The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1907-01-26
A Disreaarded Commandment.

IT There Is one Commandment of the
lpecalogUe which, i'm the estimation and
the practice of many Christians. has
become altogether too crcumscribed in
lLs scope, it is the fourthi Honor thy
father and thy mother" The third
chapter Of Ecclesiasticus contains so
excellent series of corollaries to that
commandment. and so emphasizes the
! comprehensiveness of its legitimate ap-
plication, that no apology is needed for
reproducing it here, in the form of a
! consecutive para graph:
He that honOreth his mother is as
one that layeth up treasure. He that
honoreth his father shall have Joy in
his own children, and in the day of his
prayer he shall be heard. He that hon
oreth his father shall enjoy a long life;
and he that obeyeth the father shall be
a comfort to his mother. He that fear
eth the Lord honoreth his parents, and
VIII serve them as his masters that
brought him into the world. Honor
thy father in work and word and all
patience, that blessing may come
upon thee from him, and his blessing
may remain i'll the latter end. The ia
Tiers blessing establisheth the houses
Of the children. but the mothers curse
rooteth up the foundation Glory not
IN The. dishOnOr of thy father; for his
shame is no glory to thee. For the glo-
~ of man is from the honor of his
father, and father without honor is
the disgrace of the son. Son. support
the old age of thy father. and grieye
him not ip his life. And if his under
standing fail. have patience with him.
and despiSe him not when thou art in
thy strength: for the relieving of the
father shall not be forgotten. For good
shall be repaid to thee for the sin of
thy mother. And in Justice thou shalt
be built up. and in the day of afflic-
ton thou shalt be remembered: and
thy sins shall melt away as the ice in
the fair warm weather. OF what an
evil fame is he that forsaketh his ia
Their. and he is cursed of God that an
gereth his mother"
This citation from Holy Writ may
we'll give rise to serious reflection in
the minds of a number of men and
women who are accustomed 10 regard
the fourth commandments merely as
their bill of rights" the enumeration
of their privileges and not at all as
statement of their duties. Such a view
is, of course, erroneous. Honor thy
father and thy mother is a divine COM
mand. addressed not solely to little
boys and girls, or youths and maidens
in their teens, but TO men and women
eroWn-to all whose parents still sur
ViVe 1t is the heaven-granted. gospel
confirmed Charter OF those who have
fallen into. the ssere. the yellow leaf
not less than OF those who are yet in
life's vigorous prime; and it is not al
ways the latter who have most reason
to erieve that the charter has been vio-
lated, that the honor due them is not
paid.
One of the saddest and most pitiful
siol,+ in 10 iG q oil
grandfather whom the disrespect and |
inattentiOn and neglect and bitter up !
braiding and habitual nagging of
srown-up Sons and daughters have |
taught to reflect, with Lear.
How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is |
To have a thankless child:
Or TO ask himself. in utter hopelessness
OF further happiness in life:
When he's forsaken.
Withered and shaken,
What can an old man do but die?
Nor is such sight at all so rare as,
for the honor of Christian manhood I
and womanhood, it ought to be- Down
right physical cruelty TO the old is not, |
perhaps, very common; but utter dis
regard Of their advice. contemptuous
to their likings, habitual
with their foibles. angry
retorts to their complaints-al this is
OF daily occurrence in households of
every grade in the social scale; and to
the sensitiveness of old age a bitter
word or a sneering smile is ofttimes
more cruel than would be an actual
blow. "Despised' is the most poignant
epithet in Lear's description of him
self: "A poor infrm, weak and de-
spised old man.
That the old-and more especially
The very old-are often enough trial
and a yeXation TO their grown-up chill
iren, is no doubt true; but it is equally
true that, while we may, and do, out
grow the obligation of obeying our par