The Family Circle

New Zealand Tablet, 25 August 1921, Page 45

The Family Circle

THE HERALD OF SPRING. My heart, awake! and sing with joy and gladness, Away with chilling care and brooding sadness, For winter’s cold and darkness is away, And harbinger of Spring is here to-day. Hail ! snow-white, glistening petals sweet, All drooping, as if half afraid to greet This world, and leave the bare, brown earthly bed, Where long has slept in peace thy tender head. Fair messenger, all diffident and shy, Ye come to gladden weary passers-by With mute but cheering words of hope and light, That banish swiftly sad thoughts of the night. Awake, my heart! and sing away with sadness, For lo ! the snowdrop heralds joy and gladness.

THE HAIL MARY. The following beautiful words occur in a book by the late Canon Sheehan, which is perhaps not so widely known as some of his other works. It is a collection of his early essays and addresses. The words are descriptive of the recitation of the Rosary by a number of exiles from Erin on board a liner to New York, and are as follows; “And what are they chanting? Not the ‘La ci darem’ of an Italian maestro of yesterday, but a certain canticle that was composed by an archangel some nineteen centuries ago, and his audience as a Woman, but blessed above all and among all. And the chorus is another canticle, composed by a chorus of 100,000 voices fourteen centuries ago, and on the streets of an Asiatic city, where the gates of the Cathedral were thrown open, and mitred prelates came forth, and the people anticipated the decision of their pastors, and proclaimed the woman of Nazareth to be the Mother of God. And these two canticles go on and are repeated in the musical murmur of human voices, until they conclude with the great hymn of praise to the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, who are and have been and for ever shall be! The canticle of the Rosary is familiar to these poor exiles. They learned it at their mothers’ knees — sang it in the lonely white-washed chapel on the Irish —they will carry it in their hearts and on their lips, and like the children of Israel by the waters of Babylon, they will sing that song of Sion in a strange land!” May God grant that their children and their children’s children in a strange land never forget the Rosary which their Irish ancestors loved. Nothing that the strange land can give them in exchange is worth anything in comparison with one of its Hail Mary’s.

THE LOVE OF GOD. ! Those who have learned to love the Divine Heart are taught day by day to appreciate more and more the wondrous love that was manifested towards the human race when Our Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist. They learn, too, to form a right estimate of the coldness and indifferf ence with which Our Lord is treated in this Sacrament of His love, and they are inspired with a desire not merely y ; . V to cultivate a tender affection in their own hearts, but to 1 spread the devotion to all mankind. ■)'i Attendance at daily Mass, and Communion, if possible, ;/ or a daily visit to the Blessed Sacrament, reading Spiritual books, are means by which we may foster devotion to the jj&v Blessed Sacrament, and by the influence of our example (Uv bring others to a closer union with God. To numberless N Catholics in our day the reproach of Our Lord might truthp; fully be repeated: “There hath stood One in the midst of K you whom you know not.”' So many act as if they were :r unaware of the Sacred' Presence patiently waiting in the Msl;: tabernacle to receive the homage and love of His children, fife:, His return to us on our altars at Mass, at Communion,' is not' simply that we might worship, but that the need we have of sweetness in religion ; might be amply supplied.

We must approach His presence, gather about Him, for the refreshment of our lives, to break down the hideous monotony of our work, to add the brightness of love to the gray streets and grayer skies. Not holiness alone, but the beauty of holiness is required to bind our hearts, our whole souls to God. The child, which with its wistful trust demands protection asks for something more than strong defence; it needs also the warm welcome of love. And in so far are we all children, we need the gentleness and mercy of God to bo made manifest, else we shall be too frightened to go on. -If religion is to mean much to me, I must approach the altar of the sweetness of God that giveth joy to my youth.

YOUR KINGDOM. There is some place for you to fill, Some work for you to do, That no one can, or ever will, Do quite as well as you. It may be close along your way— Some little homely duty That only waits your touch, your sway, To blossom into beauty. Or it may be that daily tasks Cheerfully seen and done, Will lead for greater work that asks For you and you alone. Be brave, whatever it may be, The little or the great, To meet and do it perfectly And you have conquered Fate.

VVV V V V GIRLS WHO ARE LIKED. Everybody admires the girls who do their best to be pleasant and courteous at all times, who do not repeat unpleasing remarks made by others, who always look neat and nice, who are lavish with their smiles and reluctant to frown, who look out every day for the happy things of life, who try to jump over all the little ridges that break up the smoothness of their path, who are happy because they make people about them see the sunshine, who always have a good word for everybody, and who appreciate the tact that the world was not made for them alone, and who do not always expect the best it has to offer.

WFFFP

THE NEW LABOR PARTY. (Lend-a-hand. w,cek-end parties are now being given by hostesses, at which' every guest is expected to help with the housework.) Guests in stately mansions staying have to mingle work with playing, For it s not all tea and tennis when no servants can be

got;

The duchess sifts the cinders, and the major cleans the "winders,"

And the Honorable Bertie acts as second footman—what! An heiress, not. good-looking, is told off to do the cooking; A peeress peels potatoes, and a countess gets the tea; One's hostess does the washing, and, with soapsuds round him sloshing,

The mangle's operated by an eminent K.C.

This notable unbending by the folks who go week-ending, In spite of all temptations these domestic jobs to shirk, Though it makes them feel much thinner, what an appetite for dinner.

Results from these exertions at the novel game of work! —R. H. Roberts, in the Windsor Magazine.^

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NUTS to CRACK.

What county in Ireland reminds you of a candle nearly burnt out? —Wicklow. Why are so few horses needed in the Isle of Wight?— Because so many of the visitors prefer Cowes to Ryde. Why is an elephant's head different horn every other head?—Because if you cut it off you are not removing it from the trunk-. A :

What happened to the goat when-he was chased by the little girl?He turned to butter (butt her).

What two letters in the alphabet are most destructive? —D.K. (Decay).

Why is the letter "g" like the sun? Because it is the centre of light.

What girl's name of six letters reads both ways the Hannah.

What letter in the alphabet is most necessary to a shoemaker The last.

What sleeps on its head all night?—A nail in your boot.

Why is the letter "p" like the most cruel Roman? Because it is Nero (near o).

Why is a wood or forest like a luggage van? Because it's full of trunks.

What is always behind time? —The back of a watch.

What kind of composition can be written with two letters?—S. A.

SMILE RAISERS.

Mother: "If you fell in the water, why are your clothes dry?" $ *

les ciry r $ Tommy: "I took 'em off in case of accident."

'Madam, I must request you to remove your hat," remarked the theatre attendant. ■

The woman smiled grimly.

"Does my hat annoy the little man behind me?" Yes, madam."

"Then you'll find. it much easier to remove him."

"That youngest boy of yours does not seem to be a credit to you," said the white man to the darkie, Uncle Most.

"No, sail. He is de wustest chile I has. He is mighty bad. He's de white sheep of the fam'ly, sail."

• Vicar's Wife (to elderly woman): "I'm afraid I cannot offer you more than £2B a year. Incumbencies nowadays cost more than they are worth."

Cheery Applicant: "Lor, bless yer, mum, and well I knows it, 'avin 'ad nine meself!"

Fond Mother: "Reggie, dear, now that you have got through college, you must really look for some form of employment."

Reggie: "Don't you think, mother, it would be more

dignified to wait until the offers begin to come in?"

The teacher had been giving a lesson on the reindeer its haunts, habits, and uses. One little urchin was not paying the slightest attention, so the teacher pounced on him.

"Now, what is the use of the reindeer?" she asked

him.

The startled urchin looked up, paused, and then replied, "It makes things grow, teacher."

A woman was engaging a charlady to "do for her," and came presently to the delicate question of salary. "Well, ma'am," said the honest functionary, "it's like this. If I eats myself it's five shillings a day, but if you eats me it's only three-and-six."

Jack: "Men are much more valuable than women, you know."

Jill: "What nonsense!"

Jack: "It's a fact. Every man has liis price, but brides are given away."