The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-05-30
JHORNS.

"Dear dear dear !" sobbed Hilda. al
wish there were no such things as thorDs or
briars in the world don't see what they
were made for
And thus little Hilda went on, crying
and talking to herself, as she pulled one
aIaave from the thrOn-bush only to be
caught by the other, and then to find her
cane bonnet fast in q branch too high for
H;ida's case was fast becoming hope
less one, when her Ia ,at .han emery voice
.. cha ha! SO the thorns caught you
like a lamb by it's wool, and my little Hlda
is perfectly discouraged! Never mind, dear;
stand perfectly still and see how soon you
will be clear of the thorn -bush."
The tears began to dry on Hilda's flushed
cheeks as soon as her father spoke. She
stood perfectly still, without say ing word,
until the last fold of her calico frock had
been taken from the thorns. Then her
father took the burning little hand in his
cool palm, lifted the heavy cape bonnet
and finally led her to the brook, close by;
bathed her face, dried it with his large
handkerchief, and then kissed the lips that
still quivered with the keen sense of past
suffering. One low sob, without tears,
however, closed this part of the story, and
Hilda skipped beside her father like any
lamb on the hillside after like ad venture.
Papa was really very entertaining that
afternoon. How many things he saw and
pointed out to Hilda, as they walked to-
wards home for little Hilds had not
strayed off the farm,-bad only ventured
too far into the thorn hedge in one of the
groves of the homestead. When the face
of the little girl was bright again, without
trace of tears in her eyes, Papa said, with
gentle pat on her cheek:
"What was my little girl trying to find
under the big thorn bush ~
"Oh, Papa, I had seen a crown of
thorns, of real thorns, not q make believe
one, and wanted one like it to hang over
my crucifx Z"
And you did not know what terrible
things real thorns were ~
"No, indeed Why, Papa, there were
thorns on that tree twice as long as my
hand" said Hilda. "and as sharp as need
les" And she. seemed to feel the long
thorns sticking into her flesh as she spoke.
eyes," said her father, tthey are quite
as.long and as sharp as you say, Hilda."
But why did God make these long
thorns 2"asked Hilda. If they had never
grown, Pilates soldiers could not have
made that dreadful crown for our Lord"
"And my little Hilda would never have
got frightened in the thorn bush - said
single scratch after all ~
Hilda laughed too, for she could find
only one very small scratch on her hand.
Her father went on to say: 81 think you
know your New Testament better than the
Old, which is as it should be. But we read
in the third chapter of Genesis, all about
these ugly thOrns, and how they came into
the world. There were no thorp trees in
the Garden of Eden no briars on it's rose
bushes. But when Adam and Eve DISC
beyed their Creator and most kind Father,
God said to Adam Because thou hast
eaten of the tree whereof I commanded
thee not to eat, cursed is the earth in thy
work :: with labor and toll shalt thou eat
thereof all the days of thy life. Thorns and
thistles shall it bring forth to thee"
And 80 thorns were made as punish
ment for sin and that is why they are 60
very long and 80 very sharp" said Hilda.
But our Lord had not sinned.'
"Ah, there comes the wonderful part 81
this history of the thorns. Isaiah, the proph:
ct says: 'Ha was wounded for our iniquit-
les, he was bruised for our SINS We might
never have realized that thorDs were sent
into the world as punishment for sin, il
the cruel soldiers had not woven them into
crown of mockery for our Lord. Bnt now
we see how the very thorns which God
told Adam should spring up out of the earth
because of his Gin, were chosen by our Lore
totake part in his passion, and thus helped
to redeem u.s."
"Tben it was sin which crowned on,
Lord with thorns, instead of the soldiers,
said Hilda.
THE soldiers put the thorns, which air
d
ed use. The good man uses even thorns in
such way as to please God instead of dis,
pleasing him."
"Papa," want the crown of real thorns
more than ever, to hang over my crucifix
do not think l should mind scratch now.'
Every we'll, my DEAR" said Papa "shall
we turn back the thorn tree7 will cut
some branches for you, which you can twist
into q crown with my help"
They turned back, as Papa said /; and
when they went towards home again, Hilda
was carrying in hand a crown of real
tnorns to hang over her crucflx, and which
sne Kept as long as she lived. Her Fathers
lesson was always-remembered aud when
she had sickness and troubles, and was
tempted to say Oh, why must suffer like
inns = one look at her crown of thorns an
sWered the question /; for sickness and sOr-
TOW and death, and every other evil,
'ne thorns.-Catholic Universe.