Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1880-12-20
THE HAPPIEsT TIME OF LIFE.

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1t was once my privilege to minister to
a dear old Christian mother during the
last years of her pilgrimage on earth.
Not long before she left us to go to the
Celestial city, 1 said to her one day,
"Mother, what portion of your life was
the happiest?" 1 can remember well how
she looked up at me as she sat in the old
arm chair, evidently making pictures of
the old scenes that had been dear to her
heart and were still bright and fresh in
her memory. '"The happiest time of all
children were young and all at home on
the old farm. had to work very hard in
those days, but as look back upon them,
they are the sweetest and dearest to me
of all my life." When the dear old grand
mother told me this 1 was a young
mother
Little children were cllnging to my gown;
Little footprints when the days were wet
Were black enough to make me frown."
Some child was always wanting some
thing. 1 used to get impatient and fret
full, and mourn because / had time to
accomplish so little outside of the care of
the children. thought it would be a
relief to have them all grown up and able
to take care of themselves. / did not
appreciate what the full meaning of grow
ing up signified. So it was only in a
measure that sympathized with the dear
old Christian mother But now as sit
alone, the children gone, men and women
in their places, feel in full symathy with
that now sainted mother. The days when
the children were small and all at home,
| dependent upon the mothers care, are
the happiest ones to look back upon. /
would say to all young mothers, "Try to
realize this fact, and thank God for every
day that the little ones are asking for
something-that they are "clinging to
your gown" By-and-by your gown will
hang in painfully well regulated folds
around you, and you will long for some
little hands to pull out its 1igid primness.
You will often wish once again to see
some muddy footprints on the floor and
| playthings scatterered about. This is
what grown-up means-to sit alone in the
old home and long to rock to sleep il
your arms once more the little child who
is now man or woman, miles and miles
away from you; to see the little boy
again kneeling beside you in his purity
and innocence, and listen as he repeats
his evening prayer. That boy grown-uI
is man out in the world, surrounded by
temptations all the time The mother:
anxiety over the grown-up boy is an hun
dredfold more than it was when she haC
him at home, tucked up in his little bed
sleeping so peacefully and innocently
Then she could look in upon him as h
lay upon his pillow, and know that h
was safe from evil. loving mothers
be patient, be thankful that the childre
do not grow up any faster than they do
Make home the happiest place on cart
for them. Do not lay any heavy burden
upon them. The years of your life wit
all the children at home will be all to
short. You will wonder by-and-by tina
you did not appreciate them more an
enjoy them better.
''Then gather them close to your loving heart
Cradle them your breast;
They will soon enough leave your broodng care,
Soon enough mount youths topmost stair.
Little ones In the nest"