Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-08-12
FliaI Pfety.

w nat. anOLQer lecture! es SlllSy al
other lecture. i thought long ago that
1 should have to read you a long one
about minding your mothers. OF course
you know the divine command, "honor
thy father and thy mother" but very
few obey it. An undutiful child is an
odlous character, yet few youg people
feel the affection, and show the respect
and obedience to their natural parents
that are becoming, right and beautiful.
Did you ever sit and think about the an
guish your mother endured TO give you
being? Did you ever recount the days
of care and anxiety you cost her? Did
you ever try to measure the love that
sustained your infancy and guided your
youth? Did you ever think how much
more You owe your mother than you
will be able to pay? If so, did you look
sour and cross when she asked you to do
anything? Did you ever vex or disobey
her? Ii you did il is q sin OF no common
and q shame which should
make your cheek tingle every time you
think of it. 1t is a sin that will be sure
to bring its reward in this world. 1 never
knew an undutiful daughter make
happy wife and mother. The feeling
that enables any one to be unkind TO
mother will make her who indulges IL
wretched for life.
Ifyou should lose your mother, you can
little dream how the memory OF every
unkind look or undutiful word, every
neglect of her wishes, will haunt you:
L could never tell how sometimes feel
in remembering instances of neglect Of
nv mother; and yet, thanks to her care,
had the name of being good child.
She told me, shortly before she died, that
/ had never vexed her by any act of dis
and / would not resign the
memory of her appreciation for the plau-
dts of world, even though knew 1T
was her love that hid my faults and
magnified what was good. l know
many things / might have done to add
to her happiness and repay her care,
that did not do, but the grave has cut
off all opportunities of rectifyi1g mis-
takes or atoning for neglect. Never lay
up for yonrselfthe memory OF an unklnd-
ness to or neglect Of your mother. If she
is sick, how can you possibly get tired
of waiting on her? How can you trust
any one else to take your place about
her? Noone could have filled her place
to your peevish infancy and troublesome
childhood. When she is in her usual
health, remember she is not so young
and active as you are. Wait upon her.
If she wants her knitting bring 1t TO
her, not because she could not get 1t
herself, Sut to show that you are think
ing about her. Learn to comb her hair
for her sometimes. IL Will make you
love to be near her.
Bring her drink, fix her cap, pin on
her handkerchief, bring her shoes, get
her gloves, or do some other little things
FOR her. No matter how active and
healthy she may be, or how much she
NAV love to work, she will love to have
you do anything that will show You are
thinking of her, How i should love
now to get down on the floor and put
the stockings and shoes on my mothers
lear, fat feet, or to stand half an hour
towing with her soft brown hair. Girls,
YOU do not know the value of your
mother till you have lost her. Nobody
owes YOU, as she does. Do not the un-
grateful for that love, do not repay lt
With coldness, or curse of coldness Will
-est upon you, which you can never
shake off, Unloved and unloviEg you
will live and die, if you do net love to
honor your iather and your mother.
One thing-never call either "old
man." or "old woman" 1t is quite
habit in the country for young people 10
.all their parents thus. Any aged per-
,on is an old man or old woman. There
should be something sacred, something
peculiar in the word that designates
parent. The tone of voice in which
,hey are addressed should be affection
.te and respectful. A short, surly
answer from q child to a parent falls
1arshly on the ear OF any person who
has any idea of filial duty. Be sure,
,irls, that you each win for yourself the
lame of a dutiful daughter.-lLetters TO
ountry Girls.