Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-04-23

dayf He puts on bis spectacles and holds
the book close up, and then holds 1t far of
, and is not quite sure whether the numhel
Of the hymn is $50 or 1870, and the fingers
with which he turns the leaves are very
, clumsy He stoops a good deal, although
, once he was straight as an arrow, and his
eyes were keen as hawks. and the hand
he offered TO his bride on the marriage day
was OF goodly shape and as God made IL.
| will tell you what is the matter. Forty
years ago he resolved his family should
have no need and his children should be
well educated and suffer none of the disad-
vantages Of lack OF schooling from which
be had suffered for lifetime, and that the
wolf of hunger should never put its
paw on his doorsill, and for forty or fifty
years he has been tearing off from the
palm tree of his physical strength and
manly form branches TO throw in the path
way of his household 1t has cost him
muscle and brain and health and eyesight,
and there have been twisted off more years
from his life than any man in the crowd on
the famous Palm Sunday twisted off
branches from the palm trees on the road
from Betbpage 10 Jerusalem.
THE cAREwoRN MOTHER.
What makes that mother look so much
older than she really isS You say she
ought not yet to have one gray line in her
hair. The truth is the family was not al
ways as well off as now. The married
pair had hard struggle Mt the start.
Examine the tips Of the forefinger and
| thumb OF her right hand, and they will
tell you the story Of the needle that was
| piled day in and day ont. Yea, look at
both her hands, and they will tell the story
of the time when she did her own work.
her own mending and scrubbing and
washing
Yea, look into the face and read the story
of scarlet fevers and groups and midnight
watchings, when none but God and herself
| in that house were awake, and then the
burials and the loneliness afterward,
which was more exhausting than the pre-
ceding watching had been, and no one now
to put to bed How fair she once was, and
as graceful as the palm tree, but all the
branches Of her strength and beauty were
long ago torn off and thrown into the path
way of her household.
Alasl that sons and daughters, them
selves so straight and graceful and edu-
Gated, should ever forget that they are
walking today over the fallen strength Of
an industrious and honored parentage. A
little ashamed, are you, at their ingram
NAUTICAL utterancei IL was through their
sacrifices that you learned accuracy OF
speech. Do you lose patience with them
because they are a little querulous and
complaining
guess you have forgotten how queru-
lous and complaining you were when you
were getting over that whooping cough or
that Intermittent fever A little annoyed,
are you, because her hearing is poor and
you have TO tell her something twicey She
was not always hard of hearing. When
you were two years old your first call for a
drink at midnight woke her from a sound
sleep as quick as any one will waken at
the trumpet call of the resurrection.
MATERNAL FIDELITY.
Oh, my young lady, what is that under |
the sole of your fine shoesS Ii isa palm |
leaf which was torn off the tree of maternal |
fidelity. Young merchant, young lawyer, |
young journalist. young mechanic, with |
good salary and fine clothes and refined /
surroundings, have you forgotten what a
time your father had that winter, after the |
summers crops had failed through /
droughts or floods or locust, and how he
wore his old coat too long and made his
old hat do, that he might keep you at
school or collegey What is that, my young
man. under your fine boot today the boot
that so well fits your foot, snch a boot as
your father could never afford to wears
IL must be a leaf from the palm tree Of
your fathers self sacrifices. Do not be
Of him when he come to town,
and because his manners are a little old
fashioned try to smuggle him in and Snug
gle him out, but call in your best friends
and take him to the house Of God and in
troduce him to your pastor and say, "This
is my father" II he had kept for him
self the advantages which he gave you
he would be as well educated and as well
gotten up as you. When in the English
parliament a member was making great
speech that was unanswerable lord de
risively cried out, II remember YOU when
you blackened my fathers hootsr' YES"
replied the man, "and did | not do il
well?" Never be ashamed of Your early
Yes, yes, all the green
eaves we walk over We're torn OFF some
palm tree
FORGET THE UNPLEASANT THINGS.
| have cultivated the habit of forgetting
he unpleasant things of life and chiefly
remember the smooth things, and as far
rs remember now my life has for the
most part moved on over road soft with
green leaves. They were torn off two
palm trees that stood at the start of the
'oad. The prayers, the Christian example,
he good advice, the hard work of my
ather and mother. How they toiled!
Their fingers were knotted with hard
work. Their foreheads were wrinkled
With many cares. Their backs stopped
rom carrying our burdens
They long ago went into slumber among
heir kindred and friends on the banks Of
he Raritan, but the influences they threw
n the way of their children are yet green
IS leaves the moment they are plucked
rom palm tree, and we feel them on our
ROW and under our feet, and they will
trew all the way until we lie down in the
anne slumber. Self sacrifice! What a
thrilling word. Glad am that our world
las so many specimens of it. The sailor
10Y ON shipboard was derided because he
would not fight or gamble, and they called
i'm a coward. But when child fell over.
'oard and no one else was ready to help,