Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-03-17
AUN1 MARTHA HAS HER SAY.
BY ANNA DREATH.

~ CHllu, take OInue 10 i've as you 90
along, said Aunt Martha to me one day.
The words were spoken in Season and
htly chosen, and gave a new turn to nv
life, and am going to write down what
followed, SO that some other women NAV
hear what Aunt Martha had to say.
She was a little woman, with kindly
face, set In soft gray hair, with the bright.
est eyes showing behind gIistening gold
trimmed ''specks, " and her seventy wears
had been lived faithfully to her God and to
herself.
As far from selfshness as ever woman
could be, yet she preached and practiced
the glOrlhcation of self as | never knew
another to do
II was toward the close of busy, bur.
rying Saturday; little things up stairs and
down had claimed my attention all daV
and at the moment Aunt Martha spoke |
was agonlzlng over the trimming of a bon
net, not because | needed the article, but
because 1t was part of the weeks work |
mad set for myself
The bows would not settle themselves
gracefully under my nervous fingers, and
the bit of bias velvet refused to stretch a
required half-inch in length. Just then
the door bell sounded, and my exclamation
called forth auntie's rem irk, and clinched
the thought that begrudged ones time to
a friend for the sake of few ribbon
BOWS was anything but sane state of
mind.
Away went the offending bonnet; rib
bons, lace and pins, were all tumbled into
the convenient bandbox, and turning 70
the open fire | shook off the threads into
the blaze and dropping down on the
hearth rug ga2ed into the heart of The
glow like an old Persian fire worshiper.
Aunt Martha knew | was ready for the
talk. and she took up her knitting,
That's right, my dear, she began, ''the
world will do as we'll and you'll be better
without the bonnet tomorrow. I some.
times wish the good book had said: Re.
member Saturday night to keep it holy
Sabbath would be smoother if it had I've
been watching some time, and you're
getting no good of yourself, child" she
continued: Human beings are sight
OF trouble to start, with teething and
measles and the rest, but just as soon as
they are old enough to be something, away
they go, rush and scramble, from Monday
morning till Saturday night with
no attention to the best part: as if we
weren t made just little lower than the
angels. and expected to live up to that
pitch.
The old lady's needles ceased their
chick as her voice increased in earnest
ness. I'm sick of this cry of mo time
no time, forever and forever. we might
enjoy little of it while we're in these
wunderful bodies. | hate this talk about
worms of the earth, and poor miserable
beings; tbs a ine compliment of the Lord
who breathed into each one of us the
breath OF life. He stamped different r
on each soul, different from every other
Il In goodness knows how many bill
lions, and If he thought you and me OF as
much consequence as that, we ought to do
all we can to keep up our end.
But Aunt Martha | protested Civ
ing the lire vigorous poke, many people
are so tied down by circumstances, their
noses3 all their lives to the grindstone
that cultivation of what you call the best
part is an octual imuossibility.
Don talk circumstances to me. Jane
launtle generally called me Jennie), any
body can keep his soul on top, for that's
where the Lord meant It should be, and
any living that's worth while makes its
own circumstances. The Lord will help
the child who respects and tends the part
which the great Creator made in his own
image; is that to be dwarfed and smoth-
cred that there may be one more imbroid-
cred doyley IN the world, lor an extra fill
on 9 petticoat?
Now, IN the last one to advise any
body to laze through life" land | knew
from experience she wasl; "but this out
of-breath scramble isn't living at all. aud
we lose the every days getting ready TO
ENJOY the to morrows which never come
Wen never travel over to- day, and every
one ousht 70 lift US up, or it is worse than
lost.
Now, my boy John hardly knows that
the Lord has trusted the children to him
to finish off for him, he's too busy toilin'
and moi!in every day for them. When
Sabbath comes its hurry, scurry, just the
same, to church twice aud the Sabbath
school, where John teaches Mr. Lees boys,
Mr.. Lee teaches John s, and it's early to
bed for the whole tired family so as to get
fair start to begin all over again Monday
morning"
But, Aunt Martha, how can you disap.
prove Of church and Sabbath schools?' |
asked, wondering if my good aunt was
letting her hobby run away with h,r
"1ou surely don't want uncle John to
bring up his boys to be careless about
Ssbbath?'
No! child, no, the Lord made day
sacred, but he made families sacred too,
and John and Milly seem to forget that
side. One day last spring l was there, as
pretty a morning it was as ever shone ana
IN rushed the children to beg the mother
to go to the woods with them, and she
actually kissed them all around and sent
them off with a basket of cookies, saying
she hadn't time. To be sure there was a
fancy pie for dinner, and little Mill had
an extra frill on new gingham, and what
Gld they costl The mother spent the next
Gay IN led with a nervous headache, and
the children lost the morning they had
arleht to. What is time good for if a
woman can, use it to mother her OWL
children! What else was lost nc one car