To live a hero's life, my lad, Bo honest, brave, and true! M. Montgomery.

MANNERS AT HOME. The presence of good manners is nowhere more needed or effective than in the household, and perhaps nowhere more rare. Whenever the familiarity exists there is a tendency to loosen the check upon selfish conduct which the presence of strangers involuntarily produces. Many persons who are kind and courteous in company are rude and careless with those whom they love best. Emerson says: "Good manners are made up of petty sacrifices," and certainly nothing can more thoroughly secure the harmony and peace of the family than the habit of making small sacrifices for one another. Children thus learn good manners in the best and most natural way, and habits thus acquired will never leave them. Courtesy and kindness will never lose their power or their charm, while all spurious imitations of them are to be despised. How few of Us reveal the love we feel for our own. Our relations with those who are dearest are so intimate that it seems unnecessary to express in words the depth of our affection. But there is no man or woman who does not feel happier when the words, "I love you," fall from the lips of the best beloved.

CATHOLIC SELF-DENIAL.

"How shall that building be filled in the future?" asked a non-Catholic, looking at the Cathedral in St. Paul, U.S.A.

A companion, also a non-Catholic, found the answer. "See that splendid Catholic school near the Cathedral," he said; "it is from that that pews in the Cathedral will be filled in the future." Archbishop Ireland, who "related this little story, told of the sources that maintained the parish school. "Whence js it that we have been able to build our superb schools and colleges?" he asked. "I give the reply. They are the fruits of Catholic self-denial. , "There is the self-denial of parents, who, from their scanty earnings, are willing to set aside the money needed to build school homes and to defray therein the expenses of the education of their children.

"There is the self-denial of priests, Brothers, and Sisters, who work without thought of worldly remuneration, giving themselves in utter oblation to the cause of Christian education, because that cause is the cause of the Church of God. - -.-.'••

"For aid to the priests, to Brothers, to Sisters, in their magnificent work of Christian education, I call on every Catholic to make their work his own work, to value that work as the highest charity. "In the Catholic parish school there is a remedy for the evil j that is sapping the nation's strength." Archbishop Ireland referred to it in this: exhortation, which every Catholic parent should read ' "*S. "Let us speak . the patent fact. ■ "As the effect of the exclusion of religion from the schools in America, America 1 with all its material progress is on the road to .what at best is cultured paganism. God and Christ ; are being crushed out of the lives of its citizens, because ;God "and Christ are being crushed out from the schoolrooms into 1 -

which are thrust the childhood and the youth ;of the land. H-V "Then, if you wish that your men and women of the future be valiant Catholics, put ; your . children into Catholic schools; help to maintain and develop those ; schools; The Church knows well; its % needs; it pauses before no ; :' effort, before no sacrifice, to bring to all its little ones: a Catholic education. Catholic parents, send your little ones to Catholic schools. Catholics, all, take". deepest r interest in the work of Catholic education, whether or not your : children are its immediate beneficiaries. »%. \ : s. '■-. : .::' :r \i r J .^-' : "It is the Church that makes ; the appeal, for her own sake, for her own" life, for her own welfare. Let us care for the Catholic children of to-day; the morrow of the Church will be provided for. Let us neglect Catholic education.: the future of the Church is to ;be despaired

MY GRAVE. v: : : - When this brief span on, earth is spent at last, And finished, all, the cares of life are past; One wish I have, that when my dimmed eyes close, In holy Erin's Isle to find repose. No monumental grace nor sculptured art My silent resting-place I'd wish to mark; Give me but the mountain-shadowed sod, Whereon my fathers offered all for God. The shamrock green will freely flourish there, In beauteous wreaths surpassing flowerets rare; The whispering' breeze at eventide shall croon A solemn requiem o'er my silent tomb. And kindly Irish hearts shall pause each day, To kneel a moment at my side and pray That God in mercy shall vouchsafe to me The crowning glory of His Face to see. "O'Neill."

A WORD FOR DAD. It is true that the mother makes the home, but it is also true that the father keeps it. If mother makes the bread, father furnishes the dough. Mother is home all day with the children, and no one denies that it is a loving though arduous task to care for them, to see to their dressing, their meals, to bind up their bruises, to soothe their little pains, to keep them from the way of harm. Father may not see it all, but he knows what mother does. He sees the results, and the results cheer him when he comes home tired, weary, and often disheartened.

Father has had his day of work in office, factory, or shop, of which mother seldom knows anything, but father hands over to her the successful results. To get these results father has had to battle hard, often against adverse circumstances, sometimes against his fellow-men, using his muscles, his brain, and his wits. Mother orders the groceries and meats, and buys the clothing, but father must wrestle for the money, and bring it home so that mother can do what she pleases with it. That explains the grey hair and the bald spot on dad's head. "When he hands the money over he lets mother figure out the price of sugar and bacon or silk hose, while he attends to the income tax, war tax, super-tax, and general and special taxes, not to mention the problem of whether or not his widow will be able to meet the probate tax out of his insurance, the premium of which must be soon met. No wonder dad cannot wear the flossy neckties and pretty vests that he went a-courting in. Mother often has troubles with a cross child, but can easily subdue the youngster with the threat that she will tell daddy when he comes home. Father has had. his troubles with a cranky boss or a complaining customer, but he must grin and bear it. NUTS TO CRACK. When is a ship like a ? —When she shows her colors. ' Why is a ship never alone? —Because there is always a companion. Why are hay and straw like spectacles?—Because they are for-age. . .<■ . ..";.. Why is an empty room like a room full of married people?— there is not a single person in it. When may a chair be said to dislike you? When it can't bear you. What two letters make a county in England?—S X (Essex). - - ■. ■ ■. • •

; What is -the difference between the North Pole and the South Pole? the difference in the world. : Why is a solar eclipse like' a woman whipping her boy? Because it's a hiding of the sun (son). % . ;.,. I liye upon my own substance, and die when I have devoured myself.—A candle. ■ ~- ;; ~: : ::■'.)>

-"_ If all the seas were dried up, what ; ; would Neptune Bay?— really haven't an ocean (a notion). ; ; :■; v. What would happen if a colored waiter dropped a platter with a turkey upon it ?The humiliation of Africa, the fall of Turkey, the destruction of China, and the overflowing of Greece. .--ij .'x"..':' l-i'SJ-

HER OCCUPATION.

Tall she was, and palethe exquisite pallor of a fine

white skin.

She glanced neither to the right nor to the left, nor was she conscious of any scrutiny. Her large dark eyes, wistful in vision, gazed through, beyond, and above; her face held that look of flawless purity with which Leonardo has vested his' masterpieces. C About her neck hung a chain of gold and amethyst, the pendant cross of which was clasped between her tenuous fingers. Her lips moved silently, unceasingly, in earnest dedication and zeal. It seemed as though she poured her very soul from out those silent moving lips, awesome in their ceaseless rhythm. Was this devotion—devotion for some well beloved — cherished heart torn from her breast ? No, she was chewing gum. . - NOT QUITE THE SAME. One morning an old man was busy in the backyard with a saw and hatchet, when the next-door neighbor came to inquire after the health of his wife. The wife, it seems, had taken a severe cold.

"Good mornin', Mr. Smith," said the neighbor; '"how is Mrs. Smith this mornin'?"

"Just about the same," answered old Mr. Smith. "She didn't sleep very well last night."

"Poor dear," said the neighbor, sympathetically. "I s'pose that's her coughin', ain't it?" "No, it ain't her coffin," said Mr. Smith, keeping bis eyes on his work, "it's a now hen-house."

A MODEL GUEST.

We love the guest who finds our home A pleasant place to stay, And yet who knows, without a hint,

The time to go away.

That guest is always welcome who By instinct seems to know Which of our towels are meant for use,

And which are meant for show

SMILE RAISERS.

Farmer Jinks: "I can't find any old clothes for the

scarecrow."

His Wife: "Use some of the fancy things the girls brought home."

Farmer Jinks: "I'm trying to scare crows —not make 'em laugh 'emselves to death."

They were rehearsing for the opera, when the conductor was nearly frightened out of his boots by a terrific blast from the trombone-player in the corner. "What are you doing?" roared the conductor. "I'm sorry, sir," came the reply, "it was a fly on my music, but," he added, with just a touch of professional pride, "I played him!"

Two business men were lunching at the club together. "Oh," said one, "my partner formerly always opposed my views, but now he agrees with me in everything." "How do you account for it?" asked the other. "Don't know," was the reply. "I'm not sure whether I convince him or only make him tired."