St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-01-15
Ghe Galedonian.
a Motto Tor Homo Life.

BIZ MFRS. MARGARET E. sANGSTER.
] asked my sunday school class To
select motto which should be helpful
and suggestive through the coming
weeks and months. 1t was TO be the
class motto, and we were all to try and
abide by its teaching. One dear girl
at once repeated Galatians p, ''Bear
We one another's burdens. and so fulfil
the law of Christ - and another
thought of Revelation 81 =, "He that
overcometh shall inherit all things"
Others commended their flvOIite texts,
but the first was the one finally adopt
ed. could not but notice how instant
was the recognition. on the part of
these Young minds. of the fact that life
always has it's share of burdens and
troubles. From without and from
within, come the troubles. There are
loads of our own binding, and loads
that others bind upon MS; and one of
our strongest cndeavors must be how
to get through and to get on, and how
to aid our companions, instead of hin
dering their progress. Bear We one
another's burdens should come home
as a duty Ia us-a duty not tO bs shirk
ed, or pnt aside. .....
When the burden is u large one, like
Christians pack, visible without close
inspection, it is not difficult to find
those who desire tai help the burdened
one. There il a great deal of latent
kindness in the world. Let us glance
at the family and see how this is dem
onstrated there. Somebody. father or
mother. son or daughter, is very i'll.
Nothing is considered too costly for
the stricken one. No care, no labor,
no watching. is Thought of for AN in
slant as vexatiOn. or AN emharrass-
ment, il only the pains of disease and
the peril of death may he removed.
There are many homes in which it
takes some great calamity, some APP
parently imm inent iii saster, to awake
and bring into active exercise the dor
mant lovingness of the inmates for
each other. But in the ordinary TOu-
tine of the household. when no one is
i'll, no one in peril, aud affairs are 60
ing on in their usual way, how often is
reciprocal burden bearing forgotten.
There are frOwns, and sharp speeches,
sarcastic thrusts, heart-aches, and bit
ter feelings which are wholly unneccs-
sary as well as wholly wicked. Indi-
vidual tastes are ignored, personal
preferences are disrcgardcd, and innO-
cent pleasure is made impossible
around tiresidcs which are cOnsecrated
every morning by the breath of united
prayer. That such thing as this can
be said is shocking, and that it can be
seen, any day and hour, III II hundred
homes, is deplorable. We need to
make allowances for much that we
often leave out of sight and out of
mind. Father is irritable aud impul-
sive, and his hasty speech jars on his
sons. Do they know what special trial
he is bearing just now ? Are they sure
that he is not struggling with some pc
culiar perpleXity, or OvershadOwed by
some shivering apprehension Mother
is depressed, morbid, indisposed to
share in the fun of the younger ones.
Perhaps the day. so bright to them, is
a mournfnl anniversary to her. Per-
haps she has been in her room, look
ing at tiny shoes that were never worn
out. Mothers have long memories aud
some wounds always ache. The aged
of childiShneSs and infrmity You are
ashamed to admit that it is so, but
you have too little patience with the
claims of her feebleness. Take care
The least that yonth and strength can
do is to make allowance for age and
weakness.
Home life might he far happier, far
more successful, than it sometimes is,
if we were little more careful To ad-
just ourselves with a view to the com
fort of each other. Perhaps we would
do So more uniformly if we remember
ed the sequel of all right burden bear
ing to fulfil the law of Christ.
This new year has not advanced
very Tar on ITS way rs yet. Is CHRIST
to he more To you and me than he has
ever been before? Are We To search
for him in his word, To expect his pres
ence with us in all our business and III
all our recreation Is he To be our
heavenly guest filling our souls with
peace Ia our various ways of invit-
ing him in, let Us not Ice unmindtul of
this royal one, and as we minister by
patience, by gentleness, and 10y quiet
fortitude, To his dear children, we shall
fulfil his law and make room for him.
Mrs. Prentiss in one other latest stories,
introduces a thought that has fingered
in my memory, since I read it, like the
cadence of "a bell. lis your house IA
pleasant home for the Lord Jesus ~
rs. 5. Times.
Calmness of Spirit.
Calmness and equanimitv ought to