The Family Circle

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XLIX, Issue 33, 24 August 1922, Page 45

The Family Circle

; THE PAST. A few short years— then What changes Time hath wrought! So strange they seem, we scarce can deem The world, our life, ourselves are aught But one long fitful dream.. The clouds that fly * Across the sky, Waves tossed upon the sea; Shadows that pass Along the grass, Our fitting emblems be. A few short years— then Where are the hopes that shone When Youth with flowers enwreath’d the hours Of, joy for us and ours? The rainbow’s hues, The morning’s dews, The blossoms of a day; The trembling sheen On water seen More lasting are than they. A few short years — then Where is the mighty chain That passion wrought, and vainly thought Nor time nor change could ever strain Till Life’s last fight was fought? A : rope of sand,, ~ A goss’mer band; v Yes, e’en the filmy thread The spider weaves Amongst the 'leaves Hath been a stronger thread! <*tt*X*X*x*> MODEL OP WOMANKIND. It seems almost impossible to exaggerate either the influence of the Christian woman upon her husband, her brothers, and her sons or the .influence, of Mary upon the Christian woman. The mother is the first educator of her children, and Mary is the educator of the Catholic mother. Among us Mary is held up as the model of all womankind in all the phases of womanly life. Her career is put before her sex as the young girl in the Temple, as the spouse of Joseph, the mother of Jesus, the Dolorous Mother, the queen of angels and of men. Our women reverence her as maiden, mother, martyr, queen, and protectress. In all their own circumstances and all the trials of life they are * encouraged to revere Mary, to have recourse to her, to admire and, according to their capacity, to imitate her character and her actions. This is the revelation of God to womanwoman who is at qnce the daughter of Eve and of Mary: THINGS TO FORGET. , If you would increase your happiness and prolong your life, forget your neighbor’s fault. Forget the slander you have heard. Forget the temptations. Forget the faultfinding, and give, little thought to the cause which provoked it. Forget the peculiarities of your friends, and,only remember the good points which make you fond of them. Forget all personal quarrels or histories you may have heard by accident, and which, if regarded, would seem a thousand 1 times worse than they are. Blot out, as far as possible, all the disagreements of life; they will come, but they * will grow larger if you remember them, and the constant thought of acts of meanness, or, worse still, malice will only tend to make you more familiar with them from yesterday ; start out with a ( clean sheet for to-day, and write upon it, for sweet memory’s 'lake, only those lovable things which are lovely arid lovable. •• \ • •• •

■ X~~ . .vv > EARLY COMPANIONS. ,• ; V How many of us ever realise how difficult a problem it is, especially for the youthful, to deal with the world of men. We live among people who exercise a great influence upon us, and this influence is either for good or evil. How frequently we meet a. man who has learned to be master in the world of affairs, and yet is far from master in the world of men. This is - due for the most part to the fact that during childhood and youth the-influences surrounding him were not of the best. It is well to realise' fully that youth is responsive with a superlative sensitiveness to that which it meets in life. Many a man would be more a master of himself and others had he been protected in childhood and youth from the bad influence of evil companions. Every father and mother, is bound in duty to know the character of the companions of their children. Before God they are bound to exercise the proper authority necessasy to protect those committed to their care from bad influences, otherwise they, are responsible for the evils that follow. Often when we come in contact with those whose Bins have brought them sorrow and misery, we say how different the story would have been had their childhood and youth been guarded from evil. V NOTHING BY CHANCE. ' • Sometimes we forget that God has a concern for even the smaller happenings of . our everyday life. Nothing is truer than that we are continually in the midst of 'Divine Providence and ; that God is always moving-in the smallest affairs of each life. Life is. full of God. He is always coming to us. On our lightest days He faces us continually with new tasks for our ■ hands. We meet people as strangers, perhaps riding with them for a few miles on the railroad train, or down town on the trolley car, and the opportunity is given to say. a word whose influence may change a life, to show the Face of Christ to one who knew Him not, to reveal a thought of comfort which will make a sorrowing heart stronger to, go on with its load of grief. Even chance meetings are providential opportunities arranged by God Himself for helping His children, but how often we fail to use them for God’s purposes! Perhaps the person you are sitting with and talking to needs the words you have ready bn your lips to speak. They are words of lifeeternal life which you do not get time to utter because there are so many idle words which insist on being spoken. Coventry Patmore in one of his poems, recalls this duty; “Yea, find thou always time to say some earnest word Between the idle talk, Lest with thee, henceforth, night and day, Regret should walk.” God is in every experience of life. If sickness com©, we must needs pass through it. It is not accidental; it is not to be an empty experience. There will be duties, there will be lessons to learn, there will be blessings to receive. If sorrow comes, we “must needs” pass., through it. It will not be an easy way, but the “must heeds”, will make it sacred, God’s way, and if we pass through it reverently, trustingly, with acquiescence, the way . will be bright with God’s presence. If it should be the way of death, we must- needs walk in it and the .must needs will make it the divinely chosen way for us — way shining with love and joy. —The Missionary. WWW FOUR T’s TO WATCH. j- ■ ’ Here are four T’s, too apt to run, ’Tis best to set a watch upon: Our Tongue. Know when to speak, yet be content When silence is most eloquent. 'j • Our Time. ,■ Once lost, ne’er found;,yet who can say > . He’s overtaken yesterday? , v Our Thoughts, Oft when they take them wings ’ ■ rAnd light, upon forbidden things.. " , *;• 1 pur Temper, V ; . ‘- : •••;*' .■/ / . '- Who inutile family guards T .*•; * Soon ha A control of • all the rest. /

.' 'easily explained.; : A lawyer, noted for his success in cross-examination, found his' match in’a, recent trial, when he asked a longsuffering, witness how long he had worked at- his business' of tin-roofing. The answer was:.' / - ;- * ' ft - V : “I have worked at it off and o« for some time* but have worked at it-steady for the past twelve years.” ■ “How long off and on have you worked at it?” <• “Sixty-five, years.” 1 “How old are you?” • Sixty-five.” “Then you have been a tin-roofer from birth?” “No, sir; of course I haven’t.” • “Then why do you say you have worked at your trade sixty-five years?” “Because you asked how long off and on I had worked at it. I have worked off and on for sixty-five yearstwenty years on and forty-five off.” Here there was a roar in the court-room, but not at the expense of the witness, and the lawyer hurriedly finished his examination in great confusion. ' JUST AN ACT OF COURTESY. A prominent politician, upon entering his club a few evenings ago, was approached by an acquaintance, who exclaimed: . “Well, Smith, old man, are you going to vote for Jenks this time? You must admit now he hasn’t lived up to his promises.” “Yes,” answered Smith carelessly, “that seems to be the general impression that prevails among the masses.” “I want you to understand, sir, that I am not one of the masses!” “I know-that,” Smith replied, as he slowly unfolded his paper, “I prefixed the ‘ m ’ merely out of consideration for your feelings.” SMILE RAISERS. “But why did the speaker make such pointed remarks?” “Had to, to get his meaning through their heads, I suppose.” V A quarrel had arisen between the editor of a newspaper and a subscriber. “Sir, I don’t want your newspaper any longer,” wrote the subscriber. • “Sir, I wouldn’t make it any longer if you did,” was the editor’s retort. * 1 . Small Boy (to chemist): “Will you please let me have another box of those pills you 4 ’sold father yesterday?” Chemist (looking pleased): “Certainly, my lad. Are they doing him good?” Small Boy: “I don’t know whether they’re doing father good or not, but they’re doing me good. They just fit my new airgun.” A judge whose personal appearance was as unprepossessing as his legal knowledge was profound, interrupted a witness: “Humbugged you, my good woman?” he said. “What do you mean by that?” r .. - “Well, my lord,” said the witness, “I can’t express it exactly, but if a girl called your lordship a handsome man she would be humbugging you.” * Little Willie had a goat presented to him as a birthday present." One day, however, he came in crying and rubbing several bumps caused by a series of “butts” administered by his pet. . . “Well, Willie,” said his mother, “what did you do when the goat knocked\y-ou down?” “I didn’t do nothing,” answered ■ the little boy, “I was getting up all the tinfe.”