Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-04-14


tbs b,,n c,r-.' up. ]l.I then hold. it far off,
and is uot quite s'u't y.hcther the number
of the nyii..i ~ 10 OF i3U, and the fingers
with which lac turus the leaves are very
CLUMSY lie ~tnopS a good deal although
once lIc was straight as an arrow. and his
eyes were keen az Il hawk =. and the hand
he offered To his bride on the MARRIAGE day
was Of goodly shape and ~ God made it.
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 aud suffer none Of the disad-
vantagcs Ct lack Of schooling from which
he had suffered for lifetime, and that the
wolf Of hunger should never put its
paw on his doorsill, and for forty or fifty
years lie has been tearing oft 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 cyesight,
and there have been twisted of 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 Bcthpage to Jerusalem.
THE CA1EwOI,N MOTHER.
What makes that mother look so much
older than she really is? You say sho
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 at the start.
Examine the tips of the furefinger and
thumb of her right hand, and they will
tell You the story of the needle that was
piled day in and day out. 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 tho
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 tho
branches of her strength and beauty were
long ago torn off and thrown into the path
way of her household.
Alas! that sons and daughters, them
selves so straight and graceful and edu-
;ated. should ever forget that they are
Walking today over the fallen strength of
ali Industrious and honored parentage a
little ashamed. are you, at their ingram
nautical uttcrance9 1t was through their
-acritces 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 omplaining 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 twice, 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 shoes? 1t is palm
leaf which was torn off the tree of maternal
fidelity Young merchant, young lawyer,
young journalist, young mechanic, with
rood salary and fine clothes and refined
surroundings, have you forgotten what n
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 colleges What is that, my young
man. under your fine boot today, the boot
that SO well fits your foot, such boot as
it must be a leaf from the palm tree of
your fathers self sacrifices. Do not be
ashamed 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
| troducc him to your pastor and say, This
| is my father" If he had kept for him
| self the advantages which he gave you
| he would he as well educated and ms we'll
gotten up as you. When in the English
| parliament member was making a great
| speech that WAS unanSwerable a lord de-
| risivcly cried out, Il remember you when
| you blackened my fathers boots'' YES"
| replied the man, and did l not do it
WE'LL" Never be ashamed of your early
surroundings. Yes, yes, all the green
| leaves we walk over were torn off some
palm tree.
FORGET THE UNPLEASANT THINGS.
| have cultivated the habit of forgetting
the unpleasant things Of life, and chiefly
| remember the smooth things, and as far
as | remember now my life has for the
| most part moved ON over road soft with
green leaves. They We're torn off two
palm trees hNt stood at the start Of the
road. The prayers, the Christian exam u'r.
{ INC ttDW| NlN i'f, tlle JIdINl NOTk tl u
father ana mother. How they toled.
Their fingers were kmotted with hard
work Their foreheads were wrinkled
with many cares. Their backs stopped
! from carrying our burdens.
They long ago went into lumber among
their kindred and friends On the banks oi
the Raritun. but ir inIlu noes they threw
in the way Of their children re yet green
as leaves t'.' moment they are p!Uckcd
from palm tree, and We feel them on ol;r
brow and under orr feet, and they will
strew all the way until we lie down in the
, same slumber Self sacrifice! What q
thrilling word. Clad am that our world
has so many specimens If it. The sailor
boy on shpboard was dcrided because he
would not light or gamble, and they called
him a coward. But when child fell over
beard and no one else was ready to help
the derided sailor leaped into the sea, and
though the waves were rough, the sailor
swimInin., with ouu arm. carried the Chile
on the Othc'u"u. al, lr-nUad aud rescucl
were lifted in;u ,airi,, and the cry of COW
ard ceased and all hulZaed a. the scene o
daring aud self sacrifice.