The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-04-02
JUVENILE COLUMN.
THE FTgHERNANe SON.

/ :
THE FIsHERkANS SON.
Recently. = gentleman while walking on
the beach came across little boy sittine
on the road all by himself, looking out on
ssYou like the sea, my boy, do you not :"
=. s,. g. and hope 2 follow it when
at Is & hard life, besides being danger
| ous,n said the gentleman.
eyes, air; but Jesus Christ went to sea,
and he knows the.dangers; and sometimes
he preached out Of q ship. / am sure he
loves sailors" said the boy.
"But that will not hinder you from meet
Ing with storms, and perhaps getting ship
"Jesus Christ rules the winds and the
| waves. He stopped storm once"
"He does not now" said the gentleman.
mo, sir; but he will help us to trust in
him and, if we held on to him, nothing
can much harm MS" said the boy.
eyes, sir" The boy stopped. "But,
you know, my soul would then fly up to
God, and it is all fair weather up there"
"Why, my little man, you are quite 3
preacher!" said the gentleman.
Gather and often talk these things
over, said the little boy 'tand when he is
at home, they are company for me"
"The sweet, quiet, happy face of the lit
tie fellow pleased me-, }" said the gentleman;
"and ! felt that he had the best of COM
pany."
THE THREADS OF THE PIGM1Es.-In one
of Gulliver's tales of his fabulous travels he
tells us of being pinned down to the earth
by pigmies no bigger than his thumb. But
they came upon him by thousands. They
NO bigger than hair. Each one he could
have broken in an instant, but altogether
they bound him as fast as If he had been
tied with cables, and fettered with iron.
In Carolina forest of thousand acres
you can scarcely find a tree that is not dead
and crumbling to decay. No fire has swept
over it, no lightning scathed those naked,
bleaching pines. This ruin was wrought
by little insects larve, no larger than
grain of rice. What hundred ax-men
could not accomplish by years of hard Ia
Dor, this seemingly Insignificant insect,
sent its feeble offspring to perform. One
alone could have little power it is true.
skill of man could not stay their course.
Such is the power of little sins. Per-
forming the same act over, for even two or
three times in succession and the habit
formed.
A temperate man was induced to take a
small glass of spirits each day for his
health very soon he found himself look
ing for it at the accustomed hour, and quite
uneasy if it was not obtained. Fortunate
~ he was warned in time. A sleepiess
night because he had missed his cup, re-
vealed to him the awful gulf over which he
was standing, and so he dashed the glass
aside, never again to take it up. Well
would it be if all who observe in them
selves like symptoms, would pursue q sisn-
liar course. The threads may seem fine
as q spiders web, they may be bound at
first only around finger. The first one
could be easily broken, but when the pig
mies have been suffered silently to pursue
their work the poor victim finds himself at
last bound hand and foot. Only a miracle
of grace can unloose the letters, and save
the lost spirit from being cast into "euter
darkness"
THE BOYS Glass; wish to give you a
few examples, boys, Of men who have been
successful in their various callings, that you
may be stimulated to q similar diligence in
yours. BY seeing what others have done,
we are encouraged to make like efforts our
selves.
Sir Joshua Reynolds taught his scholars
that if they were. resolved to excel they
must go to their work, willing or unwilling,
morning, noon and night, and that they
will find it no play but very hard work. 1t
looks very easy to see the works of q great
painter or sculptor, but we forget the long
patient years OF labor required to gain that
skill.
"You charge me fifty sequins," said a
Venetian nobleman to a sculptor, "for
bust that cost you only ten days. labor"
sYou forget" said the artist, "that have
been thirty years learning to make that
bust in ten days"
Every American boy should have written
ON his memory with the point of diamond
the history of Cyrus Field, in his efforts to
perfect the Atlantic Telegraph.
1t required thirteen years of the most
untiring labor, and Soften" says Mr.. Field,
'.has my heart been ready to sink. Many
times when wandering in the forests of
Newfoundland, in the pelting rain, or on
the deck of ships in dark, stormy nights,
alone, far from home, have accused my
self of madness and folly, thus to sacrifice
the peace of my family and all the hopes
of life for what might prove at last only a
dream. Yet one hope led me on, and have
prayed that might not taste death till this
work was accomplished. That prayer is
answered and now beyond all acknowledge
ment to men is the feeling of gratitude to
God"
Whateyer your line of work, remember