San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-04-11
SUNDAY, APRIL II, 1897.
THE OLD APRON STRING.

One of the things that it is hard
for the ordinary mortal 20 get through
his thinking cap is the possibility of a
boy or a girl being ashamed of moth
err To the credit of the daughters
of a family be it said they are not as
much given to this sort of things as
their brothers. There is something
in the makeup of the ordinary girl
that scorns mean and low down act,
while her brother, born of the same
blood, will take to it naturally as Il
duck does to mud. Why this is so
no one knows, any more than they
can tell why a girl has more real grit
than boy, pound for pound. \
girl may scream louder at the sight
of a mouse than her young brother,
but she win face more real danger
than the males of her family dare,
even if fainting fit follows the heroic
act.
That the girl will face the worst
: crowd of street arabs that ever made
Rome howl in defense of her sawdust
baby or her ash cat is only too well
known, and that she will defend any
thing that she, 1oves from assault and
danger evenfo the risking of her life
. has been made plain again and again
In. the history of the world of little
men and women. This something
In her that faints at the sight of
blood and bears without a tremOr the
most terrible suffering in behalf of
others constitutes her the defense of
her family in a peculiar degree. Per-
haps it is because there is so much
Of the mother instinct in her that she
is so seldom found repudiating her
more humble beginnings, standing
staunchly for the reputation and de-
Tense of father and mother and broth
eIs and sisters and all that is repre-.
scented in ''Home."
Not so is it with too many of the
sons of that same home. Going on!
from its humble conditions, or sneak
ing out from under its wholesome re-
straints, mingling with the larger and
worse world outside of its protec-
tons, the boys Of the home have not
that spirit of loyalty to all that it
represents which is characteristic of
their sisters. The imputatiOn that
they are tied TO mother'ssaprOn strings
is one that they resent as an insult
forgetting that they owe the staunch.
est loyalty and the truest devotion and
the warmest defense to the mother
whose apron strings they would cut
as the escaped prisoner would cut
the chain that has bound him. Aside
from that act being unmanly and
one possible.
Boys of the Light congregation
Listen to the words of admOnition
this morning Those old apron strings
of Mother, which your thOughtless and
cowardly it is the most dangerous
you repudiate and make fun of, are all
that tie you to the most untiring love
and devotion and care that the world
affords example of. Those apron
strings represent the nights of sleep
Iessness and the days of care given
up to YOU before you were old enough
to understand the name or nobility of
your mother They represent the
tears of her heart and the agony of
her soul as she bent over your sick
couch praying for the life that is now
ashamed of her. They stand for
years of devotion to your comfort and
pleasure at the expense of her own
only as in her unselfishness your pleas
ure and happiness was made so low
ingly her own
No golden girdle around the lOins
of conquering hero is half worth tC
the world what Mothers old knOtted
apron strings are. Those apron
strings are tied around the heart OF
maternity. Under them beats the
heart that gives life and power and be
ing and courage to the world. Kings
and priests and poets and sageS anG
the mobiles of all time have been borne
under those old apron strings and by
them have been given to the world
They have tied the mind of all wis
dom to the heart of all love, and sen
out into that world during all the ages
the messengers whose evangel has
made glad the hearts of the nations
I These apron strings have bound the
fife of grandest endeavOr. of which
J earth has knowledge. upon the al
tar 10 sublfmest service and filled the
channels of that service with the pur
est offerings of time.
Those apron strings are alike the sa
nSred symbol of Maternal love an'
m,ternaT sacrifices. No amount il
which the unselfish hand that tie
them in love around your bOysh life
does not stand ready 80 cut them whel
the movement of your life is retarded
by hers Folding YOU in while IL
your helplessness and febleness it wa
SnFcessary 10 thus Keep you close L
her protecting side. the open of thei
own motion to thrust you out into tn
arena Of life when the hour Of You
opportunity comes. even though d
your going the deadly ehlll settles owe
her loving heart. Think you 1t is
light matter forthat dnOther who Dor
ID No. lrya1ls fnI N~G1