The Family Circle

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LI, Issue 46, 19 November 1924, Page 53

The Family Circle

HOW WILL IT BE? How will it be when Youth's fair dreams have vanished Like unto bubbles children blow from pipe; Or' Autumn leaves dropt from gaunt, sapless'branches; Or swift decaying of fruit over-ripe? How will it be? How will it be when those we cherish fondly, Whose names we hold engraven in our heart, Greet us no more with kindly smiles of welcome When, in the coming years, we drift apart? How will it be? How will it be when we have learned this lesson, That all things earthly must soon pass away; Beauty, and fame, wealth, honor, and ambition, Find their last resting-place in naught but clay? How will it be? How will it be when life's supremest glory, Nature.or art decked out in robes of gold; And e'en a voice that once had power to thrill us Leave us but dull, disinterested, cold? How will it be? How will it he when we can probe down deeply Into the soul of him who suavely similes; Clearly perceive the false heart's inner workings, The villain and the hypocrite's deceitful wiles? How will it be? How will it be when we, alas! discover That this world's pleasures are corrupt and vain; And how too oft remorse and bitter sorrow, Though unavailing, follow in their train? How will it be? How will it be when .all things lose , their glamor, Our cheeks are hollow, and our eyes grown dim; When we cast off Life's tattered, worn-out garment, And pass unnoticed through Death's portals grim? How will it be? How will it be? I sometimes sit and wonder Shall I lose faith in those dear dreams of mine; Or if they'll be enveloped, lost entirely In one eternal dream of Love Divine? How will it be? How will it be? we may not, cannot answer, Yet if our duty we but understood; We would perceive this fact alone essential— Life, lies before us with its power for good—- % Then let us on f Louis A. Tierney, in the Irish Catholic. COURAGE. Whether you be man or woman, you will never do anything in the.world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor. Heroism is the brilliant triumph of the soul over the —that is to say, over fear, fear of poverty, of suffering, of calumny, of sickness, isolation, or death. ' There is no serious piety without heroism. It is the glorious concentration of courage. It is much easier to destroy than to build; it is much easier to roll down hill than it is to climb up; it is much easier to be a failure than it is to become a success, for it is much easier to indulge your inertia than it is to stimulate your initiative. To build, to climb, to achieve are not easy. But it is only by building, climbing, and achieving that a man makes progress. So don't waste your days looking for an easy way to get by. Rather learn to welcome difficulties; and, above all, don't let hard work discourage you. CHINA'S CONSECRATION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN ,MARY. 0 Mother of God and our Mother! We consecrate to thy love ourselves, our strength, our life', our good works, and possessions; and to Him do we commend all the people of China.

Be thou a Mother to all priests and evangelic laborers that they may burn and work with untiring zeal! Be thou a Mother to all the faithful, so that they may; grow, in sanctity and in numbers! Be thou a Mother to the pagans so that they may come to the light of the true Faith! Through thy intercession and merits may all the people of China, redeemed by the precious blood of thy Son, be brought to the Most Sacerd Heart of the Redeemer, which is the fountain of all life and holiness, so that at last there may be but one fold and one Pastor! Help of Christians, pray for us! Mary, Mother of grace, pray for us! Heavenly Queen of China, pray for us! (The above prayer was offered at the recent Plenary council held in China.) THE SODALITIES OF OUR LADY. The Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary was founded in 1563, at Rome, in the Roman College of the Society of Jesus. Its founder was John Leunis a native of Liege, who had been received into the society by St. Ignatius in 1556 and who died at Turin in, 1584, the year in which his Raman sodality was made an arch-sodality by the Bull Omnipotentis Dei of Gregory XII. When Leunis, not yet a priest, was teaching a class of grammar at the Roman College in 1563, he conceived the zealous idea of assembling after class a chosen group of his pupils, with a view to their advancement in virtue and piety under the special protection of the Mother of God. In these reunions the young professor set before his little band high moral ideals, prayed with them, and encouraged them in practices of devotion in honor of Our Lady. It was his ardent hope that, as leaven working in the mass, the manly virtues of his socialists would raise the spiritual, and moral level of both of his own class and of the whole student body. _ The members undertook to do their best to advance in piety and learning; they heard Mass every morning went to confession every week, and to Holy Communion once a month. On Sundays they visited the hospitals and performed other works of mercy. The good seed, once sowed, produced fruits a hundredfold; resuts followed fast and far exceeded Leunis' most sanguine hopes. Soon his whole class felt the powerful action of the leaven in its midst, pupils of the other classes in the college sought to be enrolled under the banner of Mary, and m less than a year the Marian Sodality was a recognised school of solid devotion and virtue _ In the following year the socialists were seventy-three m number the first rules were drawn up, the-sodality was formally placed under the protection of the Blessed Virgin and its object declared tp he personal perfection in virtue and study as well as works of charity and zeal for souls TO THE LITTLE FLOWER. So close to God, -dear Little Flower, And yet to earth, so near, In every hour, we sing thy power, Our little' friend, so dear. So close to God, thy loving heart, Was pierced with all His pain, With all His ardent anguish Within men's heart to reign. Thy pain of anguish now is o'er, Fulfilled, thy longing love, And yet, in doing good on earth, Thou spend thy heaven above. The children fondly lisp thy name, And parents seek thy care, The Priest thy special aid doth claim, Yes, all thy help may share. Oh, pray our prayers to God for us, Make thine each urgent plea,. Our Jesus, will not turn aside,' From prayers, enriched, by thee. So Little Flower, each earthly hour Our hearts with thee, we raise Till in His Courts, 0 show thy power, We sing eternal praise. ' ■

AN EASY GUESS. "Yes," said the teacher, "we have several plants and. flowers named with the prefix ' dog.' Of course, the 'dogrose' and dog-violet are well known to you all. Can any of you tell me of others?" For some seconds the class remained dumb. Then a bright idea illuminated the face of an urchin, and up went his hand. "Collie flowers, miss!" EQUAL TO THE OCCASION. It was breakfast-time at Mrs. Spiker's boarding-house. The man with the inventive mind was tackling a rash egg, and the Major was wrestling with a rasher. The man whom nobody liked, late as usual, carate in without a word, sniffed suspiciously and sat down. "Ha!" he said, as he picked up his table napkin. "This naipkin is quite damp. Why is that?" Mrs. Spiker eyed him through the steam rising from the bacon dish. "I expect," she said, it is because there is so much due on your board." PREPARED FOR THE WORST. Jones had found a slip of paper on his lawn. It was an accurate and detailed plan of his private office. The exact position of the stairs was noted. Notes showed which doors swung in and which swung out. Even the windows were set down. Jones was alarmed. "Some burglar must be going to raid my office," he told his family. "Oh, that isn't it," cried his daughter, glancing at the sketch. "Those notes are in Jack's handwriting. He's coming down to your office to ask you to let him marry me." SMILE RAISERS. She (after spending the evening with neighbors): "I think the Smythes are an ideal couple—they think alike in everything." He: "Yes, hut I notice she always thinks first V Farmer Brown: "If I were as lazy as you I'd go and hang myself in my barn." Tramp: "No, you wouldn't." Farmer Brown: "Why wouldn't I?" Tramp: "If you were as lazy as me you wouldn't have a barn Mrs. Newly Rich: "I 'ear your ladyship is about to leave this place." Holiday Acquaintance: "Yes. I fear the damp airs here do not agree with me." Mrs. Newly Rich: "But why need your ladyship eat pears at all?" * ' Agent: "Of course, you have no children?" Prospective Tenant: "No." "Dogs or cats?" "No. "Piano or gramophone?" "No; but I'll tell you what. I've got a fountain pen that squeaks rather every time I use it. But I'll get rid of it if you like." W "Thank you so much for your song, my dear," said a well-meaning old lady to a young singer at an "At Home." It took'nie back to my childhood days on my father's farm. When I shut my eyes and listened to your singing I seemed to hear the dear old gate creaking in the wind."