The Family Circle

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 33, 2 September 1925, Page 61

The Family Circle

£<[ CUR LADY'S BIRTHDAY. Fairer than any flower ; that ] scents the air, I Purer than snowflakes falling from the - sky, Did Mary come to earth a destined queen, In all her royal infant majesty. . Her - birthday, hailed with joy by heavenly ■ ' ::.-' choirs, . '■ r - ;v: '; \' To mortals did regeneration bring; }^ v It spoke fulfilment of a prophecy, :"' It heralded the advent of our King. . v For never since the Fall in Paradise, Was creature borne in -plenitude of grace, Till Mary came in spotless innocence,, '-■ To help in, the redemption of the race. Only a humble maid of Nazareth, _ - Beyond the neighboring hillside all un- ;; known, "'. - .* -'•.:'- Her favors unrevealed her virtues hid, She came a mystery unto her own. ' ... , , ..,, .. . _ '■.■.;;■. Yet was.the long expected royal maid Of whom the prophets wrote by God inspired, •..;',.; , ; >.. ; The : Virgin Mother of Emmanuel, ' \: The great Messiah earnestly desired. ' 0 wondrous babe, no longer now unknown, All generations bless thy holy name! | : 'Tis uttered with respect and love, while all * ; Its power and mercy lovingly proclaim. The weak therein find strength, the sinner s hope, •< The sorrow-laden joy in every woe • Or want we help and consolation find, , } If to Our Lady trustfully we go." flail, then, the happy day that brought to i.v- »:: :v earth _■■_•."..-.' ; The loveliest creature that was ever seen, - Mary Immaculate, our hope; our joy, : Our Blessed Mother arid- our honored v Queen! - , •., - ■ " "' —S.M.D. <MMMMKM> IF I WERE YOU. I. wouldn't ,be ashamed to do right any- - where. I would not do anything that I ;. would not be willing for everybody to know.' r . I wouldn't go into the company of boys : t- who use bad language, v}: I wouldn't conclude that I knew more ,:<:,. than my father before I had been 50 miles - away from home. v .. . - ."- ;, I wouldn't get into the sulks arid pout whenever I couldn't have my own way about everything. .- : iV-. I wouldn't let any other boys get ahead of; me in my studies. :..•-• . T~\ I wouldn't abuse little boys who had no big brother for me to be afraid of. „ } . ''.:■.'''"'.'■'. .' '"'■■•- V.-»s ... the holy HOUR: ITS origin and °i HOW it MAY be Observed. ; ■; > One day in-; 1678, as St. Margaret Maryl was rapt in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Jesus appeared to her, showed His j Sacred Heart; surrounded with r flames, and Hpp£j|^ ou ; shall; receive : Holy Communion the ; |^|^^; Friday of every month, and every : night l>etween Thursday and Friday I ; will ' make you partake of that sorrow unto death

which it was My will to suffer in the Garden of Olives. . . To join with Me in the humble prayer which I then v offered to My Father, you shall rise between eleven o'clock and. midnight you jj shall prostrate yourself i with Me for one ' hour with your ace•'. to the ground, both to appease the anger •of God by imploring; mercy for sinners, and to sweeten-in some way the bitterness I felt when My Apostles abandoned Me, being unable to watch one hour with Me." "•'/.■" Few can be expected to keep the Hply Hour at the time mentioned by Our Lord to St. Margaret Mary, and hence the .Holy Father has authorised the devotion at other times. The Local Director may name any hour of any day in the week, if many make the Holy Hour together in church or chapel. • If you make it privately, you can choose any hour between 2 p.m. on Thursday and sunrise on Friday. There is a Plenary Indulgence attached to making the Holy Hour, and to gain it, one must say vocal prayers, or meditate in union with Our Lord in the Agony in the Garden. Often "the. Holy Hour is made with the Blessed Sacrament exposed, but this is not necessary in order to gain the indulgence granted to the members of the Arch-confra-ternity and communicated to ■ all the Associates of the Apostleship of Prayer.' ❖<*❖❖❖❖❖ FAREWELL. Farewell! How much or how little that word can mean! Now and then uttered cheerfully, it is often tinged with the sadness of long parting. . Our Life is one continuous series of farewells; people and things, days and nights, joys and sorrows go in uninterrupted succession. Nothing remains with us permanently. Obliged to part- with that which is dear to us, how sad our hearts, how affectionate the farewell. The home to which our hearts cling passionately! The friend who was the dear companion ;of our > sorrows and joys! Life itself would seem less hard to lose than these, yet Death is the last, supreme, absolute farewell, embracing all that we hold dear on earth. ; ■;:> • ■■', A dying man holds, naught of his posses r sions in his nerveless grasp. Whether great or small, whether the heart clings to them or not, he must renounce them. ."What, hath pride profited us,_j>r the boastiig of riches?" Yet, -even without any undue attachment to these things, it is hard, so hard; to bid farewell to the work which has filled our z waking and working \ hours. It may fill, perhaps, when the guiding hand is removed.-.- \ •-;-; 's , ; ' '- w • '■';. : ' }-}'• '. But a dying man gives up more ■* ban his ambitions and possessions. He gives,. up r hobbies, associates, fellow workers, Sift hose'" who loved him, all who opposed aim. The children he cherishes, who need his counsel .for a e , few more years; the loyal wife, who must now tread the way of life alone.".i - Is it not very sad? -Jilf)we think of these things, letting our i imagination ponder them,; are they not/enough to frighten us? \ :- :But what of those who; have no hope, who claim that death is a farewell forever?

We go forth out of this, life, they say, completely dissolved; we shall never again look on our'dear ones.: The light of the sun, ■ . : : vanished in Death, has vanished forever the - beauties of nature gone forever. — ' ''•',:--.'-, Poor unfortunates, they know not that : these very things are proof positive of God'sexistence and of the existence of Eternity." -~M Let us say farewell to this tenement of; clay, indeed, we ; who hope, let our • souls abandon this body;;.the last thing the soul can call its own, 1 the one thing most intimately connected with it, its; convenient dwelling, the body which has supplied it with the means df serving God and been '■ " y its companion through life. ' -•'•• They have shared its joys and sorrows. - The soul has labored and rested, toiled and struggled, suffered and rejoiced in the -body. The soul has been the skilful teacher, always * gathering fresh knowledge, new impressions. Their union was a true marriage, long-last-ing and fruitful, but Death will cause -their J;.,.'• separation. The soul must abandon the body, and the . body cannot live without the soul. It is an exquisite work of art, the masterpiece of marvellous wisdom, but the soul's departure gives this wonderful body up to destruction. ;. This consideration is, without doubt, the " real root of fear in the heart of man. We can bear to leave all, everything but this body, the only home the soul- has known. A strong faith will enable us to stand immovable in every storm. Let our first I ..', } i-. prayer at the beginning of a new day, our last at its ending be: "Lord, I believell believe!"—Rev. Augustine Wibbelt. . -\; /""' ■ - V'. . WHAT WE OWE TO FRIENDSHIP. We do not know how much we owe to our ; true and pure friends— much they add to our joy; what they do toward the forma- | tion and the adornment and enrichment of our character. We know not what touches '■■";} delicate and beautiful on the canvas of our soul that will be for ever which r the fingers of a friend have left there.. There will be a silver thread in every life-web when finished, " woven into the fabric by the pure friendship of many days. How importantf that only} the true, tho worthy, those with clean hands . and good lives, be taken as friends, for an evil companionship will put stained and soiled threads into the web. *-."=- v - y "-■ ' ' " ■": .' A LAUGHING MATTER. ; '.'■■ A laugh is just like sunshine, '. ' It freshens all the/day; " . " It tips the peak of life with light, - And drives the cloud away; l ; The soul grows glad that hears it, :^.^l And feels its courage strong ■• X" A laugh is just like sunshine, For cheering folks along. ' z . •• A laugh is just like: music," ' '.). It lingers m the heart, '■:'-;'■%" ' . V And where its melody is heard "*- ' - The ills of life depart; - - /- ■'' : * And v happy thoughts come crowding Its joyful notes to greet— A laugh is just like music, For makinpf livintr «nr na +l -" "

A GOOD GUESS. 1 The usual ■ crowd .of^ small boys were gathered ;j about _ the, entrance of a ; circus tent, trying to , get a view of the interior. .. A man' standing near watched them for a few moments; then, approaching -the tickettaker ,he put his hand; in his pocket and said authoritatively .; . " ■■■■}■ ,vi : "Count these boys as they pass." ; The gatekeeper did as he requested, and when the last one had gone in, turned and said: "Twenty-eight, sir "That's pretty good," said the man, smiling, as he walked away. "I guessed twentyseven ; I,;' HIS SURPRISE. A woman called at a studio for a sitting. The photographer made two negatives and promised proofs for the following day. > The next day her husband called for the proofs, but the photographer showed him only one. The husband said: "My understanding was that there were to be two proofs." : "I did make two sittings of your wife," replied the photographer, "but in one she held her lips apart and showed the end rf her tongue." ,' •; > : "My goodness!" gasped the husband, 'let me see that one. I didn't know there was an end to it:" --"■' SMILE RAISERS. | Efficiency Expert: "That's funny! I've been studying this business chart for an hour, but. I'm unable to discover what it means." His Wife: "No wonder! The baby scribbled that." * Wife (adjusting bandage to husband's knee): "What on earth is the matter?" Husband: "You've pinned it to my skin." Wife: "Well, it's a bit loose. It will keep it from slipping!" * An English doctor was examining a naval hospital orderly for advancement in rating. "What would you do if the captain fainted -on the bridge?/" "Bring him to," warbled the aspiring orderly. -;-" "Then what?" asked the doctor. s "Bring him two more," returned the man promptly. * Molly sat down to write a letter to her father, who had been absent three months. This is what she finally sent: "Dear Father, —We are all well and happy. The baby has grown ever so much and has a great deal more" sense than he used to have. Hoping the same of you, I remain your daughter,: Molly." i .; £,,;;■;;■ &■■% . * I Little Molly had been very trying all clay. That evening, when her grown-up sister was putting her to bed, she said she hoped the child would be a better girl to-morrow, - and not make everybody unhappy >; with her naughty temper. $ Molly* listened in silence, thought hard 1 for Wa few moments, and then said, wisely: it "Yes, - when it's me it's temper; when ( it's you it's nerves."