The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-09-10
THE CHILDREN'S HOUR.
HEROES.

George was reading his history and,
lost to- all the world, for George was
boy, and a. boy loves his dinner and
tales of Indians almost as we'll as his
dog. The part of the history which
George was studying dealt with the
early Jesuit missions among the Indi-
ans.
George" called his mother, "this is
the third time that l have told you to
go and see to the furnace. It needs
coal. You know you have to attend
to it, so why must I keep everlasting
ly nagging at you to get you to do
your duty?"
George closed the book
Great guns" he cried, cant you
let a fellow read a few minutes in
peace? l was reading all about Father
Jogues and the Indians. Believe me,
he was some SCOUT
Il wonder" unused his mother aloud.
'show long you would last if it were
you, instead of Father Jogues, who
had been sent as a missionary to the
Indians"
I'D last longer than he did," assert
ed George, ''for I'd club those redskins
to death if they tried half the monkey
shines on me that they did on him.
"But he wanted to be martyr"
answered Mrs. King.
well, l DON'T" confessed George,
Il want to be hero"
His mother looked keenly into the
eye of the needle that she was thread
ing.
"And can you be one without this
other?' she asked
Why, sure you can, mother. Every
guy wants to be hero, but only saints
want to be martyrs, and don't want
to be saint
Don't worry" answered his mother
with a smile. From present indica.
tions there is no cause to worry
that a halo will surround my Georges
head. But about the hero business:
What makes a hero, George?"
Doing things replied George
land doing them we'll"
Yes, doing things-doing ones duty
faithfully and conscientiously, not
bothering about consequences. Doing
things. and doing them well, as, for in
stance, attending to the furnace"
"Oh, shucks, mother Don't tell me
that tending to furnaces makes heroes
! Gee, what heroes janitors must be-
They may be-" mother replied
they can be. The only reason that
we may not know whether or no they
are heroes is because the opportunity
does not always come in every life to
prove to the world the stuff one is
made of. But they may have proven
it to God, and so that is enough
. Il suppose it is, but guy likes some
credit for his work. And as for attend
ing to. the furnace-this furnace and
every other furnace is nothing on
earth but plague"
"Well, George" replied Mrs. King
attending to furnaces is a duty; il
may be plague, as you say, but we
won't argue about that. 1t is duty
a disagreeable one if you will, but 6
duty nevertheless. Fidelity to duty is
the training that makes hero. Those
who are faithful over little things will
be faithful over great things Shirl
little tasks and bigger tasks will shirl
you. You won't measure up to them
you'll be failure, simply because yo,
have not prepared for them by fidelit.
to duty. Duty first, and dreams after
ward. is a good recipe for heroship."
/ George was silent for moment, ant
then he put down his book. We'll
i l guess you're right" he admitted a
last, and going down into the base
ment. he put coal on the furnace an,
4 fixed it for the night.
i Il guess what mother said is abou
i right he told himself, and if wan
to be a hero I'll start training. Dut.
i first and dreams afterward will be m.
| motto"