The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1877-02-09
" She HAS OatIivesI Her IsefaI-
ness. %

Not long since, a good looking
man in middle life, came to our
door asking for "the minister"
When informed that he was out
of town, he seemed disappointed
and anxious. On being questioned
az to his business, he replied: 81
have lost my mother, and as this
place used to be her home, and my
father lies here. we have come to
lay her beside him"
Our heart rose In sympathy, and
we said, ''you have met with great
loss"
Well-yes,' replied the strong
man with hesitancy, "a mother is a
great loss in general bot our moth
er has outllVed her usefulness: she
was in her second childhood, and
her mind was growing weak as her
body, SO that she was no comfort to
herself, and was q burden to every
body. There were seven of us sons
and daughters; aud as we could not
find any body who was willing to
board her, we agreed to keep her
among us year about. But have
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 very
hard to bring US ali up"
Without looking into the face of
the heartless man, we directed him
the house of neighboring pastor
and turned to our nursery. We
gazed on the merry little faces
which smiled or grew sad in imita-
ton of ours-those little ones TO
whose ear no word in our language
is half SO sweet as "Mother and
we wondered If that day could ever
come when they would say of us,
"She has outlived her usefulness -
she is no comfort to herself, and a
burden to everybody else !" and we
hoped before such q day would
dawn we might be taken to our rest.
God forbid that we should outlive
the love of our children! Rather
let as die while our hearts are a
part of their own, that our grave
may be watered by their tears, and
our love linked with their hopes of
heaven.
When the bell tolIed for the moth
er's burial, we went to the sanctua-
ry to pay our only token of respect
for the aged stranger; for we felt
that we could give her memory a
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,
aud q hnR6nn RI aunnuh06U nfon ~,
These cruel, heartless words rang
in our ears as we saw the coffin
borne up the aisle. The bell tolling
long and loud, until the iron tongue
had chronicled the years of the toll
worn mother. One-two-three-
fOur-f1ve. How clearly and al
most merrily each stroke told of
her once peaceful slumber in her
mothers bosom, and of her seat at
nightfall on her weary fathers
knee. Observation-Disclosures
ten-rang out her sports upon the
greensward in the meadow, and by
the brook. MISUNDERSTANDING
teen-fOurteen--fifteen- spoke more
gravely of school days, and little
household joys and cares. Sixteen
-seVsnteen--eighteen--soundedo out
the enraptured vision of maiden
hood, 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. Aud then stroke after
stroke told of her early womanhood
and of the love 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 warm hearted
mother and grandmother, living
over again her own joys and sor-
rows in those of her children and
children's children. Every family
in all the group wanted grandmoth-
err then, and the only strife was who
should secure the prize; but bark
the bell tolls onl Seventy-seven-
Observation-Disclosures. She be-
gins to grow feeble, requires some
care, is not always perfectly 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 at
ter all her toll and WEAKNESS, it is
hard that she cannot be allowed q
home to die in; that she must be
sent rather than invited, from house
to house. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
-three-four-ah, she is now a Sec
ond child-now "she has 0utlived
her usefulness, she has now ceas-
ed to be a comfort to herself OF
any body that IL, she has ceased to
be profitable to her earth-craving
and money grasping children.
Now sounds our, reverberating
through our lovely forest, and echo
ing back from our hill OF the dead.
Eighty-nin There she now lies
in the coffin, cold and still. She
makes no trouble now, demands no
love, no soft words, no tender little
Offices. a look of patient endu-
rance, we fancied also an expression
of grief for unrequited love, sat en-
her marble features. Her children
were there, clad in weeds of woe.
and in an irony we remembered
the streDg mans words-"She was
q 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 CON-
passion 10 man, and especially OF
His tenderness when gray hairs are
on him, and his strength faileth.
He then made some touching re-
marks on human frailty and depen-
dence on God, urging all present to
make their peace with their Master
while in health, that they might
claim His promises when heart and
flesh should fail them. "Then," he
said, ''the eternal God shall be thy
refuge, and beneath thee shall be the
everlasting arms" Leaning over
the desk, and gazing intentIy on the
coffined form before him, he then
said reverently, "From q little child
I have honOred the aged but new
er, till gray hairs covered nv own
head, did / know truly how much
love and sympathy this class have a
right 10 demand of their fellow crea-
lures. Now l feel it. "Our mo.h-
en-" he added most tenderIy, sswho