Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1858-07-17

4
Words may be mole viyifyipp Than the
showers Of spring, and sharper than the sword
Of destruction
(" The point Of lance may be Withdrawn
from the body bat a cruel word can never be
extracted from the heart Il has once wouuded.p
From hs Persian.
Like sunshine, and air, and water, those
priceless gifts which we prize SO little. arc
the minute charities of life. Scarcely they
attract cur notice, vet how barely would
the soul live without them Not alone by
great deeds and greater sacrifices are we
to accomplish good. The look that we
wear, the words which we speak, modify
the feelings, the characters, the eternal
destinies, of those with whom we associate.
| Mark the power of gentle words upon a
~ nal.
-, gel Of mercy may wear the rough
garb OF manhood, or she may look thro'
the tender eyes of woman IL matters
not, as she breates her gentle admonitions,
the hard heart moves with faster throb,
the soul relents, and The eyes suffuse with
tears. Those tones, those words, remind
him Of the mother who once taught him to
pray. Again come back the days of child
hood, and the hopes which frightened his
being when bis life was pure.
Perchance he is an orphan. His child
hood was cherries, bis youth had no hope.
No one taught him of the Mercifnl one,
who is such kind father to us all. No voice
called after him when be entered the road
Of sin. He stood upon the plateau of man
hood, without friend. aud is it not
hard TO struggle on in life liUne Hard,
to geze into the voIuptuous eyes of Plea
sure, to listen to the voice of the Tempter
TO feel the consuming fres of Passion, and
then forsake all for Virtue, when there is
not one to aid us, not one to commend
o, If we remembered o,tencr than we do
the palliating circumstances connected with
the history OF the erring, how different
would be our manners and feelings towards
them How gentle we should speak to
those who have forsaken their sins How
many relapse again into evil habits, for the
want of few words of Encouragement
Such are moIbidly sensitive TO reproach.
The shadows Of their past lives rest upon
their present, and darken their future
Shall we, the pensioners of infinite Pity,
refuse our little meed of charity to them,
whose past lives. though blacker in the
eyes Of the world, may not be, in she sight
of the Almighty, than our ownY
| Let us be gentle in our homes. Can
| that house be called home where the voice
of discord is continually heard? How Of
ten the accusations aud recrimnatons of
husband and wife beget like spirit in the
hearts Of their children How often the
bud OF tr1th is crushed forever, in the heart
of sensitive child, by the anger of a pas
sionate mother How often the aspiring
nature of proud souled boy, aroused to
bitter defiance by the tyrannieal rule of an
unsympathizing father
Ye who would have your children honor
and love you when you are old, nnrture TO
Iuxuriant growth the tender blossoms of
their young affections. BE kind when you
are Grm; be gentle even when your words
must be severe Unioose the bands of
years, and stoop down 10 their tiny joys
and griefs. How amply You will be re-
warded when you behold the glorious ex-
pansioa of their souls in an atmosphere fall
Of the fragrance and sunshine Of gentle
words,
Speak gently to the aged. Whatever
are the infrmities, their circumstances alone
are sufficient to command our sympathics.
They stand before as the lingering relics Of
a buried generation. Their whitened locks,
their bowed frames, their tottering limbs,
all speak of the grave Holding the filter
ing lamp Of memory in their hands they
walk mournfnlly along the shores of the
past; now bowiug above the graves of
their lost ones, now weeping as the ghosts
of carly errors, the phantom of early joys.
rise to greet them on every side. In their
breasts the fires OF ambition are quenched.
In their souls are heard no longer the jubi-
lants Of hope.
They feel like strangers amid the new
customs and new faces which surround
them. Even their children, now acting
their own part in the theatre of life, do
not seem like the little ones whom they
once nourished in their bosoms. Many Of
the aged are entirely dependent upon them
for every comfort Of life which they possess.
The greatest kindness on the part Of the
child will not render such perfectly happy.
Those who for SO many years stood at the
head Of household cannot willingly sink
into a state Of dependence. They cannot
bear to feel that those whose lives once de-
pended upon their care, no longer stand in
need of their services. How are these feel
ings aggravated when they are treated with
neglect and indifference
But how many aged parents feel like
strangers in the homes of their children
how nlaay weep bitter tears over the indif
ference or unkindness Of those who owe
them only reverence aud love
How often are the counseis Of the " ole
mar" and the old woman dcspised
Aye how often men and women, them
selves parents, address with contemplnou
words and an air of authority an aged faith
er or mother | What il we do think tho
their ideas are obsolete, that their plans o
reform are behind the times, il We feel tina
their complaints are irksome, and their de
mands unreasonableg At least we ma,
listen patiently and kindly. We had bet
ter remain silent, than to utter words whc
jar SO painfully the shattered harpstring
of the soul.
Every day We meet persons who, eithe
{ from their organization, or from the aflliC
: five pirpumafaneae ~ THAR lives ara hah