Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1903-07-15
Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother.

There is a touching story of the
famous DR.. Samuel johnson which
has had influence on many a boy
who has heard it. Samuels father,
Michael Johnson, was poor book
seller in Lichficld, England. On
market days he used to carry pack
age of books to the village of Utoxeter
and sell them from q stall in the mar
ket-place. One day the bookseller
was sick and asked his son to go and
sell books in his place. Samuel, from
silly pride, refused to obey.
Fifty years afterward johnson be-
came the celebrated author, the COM
piler of the "English Dictionary"
and one of the most distinguished
scholars in England but he never
forgot his act of unkindness to his
poor hard-toiling father so when he
visited Utoxetor he determined to
show his sorrow and repentance.
He went into the market place at
the time of business, uncovered his
head and stood there for an hour in
the pouring rain on the very spot
where the book stall stood. "This,"
he says, "was an act of contrition for
my disobedience to my father"
The spectacle of the great DR.. John
son standing bareheaded in the storm
to atone for the wrong done by him
fifty years before, is a grand and
touching one. There is a represent
tation of it on the doctors monu-
ment.
Many man in after life has felt
something harder and heavier than a
storm of rain beating upon his heart
when he remembered the acts of
unkindness to good fatheror mother
now in their graves.
DR.. John Todd of Pittsfeld, the
eminent writer, never could forget
how, when his old father was very
sick, he little lad, had been unwilling
to go, and had made up allie that the
"druggist had not any such medicine"
The old man was just dying when
little Johnnie came in, and said to
him, "My boy, your father suffers
great pain for the want of that med-
cine"
Johnnie started in great haste for
the medicine, but it was too late.
The father on his return was almost
gone. He could only say to the
weeping boy "Love God and al
ways speak the truth, for the eye of
God is always upon you. Now kiss
me once more, and farewell"
Through all his after life, DR..
Todd often had headache over that
act of falsehood and disobcdience to
his dying father. 1t takes more
than shower to wash away the
memory of such sins. DR.. Todd
repented of that sin thousand
times.
The words, "Honor thy father and
thy MOTHER" four things-always do
what they bid you, always tell the
truth, always treat them lovingly,
and take care of them when they are
sick and grown old. / never yet
knew one who trampled on the
wishes of his parents who turned out
well. God never blesses wilfully
disobcdient SCI.
When Washington was sixteen
years old he determined to leave
home and be midshipman in the
colonial navy. After he had sent off
his trunk he went to bid his mother
goodbye. She wept so bitterly
because he was going away that he
said TO his negro servant, "Bring
bsck my trunk. am not going to
mike my mother suffer so by leaving
her"
He remained at home to please his
mother. This act lead to his becom-
ing a surveyor and afterward sol
dier. His whole glorious career in
life turned on that simple act of try
ing to make his mother happy. And
hapPy, :oo, vii! be the child who never
has occasion to shed bitter tears for
any act of unkindness to his parents.
Let us not forget that God has said,
"iIonor thy father and thy mother"
Theodore l.. Cuyler.
FOLEYSffON YAmSTAR
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