Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1855-11-14
Honor thy Father and Mother.
BY ELLEN c. HoBES.

BY ELLEN c. HoBBS.
" Honor thy father and mother" is the
first commandment with promise-promise
as beautiful in its exemplification as glo-
rious in its conception. y mothers lips
first breathed into our ears those words of :
Holy Writ, and explained their general
import; and from the time when the story
of gray-haired Elijah and his youthful
Knockers first excited my young imagina-
ton, up to mature womanhood, the respect
then inspired for the white hairs of age
has grown with my growth, and strength
ened with my strength. We sigh as we
this(k of th5s slcyryhan the young We're
sweS4 BOW bafore the hoary head, and,
bjS s.lS. "a 5iled for. .asxidaities, strew
roses IN The cid mans tottering path
But those kindly customs of our puritan
ancestors have passed away. The world
grows selfish as it grows old, and age-dim-
med eyes must turn homeward for stays to
their trembling hands and tottering limbs
Here should they fnd the iulflment Of
the first commandment with promise.
No true, womanly soul ever withdrew
her gentle hands from her poor old father
or mother; no manly heart ever forgot the
ceased to hear the echoes of fond moth
prayers Often the cares of this world,
and the deceitfulness of riches, may choke
up the Unborn affections of narrow souls;
but few and far between is the fondly low
ed child, who can be so untrue to himself
or his Maker, as wholly to forget the moth
er who bore him Yet, even with the ho-
hest dictates of our reasons and souls, as
with the wider application of the comman-
ment, has Fashion insinuated influence;
and the son, perchance, who left his fond
parents humble home reluctantly and tear
fully, to make his way in the world, for
gets, when fortune favors, to welcome his
rustic mother to his own luxury, with
which he left her in his childhood home.
Her dim old eyes, perchance, DO not catch
readily the meaningless courtesles of life;
nevertheless, they look none the less low
ingly upon her child than when they
watched over his helpless infancy. Her
withered hands may be large and bony,
and may never have known a jewel; but
none the less gently did they smooth the
weary pillow, or bathe the heated brow, in
the dependent days of boyhood All
she's the same fond mother still her aged
and work-bcnt form, clad in rustic garb,
conceals heart full of neyer-dying love,
and ready for new sacrifices And, thanks
4 to the Great Being who gave US the COM
mandment with promise, now and then
there stands up a noble man, true to his
Unborn nature, who, throwing off the tram
mels of Fashion, however wide the gulf
which separates him, in the worlds eye,
fho 10 -xofh ho1-
! who is not ashamed to love, before his fell
lows, the humble mother who gave him
birth
+" Ny Mother-permit me to present her
to you, said an elegantly dressed, noble
looking young man to u friend for whom
he had crossed crowded drawing room,
with his aged parent leaning on his arm.
There was dead silence for full five mi
nutes. The moral beauty of the picture
pervaded every SOUL and melted away the
frost-work from World-worn hearts. Twas
the old foreground Of fashionable resort,
whittier hosts had come, with all their sell
fish passions, to seek in vain for health and
r pleasure. But here was variation-a
bit of truth to nature-in the motley ming
ling of colors
t From a little brown farm house, pent
n in by forests, way up in the Granite
a State that young man had gone fortl
a with brave heart and stalwart arm ;strong
is like his native hills, he had already mad
n name for himself Polished circle
Ii opened for him, and gentle lips bade hin
IS welcome. Yet none the less CAREFUL
n did his manly arm support his homely
t. tottering old mother none the less softl
a and tenderly did he call her-queer thoug
At she looked" my mother" amongst th
e proud beauties, who had striven for hi
l. favor. Her dress was antiquated, for th
,e good gifts Of her son had been sadly III
e tilated by rustic hands; yet only one hear
J. less girl Uttered, despite the broad-frille
n cap and well kept shawl. Her voice wa
el- rough, and often her expression coars
and inelegant. Used to the social mug
home, she asked for her neighbor's goble
at the table, and was guilty of many liA
m vulgarities. She was not an interestin
woman, save in her vigorous age, and h'
- beautiful love of her son. Yet, for aweel
- the son watched over that mother, an
-, gained for her kindness and Difference,
-, the very face of fashion, walked with he
- drove with her, helped her, like an infan
- UP difficult mountain side of twen
=" =" miles, humored her every caprice, al
~ ~ each day found some new friend, who
pi0 heart he might thrill by those gentle WORD
'my mother To him she was the ge
tie mother who rocked him to sleep
ley childhood, and true to the great commar
re- ment she had taught him, he was maxi
all the path smooth for her dependent yea
sh- One there was, in the gay throng, wh'
pe eyes flashed haughtily, as they rested
1fe- the homely toll worn woman but she v
hat noble soul, and truth and right gain
for an instant victory over life long prejudic
hat Quietly and elegantly she crossed the roc
e of laid her snowy little hand, with sue
gentle, thrilling touch, on the arm of
lover, and whispered word in his ear
dis Will she ever forget the look of love-
# umph in his eyes, or the melting gem
the ness of his tones, as he presented his be
his tiful, high bred betrothed to his old g
ltel- haired doting mother? Twas holy sil
A that of polished, glowing beauty gra
the ing the hand of wrinkled, homely age
When the summer guests had gone, M
e 2" a one remembered and watched that yol
man, whose filial devotion had in it n