The Family Circle

New Zealand Tablet, 5 May 1921, Page 45

The Family Circle

~ ; QUEEN OF THE MAY. v I know you are queen,. Mother Mary, 7 Queen of the month of May, , And maybe you'll smile when you listen To the little boy learning to pray. You had a little boy long ago .'•♦ In your home in Galilee — Do you mind if I ask some busy things ./.--'. From your own sweet memory? s Sometimes didn't you really cry Because of all you knew, When you saw Him play in the beautiful fields Where the snow-white lilies grew? Did you keep a curl to remember Him by? You know that most mothers do; And my own mother told me once There was never a mother like you. But I guess you didn't need a curl . • Nor any baby toy; A hundred years couldn't change Him for you, He was always your baby Boy. And say; dear Mother Mary, From my little talk with you, / Whenever you think of your own little boy i Will you please remember me, too? — Messenger of the Sacred Heart. CHOOSE THE BEAUTIFUL WAY. Thrice blessed are they who are pleasant to live with. They are a blessing to themselves, to those with whom they live, and to the world at'large. Along this line, a thoughtful writer has said most truly: "There is a beautiful and an ugly way in which to say almost everything, and happiness depends on which way we take. You can upset a person for a whole day by the harsh way in which you may call him in the morning, or you may give him a beautiful start by the cheeriness of your greeting. So not only in the words, but in all the little common courtesies and duties of life, think of the beautiful way of doing each." 'i JOY AND HAPPINESS IN LIFE. Life is full of worries and joys. It makes a difference whether a man looks on the bright side of life or on the dark side. It is always easy to find trouble, but why let ourselves dwell on things that are sure to worry us when there is so much happiness in the world? Sadness is only temporary. Soon it all will pass. We are here only for a little while. Why not try to make that short sojourn profitable to ourselves and to our neighbors. Night pomes, but soon the dawn appears. Why let the lorries of the moment dominate when they should be relegated to permit us to enjoy all the good things that God made ? '

•It is folly to worry one's life away. Life is given to us for a specific purpose. It is a time when we must reap. Did the. Creator ever intend that any life should reap happiness? Of course not. Then there is something else at fault. It is' self. That term contains a veritable and inexhaustible fountain of good or evil. Self is the quarry. Reason the implement that must be used to work it. If we allow ourselves to live in a world in which no sun ever shines we work the quarry with the wrong instruments. No results worth .while will be achieved ' We eclipse reason. No sane man would do that. Of course not, one will say. But are not, men doing that very thing every day, every month, and every year? They would spurn any assertion that they were unreasonable, but look at the facts. Men are composite beings. They have a body and a soul. That body is fashioned out of dust. comes and

goes. The soul is God's immediate creation. It is destined for immortality. It is the most-beautiful thing under the angelic creation. '

Is it reasonable that its object should be unhappiness, misery,' or worry ? Then why do we let those things sway us, make us morose, darken our lives?. There is too much sunshine for continued darkness. God gave us a soul, spiritual' and immortal. It will carry to eternity many of its impressions. Eternity for the righteous will be un-• ending happiness. Delete from your life unpleasant things. The soul is too sublime, a habitation for them; it seeks higher things. • / Lifers full of worries and joys. You have free will. You have reason. Why choose sadness when happiness is what the soul craves? Look about you in the universe and see nature always smiling, see-every species of lower life praising God for His benefactions. Why should men be the only exception? Every cloud has a silver lining. Every night sees the splendor of a dawn. We are here only for a while. Only one thing is necessary "to save our souls All else is dross. Why let gloom dominate vis?—lrish Catholic. A SON'S QUESTION. Soft waves of chestnut hair—gold in the sunRed mouth, whose curving lips dimpled with fun; Skin fair and soft and smooth,, cheeks tinged with rose, Eyes in whose smiling depths happiness glows, Seldom the cloud of tears shadowed their blue—- - This was the mother's face her baby knew. Hair white as driven snow, face seamed and drawn, 1 ale lips with grief-lines marked, all laughter gone, Eyes dull and lustreless faded by tears, Empty arms, aching heart, all these long years. Lord, if we meet again, by Thy dear grace, How shall that baby know his mother's face? SILENCE. They who can be silent when they are tempted to say something cutting or reproving possess a strong sword of defence against things to which others yield in a way that means their defeat. I t is a great thing to have such perfeet control of the tongue that one will not allow it to lead one into talking when it should keep still. A very serene old man once said that he felt that he had kept a great deal of anger out of the world simply by not answering back." He explained this by adding: l "You see if you never answer back an angry person us wrath will die out lots quicker than if you answer back m his own kind. Keeping still yourself is one of the best ways in the world to keep mad folks from getting madder and madder." Nothing is more useless than to try to argue within angry person. Serene silence on our part will surely lessen the angry words of others. A SMILE AND A WORD. Something each day—a smileIt is not much to give, And the little gi£ts of life - - Make sweet the days we live. The world has weary hearts That we can bless and cheer, And a smile for every day Makes sunshine all the year. Something each day—a word— We cannot know its power; v It grows in fruitfulness V - As grows the gentle flower.' What comfort it may bring y Where all js dark and drear For a kind word every day / v Makes pleasant all the year. ..''*. - ,i, , ; NOTHING HIGHER. A few months ago a traveller stopped.to converse with a farmer, who had a large number of men at work in his hayfields. ', \ '- ..,,„, "Most of these are ex-soldiers," said the farmer. , ■ "Indeed! Are any of them officers?" V<l x k-v\- '■''■;"'■■

"Two of 'em. One was a private, and that fellow beyond was a corporal but the man behind him was a major, and that man away over in the corner was a colonel!" "Indeed And are they all good men?" > "Well," said the farmer, "the private is a first-class man, and the corporal's pretty good, too." "But what about the major and the colonel?" "The major's only so-so," replied the farmer, with some hesitation. "But the colonel?" "Well, sir, I ain't a-going to say a word against no man who has been a colonel in the army; but I've made up my mind to one thing ain't a-going to hire any brigadier•generals!" WHAT PUZZLED HIM. .. Mrs. Smarte believed in being in the fashion. If she could forestall "the latest" by even half a day she was a happy woman. Her husband was getting sick of it. He didn't mind a woman looking attractive, but when it came to his wife becoming the talk of the neighborhood, he drew the line. One morning she appeared before him in the newest addition to her wardrobe. It was even more weird and wonderful than usual. "One thing always puzzles me," he said. • , "What's that, dear?" asked his wife in an uninterested voice, as she gazed in the mirror and wondered if her gown was hanging properly at the back.

"Why is- a 'scarecrow always represented as being a man?" retorted the wretch,' unfeelingly.

SMILE RAISERS. Johnson: "De Brown never speaks of his family tree." Bronson: "I expect it's much too shady." Shopper (looking at socks): "Aren't they rather loud?" Shop Assistant: "Yes, sir. They are specially made for people whose feet are in the habit of going to sleep!" Little Harry: "I want to get a bale of hay." Shopman: "Is it for your father?" Little Harry: "No, sir; it's for our horse." A thing one should have expressed differently, overheard in Clubland: Member (to another who has just been knighted): "Aha! Hearty congratulations, —— , and now your wife's a lady at last." There would seem to be no end to the wonders of animal training. We have often heard of the dog that fetched his master's morning paper, and now polo ponies often fetch two hundred guineas. , "My, ain't them mountains high?" marvelled one woman passenger. Her friend stooped low at the window to see the summits of the lofty hills, and wisely remarked: "Only th' tops of 'em is."* "The fortune-teller said I would meet with a fatal accident." • "Mercy!" "But she told me not to worryit wouldn't happen till tho end of my life." Friend: "Where do you get your jokes?" Humorist: "Out of the air, so to speak. Why do you ask?" Friend: "Nothing, I would merely suggest that you go where there is some fresh air."