Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1856-04-19
miscellaneous.
SHE HAS OUTLINED HER USEFULNESS.

Not long since, good looking man, in
middle life, came to our door asking for
the minister. When informed that he
was out of town, he seemed disappointed
and anxious. On being questioned as to
his business, he replied: 81 have lost my
mother, and as this place used to be her
home, and my father lies here. we have
come to lay her beside him"
Our heart rose in sympathy, and we
said, "you have met with great loss. -
Well-yes," replied the strong man
with hesitancy, ga mother is great loss
in general; but our mother has outlivcd
her usefulness; she was in her second
childhood, and her mind had grown as
weak as hcrsbody, so that she was nc
comfort to herself and was a burden to
every body. There were seven of us,
sons and daughters; and as we could moi
find anybody who was willing to board
her, we agreed to keep her among us O
year about. But I've had more than my
share of her, for she was too feeble to b.
moved when my time was out and thai
was more than three months before hel
death. But then she was a good mother
in her day, and toiled very hard to bring
US all up"
Without looking at the face of tn,
heartless man, we directed him to thu
house of a neighboring pastor, and re
turned to our nursery. We gazed OF
the merry little faces which smiled o
grew sad in imitation Of ours-thosc lit
tic ones to whose car no word in our Ian
guage is half so sweet as g Mother )" an,
we wondered if that day could ever com
when they would say of us, "She ha
outlivcd her usefulness is no com
fort to herself and burden to every
body else" and VIC hoped that befor
such day would dawn, We might b
taken to our rest. God forbid that W
should outlive the love of our children
Rather let us die while our hearts are
part of their own, that our grave may b
watered with their tears, and our low
linked with their hopes of heaven.
When the bell tolled for the mother
burial, we went to the sanctuary to pa,
our only token of respect for the age
stranger; for we felt that we could Civ,
her memory a tear, even though he
own children had none to shed.
"She was a good mother in her day
and toiled hard to bring us all up-sh
was no comfort to herself, and burdel
to everybody else! p These cruel, heart
less words rang in our ears as we say
the coffin borne up the aisle. The bel
tolled long and loud, until its iron tongu
had chroniclcd the years Of the toll worl
How clearly and almost mcrrily eacl
stroke told Of her once peaceful slumbe
in her mothers bosom, and Of her scat a
night-fall on her weary fathers knees
Observation-Disclosures rang gu
the tale of her sports upon the greer
sward, in the meadow and by the brook
Eleven twelve--thirteen fourteen
fifteen spoke more gravcly of school days
and little household joys and cares. Six
teen--sevcnteen eighteen GU
the enraptured visions Of maidenhood
and the dream Of early love. Nineteer
brought before us the happy bride. -
Twenty spoke of the young mother
whose heart was full to bursting with thu
new strung love which God had ava
kcned in her bosom. And then strok,
after stroke told Of her early womanhooc
of the love and cares, and hopes and
fears and tolls through which she passed
during these long years, till fifty rang
out harsh and loud From that TO sixty
each stroke told Of the warn hearted
mother and grandmother, living over
again her own joys and sorrows in those
of her children and her children's chill
dren. Every family of all the grour
wanted grandmother then, and the only
strife was who should secure the prize
but bark the bell tolls on Seventy
seventy o-three--four. She
begins to grow feeble, requires some care,
is not always perfectly patient Or satisfied
she goes from one child'shouse 10 anoth.
or, 80 that no one place seems like home
She murmurs in plaintive tones, and af
ter all her toll and WEAKNESS, il is hard
she cannot be allowed home TO die in
that she must be sent, rather than invi
ted, from house TO house. Eighty
eighty -three--four--ah she
is now second child-now "shc hai