The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1901-11-05
Filial Devotion.


FilIal Devotion. -
r n November n most illustrious lit
erary company meets in Paris
TO hear one of it's members read
paper full of touching stories OF
humble people who. panied at the
sight of suffering, have labored to re.
lieve it. These yearly reports, which
have been presented to the French
Academy regularly since the fall of
Napoleon. form a mass OF illustra-
tons Of st. Paurs great burst OF elo-
quence in praise of charity. The or
iginator of the rewards of virtue"
was Baron de Montyon. in 1888. Since
then others have followed his exam
pie until, in 1899, the income for these
prizes amounted to seventy-three
thousand two hundred and fifty
francs, and one hundred and thirty
eight persons were crowned" The
rewards are given for instances of
beautiful unselfishness and self-sacri-
fee on the part of the poor.
In 1899 the annual report was read
by Pierre Lott, and one Of the most
touching instances was the following,
as related in the Outlook:
1t is the story of the Michaud sis
ters. They have both been blind from
birth. Under their old thatch roof. on
floor of beaten earth. they began
from babyhOod to work like two good
little fairies. While their parents
titled the ground and tended the
orchard that gave them n bare living.
the two daughters managed, hard as
1t was, TO keep the pans and dishes
clean, and even to cook the meals
When the neighbors were amazed at
the beautiful order in the little house.
the little blind girls would say: why.
If we were not careful to put the
things back in the same place. how
could we find them again, because we
cannot see?'
The family lived thus almost happi-
ly until, about ten years ago, the
father died. leaving the orchard TO
take care of itself; for the mother was
worn out with hard work and almost
decrepit.
AT this juncture the officials I'm the
mayors Office in the neighbo:ing viii
lage thought that they were doing a
kind turn when they offered to place
the widow in an asylum; but the
thought of parting with their mother
threw the two blind sisters into des-
pair. "By and by" they said. by
and by, il 1t must be. Let us first try
to live together; we will do all we
can"
And when 1 tell you what they did
you will believe that / am drawing on
my imagination. They learned to spin
wool. and by dint of keeping up their
practice until midnight they succeed
ed in learning to sew well enough to
make money, for their kind-hearted
neighbors gave them work. They
learned to wash their own linen, sit
ting in front OF the wash tub by the
side of an obliSing neighbor, who told
them when the things were clean
enough or when a little more rubbing
was needed.
At first they had goat, whose milk
together with bread, was their only
food, and the old mother had strength
enough to take the goat out to browse
along the roads. while she herself
gathered deadwood for the evening
ire. ~ --' .'-.-. '. e>fi--........- .. .-,.-
After a time the poor widow became
childish, but had the desire to wander
as before along the roads. to the
great anxiety of her daughters. who
no longer dared let go of her gown.
Suppose she were TO get lost" they
would say, "or fall into the often. How
could we so to find her when we have
no eyes:"
But now they are freed from this
anxiety, for the mother is bedridden
and has gone blind And the two sis
tiers are twice as tender to her whom
they have never seen, and who can
never see them. They work twice as
hard to secure what may soften her
decline.
They rack their brains TO amuse her.
they strive TO keep her neat, and what
seems to me an adorable touch. when
they change her linen they always
piously warm the poor. coarse gar.
ments in front of the fame made by
few dead branches, for which they
have CROPPED in the woods
Never have they asked an aims.
never has murmur or lament been
known to pass their lips. Sunk I'm
this night that never ends. groplng
and feeling about with their hands to
aid this mother. who also spreads her
hands in equal darkness. they show
only sweetness Of temper. one may
even say an invincibie contontmcnt.
Gripped by "a SNAKE