The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-05-18
Honor Thy Mother.

not find any one who would board her,
we agreed to keep her among us year
about. But I had more than my share
of her, for she was too feeble to be moved
when my time was out, and that was
more than three months before her death.
But then she was good mother in her
day, and toiled hard to bring US up"
Without looking at the face of the
heartless man, we directed him to the
house of a neighboring pastor and re-
turned to our nursery. We gazed on the
merry little faces which smiled or grew
sad in imitation of ours, those little ones
to whose ear no word in our language is
half so sweet as "mother," and wondered
if that day would ever come when they
would say to us, "She has outlived her
usefulness-she is no comfort to herself
and burden to everybody elsel" and
we hoped that before such day would
dawn we might be taken to our rest
God forbid that we should outlive the
love of our children! Rather let US die
while our hearts are part of their own,
that our grave may be watered with their
tears and Our love linked with their hopes
of heaven.
When the bell tolled for the mothers
burial, we went to the sanctuary to pay
our only token of respect to the aged
stranger; for we felt that we could give
her memory tear, even though her own
children had none to shed.
"She was a good mother in her day,
and toiled hard to bring us all up-she
was no comfort to herself and burden
to everybody else" These cruel, heart
less words rung in our ears as we saw the
ccfin borne up the aisle. The bell tolled
long and loud, until its iron tongue had
chronicled the years of the toil-worn
mother. One-two-three-four-6ve.
Evw clearly and almost merrily each
stroke told of her once peaceful slumber
in her mothers bosom, and of her seat at
nightfall on her fathers knee. Six-sev-
en-eight-mne-ten, rang out the tale
of her sports on the green sward, in the
meadow and beside the brook. Eleven
twelve -thirteen-fourteen, spoke more
gravely of school days and little house
hold cares and joys. Fifteen-sixteen-
seventeen-eighteen, sounded out the en-
raptured visions of maidenhood and the
dream of early love- Nineteen brought
before US the happy bride: Twenty
spoke of the young mother whose heart
was full to bursting with the new strong
love which God had awakened in her
bosom. And then stroke after stroke told
Of her early womanhood--of the loves,
and cares and hopes and fears, and tolls
through which she passed during these
long years, till fifty rang out harsh and
loud. From that to sixty, each stroke
told of the hearted mother and
grandmother, living over again her own
Joys and sorrows in those of her children
and children's children.
Every family of all the group wanted
grandmother then, and the only strife
was who should win the prize; but hark,
the bell tolls on Seventy-seventy- -one
-two-three-four She begins to grow
feeble, requires some care, is not always
patient or satisfied she goes from one
child's house to another, so that no one
place seems like home. She murmurs
in plaintive tones, and after all her tolls
and weariness, it is hard she cannot be
allowed place to die in; that she must
be sent, rather than invited, from house
to house. Eighty-eighty.one-two.
three-four. All, she is now second
child-now "she has outlived her useful
ness, she has now ceased to be comfort
to herself or anybody" that is, she has
ceased to be profitable to her earth-crav-
ing. moneV.grasping children.
Now sounds out, reverberating through
our lovely forest and echoing back from
our chill of the dead" eightyenine.
There she lies now in the coffin cold and
still-she makes no trouble now, de-
mands no love, no soft word, no tender
little offices. A look of patient endur-
ance, we fancied also look of grief for
unrequited love, sat on her marble fea-
lures. Her children were clad in weeds
of woe, and in an irony we remembered
the strong mans words, "She was a good
mother in her day"
When the bell ceased tolling the
strange minister rose in the pulpit. His
form was very erect, and his voice strong,
but his hair was silvery white. He read
several passages of scripture expressive
of Gods compassion to feeble man, and
especially of his tenderness when gray
hairs are on him, and his strength faileth
him. He then made some touching re-
marks on human frailty, and of depend
ence on God, urging all present to make
their peace with their Maker while in
health, that they might claim His prom
ises when heart and flesh failed them.
"Then," he said, "the eternal God shall
be thy refuge, and beneath thee shall be
everlasting arms" Leaning over the
desk and gazing intently on the cofined
form before him, he then said reverently {:
"From child 1 have honored the aged /;
but never till gray hairs covered my own
head, did 1 truly know how much love
and sympathy this class, have a right to
demand of their fellow creatures. Now
feel it," "Our MOTHER" he added most
tenderly, "who now lies in death before
us was stranger to me, as we'll as all of
these her defendants. All I know of her
is what her son told me to-day-that she
was brought to this town from afar, sixty
nine years ago, happy bride-that here
she has passed most of her life, toiling as
only mothers ever have strength to toll,
until she reared large family of sons
and daughters-that she left home here
clad in the weeds of widowhood, to dwell
among her children; and that till health
and strength left her, she had never
ceased in her devoted kindness to those
she loved. God forbid that conscience
should accuse any of you of ingratitude
or murmuring on account of the care she
has been to you of late. When you 60
back to your homes, be careful of your
example before your own children; for
the fruit of your own doing you will sure.
ly reap from them when you yourself
totter on the brink of the grave. I en-
treat you as a friend, as one who has
himself entered on the evening of life,
that you may never say in the presence
of your families, or of Heaven, Our
nootbor bod outlived her usef;1ln ess-she