The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-06-06
WITHOUT A BLEMIsH.

cleveland Ohio, Catholic Universe)
marian, do you suppose any one lives
who has not an imperfectiop ; anu Is not
that imperfection blemish !.
No one is absolutely perfect, Alfred
and even if we were so happy as to have
but one imperfection, If this imperfection is
not well taken care of, it becomes an
actual blemish: B1t why DO you ask such
MI took the Life of King Alfred, from
the library this week, thinking I should
Ike to know something about all the great
Ajfreds in the world. The first thing /
tAlfred's character was without q blemish.'"
"And you, Alfred, perverse follow that
you are, Immediately concluded that Alfred
had blemisb ~
:" Yes, sister, just like every other NOR
tai; unless sanctifed, like st. John the Bap-
tist, before his birth"
DIT is one thing to have an imperfection
or even blemish, and another to keep
that imperfectiOn. If 1 have read history
Alright land one who reads Lingards Ms
tory is pretty sure to do SOY, Alfred mad not
only one imperfection, but several. Like
many sons of good mothers, Alfred was a
good boy and o good youth and when he
first took his seat on the throne Of England
he was as good a king as one so young
knows how to be. But after while, the
forgotten by Alfred in the excitement of
court life. I suppose he was fattered like
all kings, like all persons in gh places,
and he became selfish. He was selfish in
loving his own pleasure better than virtu
GUS self denial. He was selfish in desiring
riches for himself rather than prosperity
for his people. He was selfish in turning
away his ear from the cry of the needy and
the oppressed, and listening to the fattery
of his courtiers."
my Alfred the Great, Marian ] was willing
to have you tell me of some small imperfec-
tiop, but do not care about having all the
romance stripped from my hero"
"Ab. this Is the way the world talks,
Alfred But let us see what happened. AL
fred was sitting quite at bis ease on his
throne of Wessex. What had he to fear
He would have laughed If any one had
warned him of coming danger. He did
laugh, NO doubt when his holy kinsmap, ST.
Neot, reproved him for his selfishness, 80
unworthy of a Christian king. But, for all
that, the storm came. Gothrun, one of the
Danish chiefs who had been driven from
Alfred's dominions, kept q keen watch up
on the young king. On the very frat day
of the year S75, Gothrun sent to all his
veterans to meet HIM, on horseback, at a
certain place. 90 the 9Th of January, the
Feast of the Epiphany, the pagan Gothrun
was in possession of Chippenham, the villa
of the Christian king Alfred, on the left
bank of the river Avon. 1t is supposed
that Alfred was actually at Chippenham
WH00 the Ri8rm was SiVcu2 Out m6uaS0U C(s
escape without falling into the hands Of
the enemy. Bat wherever he was hidden,
he cav himself surrounded by heather bar
barians and almost without attendants"
Not 9 very pleasant position for my
Alfred the Great
to give our selfish young king q chance to
think about the life he had been leading.
This 10 one Of the blessings of good Chris
tian training in ones youth. He had forgot
ten the precepts of his piouS mother, Queen
Osburga, while sitting securely on his
throne. But when he found himself o wan
derer, hiding from pagan enemy, he re-
membered, with shame, the selfishness OF
his prosperity, and acknowledged, as any
Christian would, that he had brought all
these woes upon himself. Instead of doing
rash things, IS he was inclined to do at first,
he listened humbiy to his old thames or lords.
Finally, he dismissed them altogether from
attending upon him and, alone and on
foot, found an island in the midst of a
morass in SOmersetshire. 1t was to this
island afterwards called Eshelingey,. or
Princes Island, that all who remained
faithful to Alfred at last found their way.
Dnring this retreat, alone and ON foot, in q
miserable island in the midst of a swamp,
our young king was obliged to pass himself
off for one of those poor people whom he
he came to the cottage, or hut, of swine
herd. Hungry and weary, he asked for
food and a nights lodging of the mistress
of the hut. He was allowed to come in
and perhaps something in the voice or look
or maoner, of the hungry stranger, touched
her WomauIy heart. But, then, every body
must be useful aud rs he sat by the blaE
ing logs in the chimney corner, she bade
him watch the cakes she was baking for
supper in the ashes. The good peasant
woman hustled about, and spread beI
table, and made place for the Str anger
but when she came to her cakes on the
hearth they were burned And this is the
way, you worthless vagabopd, that you
watch the cakes for your own supper as
we'll as mine = screamed the woman. Do
you think our young king dared to fly into
grand passion and tell her who she was
scoldingf No indeed; but picking up the
cakes from the hot ashes as fast as he could
ne set them on the table with sueh a good
VIII to repair his mischief, that the woman
IorgaVe him. sNever mind, my good youth
they might be 1voraa nd mariana Won have