The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-12-14

time some day, when she has slipped
away, and you miss her voice; you will
miss her love, and when you have
made mistakes, bitter ones, you will
miss her sustaining hand, and wise
advice, and in your lonely agony, you
will cry out, Mother, come back
from the echoless shore, and the only
answer which will come to you will
be that of conscience, reminding you
of the unkind things, the criticisms
you made as you scorned her advice.
Mother is, or should be, the dearest
| thing you possess, and you owe her a
| debt which you never can wholly pay.
l know it is thoughtlessness often
on your part when harsh criticism
of her comes from your lips, but it
hurts her. She may retort some
times, because your injustice cuts
deep, but often she smiles and takes
her medicine, though underneath that
smile there is a sad heart which is
| reflected only in her eyes.
Mother makes me tired; she wants
| us to be old sticks at homes; prudes
about whom everybody laughs. What
| does she know of society of tOday?"
| And you tell her to her face this, and
| many other unkind things Let me
say right here, young people, it is
| because she does know about society,"
it's Wickedness and abuses, as it is
! today, that she speaks. Her love for
4 you is deep, earnest and unfailing;
/ it is the only thing of earth unbought;
i ing arms held out today to save you
! from Mistakes just as they were
| when you were a wee toddler running
| into danger. Her voice today may be
i sterner, because you in your stub
| bornness seem determined to run
risks, which will end in unhappiness,
if not ruin. She knows the wicked.
ness of the world today.
i Yes, the chaplet of glorious youth
today crowns your brow; you know,
| or think you do, everything. No one
knows as much as you; this great
knowledge has been gained more
often than not from the sensational
press of today, bad literature, and
evil companions. The great future
spreads out before you, and you fear
nothing; you know everything, and
the voice of mother, tuned by love,
CRATES on you, and must l say it, you
i wish she would mind her business.
You don't realize that that is exactly
what she is doing, for it is her bust
ness to guide you and restrain you.
Remember this, you are very green
timber, not yet seasoned; you have
grown under the sheltering shade OF
the parent tree, and in your AFRO
gance you want to get away from that
shade and defy the winds which you
must encounter as the years pass. You
are trim and promising to look at, but
in the years which will come storms
of disappointment and grief will as
sail you, and your mistakes the world
4 will not condone or excuse as mother
would, and if you are not careful your
! strength and beauty will depart.
/ These grand hack number moth
/ ers are the great old forest trees;
they have withstood the winds and
storms of adversely, they bear many
i scars, but they are solid clear through,
and sound of heart, the pride of all
who pass.
i Boys and girls, as said before,
4 you now wear the crown of youth,
but it will fade, as the years go by
and your vision which today sweeps
the far horizon with clearness will
i grow dim and you will realize what
it means to be criticised and ridiculed
by younger generation. You will
then understand how dear mother felt
under your unkind criticism.
Love mother. reverence her, but
/ never hurt her by criticism. Make
| her feel and believe that to you she
is the greatest, best woman on earth
for she is.
4 Yon may not agree With her on
! some points, but try to accept them