The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1856-12-04
From the New York Examiner.
Outlived her Usefulness"

OutnVed her Usefulness.
Reverence for age should be instiled very early
nto the minds Of children and like all seed sown
~ mothers hand, it will take deep root there
Then will the virtues ofthe aged shine very bright
y before the mind and their infirmities be looked
ipon with great leniency and pity. Next to moth.
rless children do they, stricken in years" claim our
The messy marble rest
On the lips which they had pressed
In their blcomt
And the names they loved to hear
Have been carved for many year
On the tomb"
Not long since, good looking man, in the mid
Sdfe, cane to our door, asking for "the minister.
',e' informed that he was out of town he seem-
'sa9pointed and anxious. On being questioned
"' 'hsbusiness, he replied, al have lost my moth
VI, III ssthis place used to be her home, and nv
him.
ouf hlH Ne in sympathy, and we said. aYou
nave no. ith great loss"
""eA-ResA replied the strong man with hesi-
'aAcy' n m'herjs great loss in general, but our
mother had oivd her usefulness-she was in her
second chldhoi ID her miud had grown as weak
as her body,so tat Ae was no comfort to herself
and was ourdenO eerybody. There were sew.
en- of US sons and aug sters, and as VIC could not
lind anybody that as Nilling to board her, we
agreed to keep her aveA about But I've had
more than my share olbcAGor she was too feeble
to be moved when my tneS vas OUT and that was
more than three rhunthsbtks her dcntb Rut
then she was good tiothr her day," and toll.
ed very hard to bring us alup,
Without looking at tn fas of the hcort,oss
man, We directed him to the ,ous or . ro;obhor
ing pastor, and returned to ouN nursery We
gazcd on the merry little faces t,erS which smiled
or grew sad in imitation of ours-th$A ,ttIo oros
to whose car no word in our languas i. half O.
sweet us Mother !" and We wondepdNt Nthot dor
could ever come when they would say q :. 4Sbe
has outlivcd her usefulncss-she is no cSar,r, 70
herself and burden to everybody else /" Va We
hoped that before such day would dan vo
might be taken to our rest God forbid tlft W,
should outlivc the love of our children R&o
let us die while our hearts are part OF their d
that our graves may be watercd with their tel
and our love linked with the hopes of heaven.
When the bell tollcd for the mothers burial
went up TO the sanctuary TO pay our only token
respect to the aged stranger for we felt that
could give her memory Il tear even though
own children had none to shed,
"Shc was good mother in her day, and toll
hard to bring us all up--but she had outlivcd
usclulncss--shc was no comfort TO herself aud
burden to everybody else" These cruel, hearth
words rang in our ears rs we saw the coffin Dor
up the aisle. The bell tocd long and loud, uu
its iron tongue had chroniclcd the years of {
toil-worn mother. wo--thrce-four--fy
how clearly and almost merrily each stroke told
her once peaceful slumbcr in her mothers boso
and her seat at nightall on her weary fathers kne
Six--seven--c cight--nine-- --ten--rang out the L
and ty tho brook. Elcven-twGvc-thir
rourtccn-fitccn--spo more grayely of sch
days and little household joys and cares, Sixteen
seventeen -cightccn--soundcd out the cnraptul
e visions of maidcnhood and the dream of ca
t love. Sinctccn--hrought before us the haI
I bride. Twcnty--spokG Of the young mothcr,wh
{ heart was full to bursting with the new, stro
5 love which God had awakened in her bosom, A
e then, stroke after stroke told of her early won
+. hood--of Il love and care, and hopes and fc
{ and tolls through which she passed during tn
e long years till Fifty rang out, harsh aud loud
S From that to SSty--cach stroke told of the Ii
n wann-hcartcd mother aud grandmother living {
a again her own joys and sOrrows in those of
o children aud her clildrcn's children. Every fal
of all the group wanted grandmother theu,
~ the olly ,r.It wa.Swho should secure the vr
ha lark lie bell ,ol!s or ,--SNoniy--our---