The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-11-19

the thought of these blessings, about
which you are apt to be silent, may
strengthen your heart to bear adver-
sity should it come upon you.
Virtues Of Parents.
In the first place, ] have never heard
you complain about your father and
mother. They must certainly have been
a great blessing to you. If they had
not been. you would certainly have
talked disparagingly Of them. And this
Is a very marvellous fact to me, be-
cause they were not very wonderful
people from human standpoint I do
not think your father had much Of an
education. Then he certainly was not
wealthy. He lived on farm most of
his life. And your mother was not a
very beautiful woman. | saw her pic
ture in your home the other day. She
had just plain, good, motherly face.
She was just the kind Of q woman we
would have supposed your father
would have married. She would not
have shone as the queen of ball
room. She was the queen of the needle
and the best cook you have ever
known. Your father spent most of his
time In the fields; she spent most OF
her time in the kitchen and the nurs
cry. And yet you honor, your mother
just as much as though she had been
ho n,f hoe f,,J
lived and as if her fingers had been
lustrous with diamonds. And you pro,
nounce your fathers name with as
much reverence as though his wisdom
had governed nation instead of being
devoted to making straight furrow
with pillow. Why is all this? Why dc
you not find fault with the cradle in
which you were rocked? Surely there
must have been something very mar
velous about your parents lives for
you not to complain about them.
''Well," you answer, 'the reason l
love the dear faces Of my father and
mother so much is because they were
SO good. Why, l am no child l am
nearly fifty years of age. have been
thrown with all classes Of people. ]
have lived in the homes Of the rich as
we'll as of the poor. And after nearly
half a century's experience I can truly
say that | have never met a man or
woman who was more truly trying
to live the Christ life than were my
old father and mother. Why, their
foi Gil fhof
was divine / remember we'll the time
when financial troubles threatened to
make us sell the farm. Father had
worked very hard that year, but just
before harvest time there came an aw-
full cyclone and battered down the
grain. Then it was an off year for
fruit Then mother. while nursing one
Of the neighbors, was taken down with
fever To cap the climax father had
an ugly horse, and one day it kicked
him and broke his leg. There we We're
lot of little helpless children, with
though it were yesterday when father
called me into the room. He said:
Harry, my boy, l am afraid you must
give up your school for awhile. l do
not know how God will lead us out
from this difficulty. But he can and
he will. He has never failed me yet.
and he will not fail me now Then
you look at me In a peculiar way as
you say: And God never did desert
him. He never did. Oh, my father
and mother were so good. They were
SO truly good"
The Best Inheritance.
am glad to hear you say that my
brother. It means more than gold and
silver. 1t means more than fame or
social prestige. l would sooner have a
father and mother such as you had
than to have any other Inheritance.
The heritage of your cradle is today
teeming with manifold blessings. No
wonder you do not complain of your
parents. Why, by every word they
uttered, by every act they did, they
were leading you to the higher life.
and their influence is potent yet. When
you think of your parents and think
Of the blessings Of your old home
stead, you are content and grateful.
There is nothing left in that respect
for you to desire. Doth the wild ass
bray when he hath grass or loweth the
OK over his fodder?"
But there is another momentous fact
in the record of your life that impress.
es me marvelously. have never heard
you complain because you did not have
brain enough OF opportunity enough to
earn the daily bread for yourself and
your family. Now, l have often heard
some of you complain because yOn
could not dress as well as some one
else. l have heard you complain be-
cause you could not live in a grand
home, own a summer cottage and run
an automob But have never heard
you complain that you did not have
enough food to eat and enough cloth
ing to keep you warm and weather
tight roof to cover your head. Not
once have you been in such straits that
you had not five cent piece to buy a
loaf of bread. Not once has your ward
robe been so empty that you did not
have an extra coat hanging there to