The Family Circle

New Zealand Tablet, 27 May 1915, Page 61

The Family Circle

. ; \ THE TRUE TEST. You can laugh at the worldit's a funny old world You can laugh at the people you meet. You can laugh at the antics you see on the street. You can laugh at the one who is fussing about, Or the the one who is taking a rest, But with all of the topics that merriment make ~ Can you laugh at yourself That's the teat. And why are you not, may I ask, if you please, Legitimate subject for mirth You may be as funny in manner and speech -As any one else on the earth. Give others a rest, for some people object If over their failings you smile. And here is a subject you need not offend, So laugh at yourself for awhile. MAGGIE'S SERMONS.' ' I went down to the station with Cousin Maggie this morning and had a whole sermon preached to me on the way/ remarked a young girl to her brother. He gave her a low whistle. 'What a bore!' he exclaimed. 'But she never struck me as that kind at all.' ' What kind!' Oh, goody-goody, you know; the sort that talks and talks about what one ought to do and what one ought not to do.' ' But she, never said a word about what I or anyone else should do. It was not that type of sermon at all. It was her kind and considerate deeds all along the way that lam referring to. Listen ! First, she stopped at the little news-stand on the corner and left a post-card to pay for one the woman had let her have when she was in a great rush to catch the post and found she hadn't any change. She took pains to stamp it, although the one she had received had not been stamped. The woman said, "Oh, you are too kind," but she looked pleased. It was a graceful thing to do, wasn't it? I am sure she does not find too many who ever go any further than paying up to the letter. ' Going a little farther, we met the washerwoman's boy, and nothing would do but she must give him an apple out of the bag of fruit she had for her luncheon. Then we stopped at her seamstress' to pay for a blouse. When the woman said it was a dollar, Cousin Maggie took out a dollar and a-half, saying that was little enough for such good work. * The woman thanked her with tears streaming down her cheeks. "If more were like you," she told her, "it would not be so hard for honest, struggling workers to get along." 'But this was not all. Just as we were going up the steps to the station a baby's bonnet ahead of us fell off. The woman carrying it-tried to stoop and pick it up, but quick as a flash Cousin Maggie had it in 'her hand and was putting it on the child's head. She never let a single opportunity of doing a kindness pass during the whole walk. Of course, she was lovely to all of us during her visitbut then almost anyone is to the family that is entertaining her. _ The test comes when she meets humble outsiders, I think.'' The girl's conclusion was absolutely right. How many of us, who strive to be consistent in thought and deed, make it our habitual practice to preach such a ' sermon ' ? ONE REASON. ■ Farm products cost more than they used to.' 'Yes,' replied the farmer. 'When a farmer is supposed to know the botanical name of what he's raisin* an' the zoological name of the insect that eats it, and the chemical name of what will kill it, somebody's got to pay.' .

:: * THE THREE BOXES. ' " K v • -. ■ ■■'...■'-- ■■ - . - ■ . ' - ■ • .-■ ''--■•->:"; ! . '■ ~"'. ..' -.:<t' . -' ; ' -~ ■ ;■--.• ; -.' .--_•.••--,- ;-■; ■-:>.--;■ fi Here's another version of the old story of Rose-red and Snow-white Oriental version which may be the original of the more widely-known fairy-tale-; ."; T In the Far East there lived a wonderfully good J man, who' had much money and wanted the world to > share it with him. He had three boxes made for three | different classes of people who came to him for assistance. For the scholars he had one filled with gold. For the widows and orphans he xised the second- box, which he kept filled with silver, and the third box was overflowing with copper for the general poor. But this man's wife was not so liberal, and when her husband was away, the poor came in vain to her door. One day the good man had to leave his town to remain over night, and, unaware of his departure, the beggars knocked as usual at his door. At first the wife ; refused them aid, but when a big crowd assembled in the street before her door, she grew terrified at what her husband would say were he to find out, so she reluctantly took the keys from the peg and went to open the three boxes. From out the gold box frogs leaped; the silver box she found full of ants, and" when she opened the copper box, it was alive with vermin. Horrified, she ran to her chamber and locked herself in till her husband's return. ' Why did you give me keys to boxes of frogs, ants, and vermin?' she cried, when her husband seemed angry at the crowded street next day. ' I gave you the right keys. I do not know what you have done with them. Let me have your keys; I will try them.' He took the keys and opened the boxes and found everything just as he had left it. ' \' •--- ' Ah, dear wife,' said he, ' when you wished to give to the poor, your heart was not in the gift. It is thefeeling that prompts us to aid, not the mere money, which is the chief thing.' THE FOOLISH ROSE. While I was walking in the garden one bright morning, a breeze came through and set all the flowers and leaves a-flutter. Now that is -the way flowers talk, so I pricked up my ears and listened. Presently an elder-tree said: ' Flowers, shake off your caterpillars.' ' Why V said a dozen all together, for they were like some children who always say, 'Why?' when they are told to do anything. The elder said ' If you don't, they'll gobble you up.' So the flowers set themselves a-shaking till the caterpillars were shaken off. In one of the middle beds there was a beautiful rose who shook off all but one, and she said to herself: ' Oh, that's a beauty ! I will keep that one.' The elder overheard her and called: ' One caterpillar is enough to spoil you.' ' But,' said the rose, 'look at his brown and crimson fur, and his beautiful black eyes, and scores of little feet. I want to keep him. Surely one won't hurt me.' A few mornings afterwards I passed the rose again. There was not a whole leaf on her. Her beauty was gone; she was all but killed, and had only life enough to weep over her folly, while the tears stood like dewdrops on the tattered leaves. Alas! I didn't think one caterpillar would ruin me.' .. One sin indulged has ruined many a boy and girl. This is an old story, but a true lesson. A STRAIGHT LINE. _ . ' Robbie was working away at his drawing lesson. Presently the teacher came around to see what progress he was making. /~ . ' . . -ii 'Look here, Robbie,' she- said, that line isn t

straight.' ..';;,- -' r '■ '~;.' : v .._;., ; v'"" ''-■'. 'No, it isn't quite straight, I know,' answered Robbie, ' but I can fix that up later.' A straight line never needs straightening,' said the teacher quietly, as she turned away to look at the work of another scholar. / That simple remark which the teacher made set Robbie to thinking. ' A straight line never needs straightening.' How much better, then, to make the line straight rather than to draw a crooked line, which would have to be straightened afterward ! - Besides, a line that has been partly rubbed out and then made straight never looks quite, so well as a line which is drawn perfectly true and straight the 'first time. So Robbie made up his mind that hereafter he would try to draw the straight lines straight the first time. A thing that has been done right does not need to be done over again. When we speak the truth wo do not have to stop to correct what we have said. Let us try to do and say things in the right way the first time, and we shall find that life is easier, and we shall make far better progress than when we do or say the wrong thing first. Let us always remember that a straight line never needs straightening.' A DOUBTFUL TESTIMONIAL. 'How do you like your typewriter?' asked a salesman of one of his customers. ' It's most satisfactory was the reply. ' I wonder how I ever got along without it V That's fine ! Would you be willing to give me a little testimonial to that effect?' - ' Why, certainly I will,' and according to Everybody's Magazine, he pounded out the following: ' after Using thee automatig Back-action a type writ,er for thre emonths an d Over. I unhesitattiuggly pronounce it prononce it to be all ad even more than thee Manufacturs claim ? for it. During the time been in our possessio e. i, th ree monthz ! id lias more th an paid for itsslf in the Saveiiig oF time an d labrr?' John 1 Smth.' TRAINING A COOK. r An Irish servant is, of all people in the world, the most anxious to please, and she even desires to do exactly as she is told, even when the commands laid on her are unreasonable. In The Lighter Side, of Irish Life, Mr. G. A. Birmingham gives an amusing instance of this trait. A young housekeeper once undertook to train a cook. One day, it happened that there were whiting for dinner. She explained carefully the proper way of cooking whiting, and, with a view to achieving elegance in the serving of the dish, added that these particular fish are usually sent up to table with their tails in their mouths. The fish appeared on the dinner table, not seductively curled after the pleasant habit of whiting, but lying rigidly straight on the dish. Each of them, however, had its tail cut off and neatly inserted into its mouth. The inexperienced cook had most conscientiously obeyed what must have struck her as a merely vexatious order. BRAVE AND TENDER. Mrs. Jones bought a chicken at the family butcher shop, and after embellishing it with bread crumbs, celery, cranberry sauce, and other glad things, she proudly set it before the head of the family. ' What is the matter, John V asked the young wife, with an anxious look, as hubby laboriously carved the bird and began to apply it to his appetite. ' Isn't the chicken all right?' _ ' Why, yes; I guess he is all right, dear,' was the hesitating response of father. ' But I fear he was a very great coward.' 'A great coward returned the perplexed wife. ' What do you mean?'

. Don't they say," Mary,' smilingly rejoined the old man, ' that the bravest are always the tenderest V - , - CURRAN'S MISTAKE. ~'~ K Ai It was difficult to subdue the high spirits of John Philpot Curran, the Irish lawyer and wit. Indeed, many of his most brilliant witticisms were uttered in the staid and somewhat musty atmosphere of the courtroom. On one occasion, when Curran was making an elaborate argument in chancery, Lord Clare brought a large Newfoundland dog upon the bench with him, and during the progress of the argument he paid much more -attention to the dog than to the barrister. Gradually the Chancellor lost all regard for even ordinary courtesy; in the most important part of the case he turned himself quite aside, and began to fondle the animal. Curran stopped at once. ' Go on, Mr. Curran, go on,' said Lord Clare. ' I beg a thousand pardons, my Lord,' replied the wit, ' I took it for granted that your Lordship was employed in consultation.' FORGOTTEN HER WINGS. At a fancy-dress ball for children a policeman stationed at the door was instructed not to admit any adult. An excited woman came running up to the door and demanded admission. 'l'm sorry, mum,' replied the policeman, 'but I can't let any one in but children.' ' But my child is dressed as a butterfly,' exclaimed the woman, 'and has forgotten her wings.' ' Can't help it,' replied the policeman, ' orders is orders; you'll have to let her go as a caterpillar.' THE THREE STAGES. ' Yes,' said the amateur tenor, ' I once received a high compliment from a very great musician. I was singing on board a New York liner, but without accompaniment, for accompanists can never keep time with me, you know.' What did the musician say?' 'He said —and these were his very words—" When I saw you begin to sing without accompaniment I was surprised ; when I heard you I was amazed; but when you sat down I was delighted !" ' ODDITIES OF THE NUMBER NINE. There are some curious facts and fancies connected with numbers. The number 9 is, perhaps, the first as regards such experiments, although number 7 is more prominent in literature and history. When you once use it you can't get rid of it. It will turn up again, no matter what you do to put it ' down and out' (says an exchange). All through the multiplication table the product of 9 comes to 9. No matter what you multiply with or how many times you repeat or change the figures, the result is always the same. For instance, twice 9 = 18; add 8 and 1, and you have 9. Three times 9 = 27; 2 and 7 make 9 again. Go on until you try eleven times 9—99. This seems to bring an exception. But add the digits—9 and 9 make 18; and again, 1 and 8 make 9. Go on to an indeterminable extent and the thing continues. Take any number at random. For example, 450 times 9=4050, and the digits, added, make 9 once more. Take 6000 times 9 = 54,000, and again you have 5 and 4. Take any row of figures, reverse the order, and subtract the less from the greater —the total will certainly be always 9 or a multiple of 9. For example, take 5071—1705 plus 3366. Add these digits and you have 18, and 1 and 8 make the familiar 9 ; . You have the same result, no matter how you raise the numbers by squares and cubes. _ J. "-'. :