The Family Circle

New Zealand Tablet, 7 July 1921, Page 45

The Family Circle

; THE HOMES OF THE SACRED HEART. (Lines suggested by the Consecration of the Holy Homes of Ireland to the Sacred Heart.) "They stand by the mountain and hillside, In the silence and shade of the glen, In the peace of the boreen and by-way, On the hard-trodden pathways of men, In the thunder and smoke of the city, In the bustle and strife of the mart, The homes that are hallowed for ever The homes of the Sacred Heart. What joy for the hearts of ,the household, ' ' In hours of sadness and pain, In hours of gloom and of gladness, In battles they lose or they gain, In the world of wonders around them, In the lesson that sorrows impart— What joy shall be with them for ever, In the homes of the Sacred Heart ! ■*l When the hours are lonely and weary, When fraught with a menacing gloom, And the hearts that were fondest and dearest Are borne away to the tomb, Wo know that a friendship eternal, A love that can never depart, Is ours to fondly illumine The homes of the Sacred Heart. And oh! in that shadowy hour. When the wearisome journey is done, When the world is fading behind us, And Eternity’s years have begun, While the dreamings that fondly we cherished And the hopes that we love shall depart, What a glory shall gladden life’s ending In the homes of the Sacred Heart! M. Walsh, in the Irish Messenger of the Sacred Heart. THE GLORY OF HER SEX.

"What has devotion to and love of God's Mother accomplished in the world since the beginning of Christianity?" asks Father Stanislaus M. Hogan, 0.P., in his recent book on the Mother of Divine Grace. He then lets John Ruskin answer the question, quoting from - Fors Clavigera this remarkable passage (says America):

"After the most careful examination, neither as adversary nor as friend, of the influences of Catholicism for good and evil, I am persuaded that the worship of the Madonna has been one of its noblest and most vital graces, arid has never been otherwise than productive of true holiness of life and purity of character. . . There has probably not been an innocent cottage home throughout the length and breadth of Europe during the whole period of vital Christianity, in which the imagined presence of the Madonna has not given sanctity to the humblest duties, and comfort to the sorest trials of women; and every brightest and loftiest achievement of the arts and strength of manhood has been the fulfilment of the assured prophecy of the poor Israelite maiden c He that is mighty has. magnified me, and holy is His name.' " -

The foregoing tribute paid to Our Lady by the nonCatholic author of Fors is borne out, of course, by the testimony of history. Until Mary came "the most wretched of all creatures was woman," whom paganism had defiled in body and soul and then left helpless in the mire. But with the birth of Our Lady the emancipation of woman began. For the Virgin-Mother's transcendent share in the mystery of the Incarnation conferred on her sex a glory and a dignity which has ennobled womanhood, hallowed virginity, and made motherhood a fair and sacred thing. Without question the exalted position held by woman to-day in every Christian land was won for her by the Church's devotion to Our Divine Saviour's incomparable Mother.

-J The coming of May is a yearly reminder that Our Lady, as of old, is still the glory, the model, and the

protector of her sex. The Catholic girl, the Catholic maiden, and the Catholic mother of to-day will invoke during that month the maternal care of Mary with the same loving confidence with which their sisters in»j the Faith have for ages past begged Our Lady's help, and never without obtaining relief, in every anxiety, sorrow, or misfortune that comes to them. But many thoughtful men believe that the maidens- wives, and mothers of our time stand in greater need of the example, patronage, and assistance of the Blessed Virgin than did the women of almost any other age. For the widespread moral chaos attending and following the. Great War seems to have broken down to a most deplorable extent many of the safeguards of womanly purity and what were once considered the common decencies of life are widely disregarded nowadays without at all shocking public opinion. . The prayerful study of Our Lady's ways, however, it should be remembered, will be found to-day, as always, the sovereign corrective for the loss or perversion of the womanly virtues. For Mary lived perfectly the life of a girl, a maiden, a wife, a mother, and a widow so that, in God's design, she might ever be for every woman, whatever her station or condition, a flawless pattern of fragrant virtues. But more comforting still, this stainless Virgin now reigns as Queen of Heaven, has been made the almoner of God's mercies and graces and looks down with eyes of motherly compassion on those of her own sex especially, who are striving valiantly in these evil days to keep their minds clean and their hearts pure. Mary is a true mother still, and to no one surely more of a mother than to women who stand in great need of her powerful help in order to gain Heaven safely at last.

IF YOU FORGET.

If you forget to do the kindly deed, Some sad soul may go sadder on its way; Arfd drearier still may be its darksome day, Missing a friend in need.

If you forget that helpful word to say,

Some sore heart may be filled with fiercer ache; And, needing sympathy, that heart may break — So speak that word to-day.

If you forget to say, to think, to do The thing to help a fellow-soul along, Your soul must bear the burden of the wrong Your whole life's journey through.

—Alice Wise.

"HOBSON'S CHOICE."

There is a romance of success in the story of the origin of the popular catch-phrase, "Hobson's choice."

Towards the end of the seventeenth century there lived at Cambridge Tobias Hobson, a carrier. He was the first man in England to let out hackney horses.

Hobson noticed how fond the students were of riding, and, starting in a small way, he ultimately established a large stable of horses with" boots, bridles, and-..whips.

His horses were always ready and fit for riding, and he treated every customer alike. When one called for a horse he was conducted to the stable.

But although there was a great choice of horses, Hobson always asked the customer to take the animal standing next to the stable door. Hence it became a saying, when something was forced upon you which you would not have chosen yourself, that it was Hobson's choice.

It is interesting to note that this phrase had an application in our own Dominion. In Wakefield's Ad ventures in Neio Zealand it is stated that Auckland was known among the pioneer settlers as "Hobson's Choice" after Captain Hobson, New Zealand's first Governor, selected that . place for his residence and centre of the then Government.

CHAMPION WOMAN TYPIST.

Miss Rose L. Fritz, America's champion typist, has been telling an interviewer that her speed contests mean as much to her as a big concert to a musician or a football game to an athlete. V '. ' "1

; ; - For' two months beforehand she is in training. She takes ' physical exercises, walks a great deal eats only the simplest food, and sleeps regularly. Unless in perfect condition, her nerves might. "go back" on her.

She flibcgan her high-speed career when she was only fifteen. A manufacturer of typewriting machines happened to visit the typewriting school at which Miss Fritz was a pupil, and was struck by the rapidity of her work, which was due to her adoption of the touch system. She was asked to come to his office and exhibit her powers, and as a result the company offered her a threeyear. contract to operate and demonstrate their machine. Since then she has won 40 championship trophies. , Her speed record is 265 words a minute; but that,' she explains, was clone on short words and on material which she knew. In transcribing new material she has sometimes written as many as 155 words a minute. A FIGURE PUZZLE. Open a book at random and select a word within the first ten lines, and within the tenth word from the end of the line.'- Mark the word. Now double the number of the page and multiply the sum by five. Then add 20. Then add the number of the line you have selected. Then add 5. Multiply the sum by 10. Add the number of the word in the line. From this sum subtract 250, and the remiander will indicate in the unit column the number of the word; in the tens column the number of the line, and the remaining figures the number of the page. SMILE RAISERS. The profiteer’s wife read a paragraph in the morning paper in which it said that a certain dinner-party had ended with great eclat. “What’s eclat?” she asked her husband., “Those chocolate things with cream in ’em,” was the answer. “I don’t like these photographs at all,” ho said. “I look like an ape.” The photographer favored him with a glance of lofty disdain. “.You should have thought of that before you had them taken,” was his reply. i Employer: “You say you were last employed in a Government Department Typist: “Yes, sir.” " Employer: “Any testimonials?” Typist: “No, sir; but I’ve got six topping jumpers I did there, if you’d like to see them!” Chipps was repairing the gutter of a building, when he slipped and fell from top to bottom of the ladder. A woman who was passing by at the time was horrified, and said, “Oh, my poor man, whatever can I do for you?” “It’s all right,” replied Chipps. “I had to come down for some * “What good are the figures set down in these railway time-tables?” asked the sarcastic and angry would-be passenger . “Why,” explained the genial stationmaster, “if it weren’t for them figures we’d have no way of findin’ out how late the trains are.” “Father,” inquired Tommy, “why do Americans always say ‘ I guess ’ ?” Father pondered the matter, but soon came to a conclusion. - . “It’s like this, my boy; the American is a very, busy man and he never has time to make certain of anything.”