The Family Circle

New Zealand Tablet, 17 July 1919, Page 45

The Family Circle

HAPPINESS. | .Where have you searched for happiness, son, A Where have you searched for joy? . .. .Where have you looked, and longed to find The lasting things, my boy ? Have you followed the gilded pathways That flourish , the whole world through. To find but a bit of sadness At the end of the journey for you ? Have you heeded the voices that mention Just vanities and ease. And speak of only great selfishness Living their own days to please, Or have you listened, to conscience. And listening learned the part That the world is waiting truly For the best in each man’s heart? Have you kept clean and honest, Have all your steps gone straight Unhampered by acts that hinder And drag you down with their weight? Have you, my boy, say, have you, Looked high enough to see That the great beyond will better be If you have filled life’s decree? —John G. Winter.

THE CROSS. The message and the meaning of the Cross can not be too often told. We live and mingle with men who, even though they are affiliated with Christian sects, have no conception of sacrifice for the good of the soul. The “reformers” in whose footsteps they follow, who gave birth to the religion of protest and negation, began their work by removing the symbols of sacrifice from their temples of worship. When they took away the Cross, they took away the Christ. The two had never been separated before they would not be separated then or,now. ’ , '

"'''■'■■]. It is so even in life ; the Christ and the Cross must go together; if we would have the one, we must accept the other. It may be hard to carry the Cross through life, but it is the price of victory. The fact that we find it difficult, however, should not discourage us, since the ideals of Christ, and His Church, while high, are not unattainable. God does not ask the impossible, although He often demands the heroic, and is ever willing to give us strength for heroic, acts. No man who keeps God for his daily companion can fail. The soul, like the child learning to walk, -;fails when it attempts to stand alone. The soul and the child alike need a Father's hand, and that hand is ever held down from Heaven to those who would reach for.it, through fast and sacrifice, through prayer and sacraments. iff* All we need is the will. The Church, under God, points the way. V ■'-'"' .....

SOLDIERS’ FAITH IN THE ROSARY. “It has. taken a war to bring out the faith in the Rosary among non-Catholics," said - a ‘ Knights of Columbus secretary in discussing the spiritual side of life in the battles on the French front. “It has been a revelation, not only to me, but to others who have been. close to the men during the trying■ hours. “One morning in the Verdun sector, ; when the troops were .preparing to go ‘over the top,’ six young men came to me and asked for the blessed beads. I talked with the boys; asked them their names, and gave them a cheering message. Two of the young men - v had Hebrew names, and ,I was astonished when they ’ asked- for the Rosary. “The two ; young men of the Jewish faith stood ' ; apart; from the others, and reluctantly '-Asked, me for A the. blessed beads. ‘Our buddies here have been through A many ■ a battle ~ with us, and if you don’t mind we’d AV like to go into the battle on the samp plane with. our. * ■■ ; ' * ■-o&.z&j. & tßaSsmaw . m

Catholic friends, i^^hwy©%b^en>feal- Ruddies*t&Siis, Catholic friends, who have been real buddies to us,’ said.one of the Hebrew soldiers. ; ;7' | A “I gave them the beads, and wished them all the best of luck in the battle to come. Two days later the Jewish boys returned with the beads, and I shall not soon forget the manner in which they thanked r me. They had carried the Ilosary through two hard days of fighting, and to them it meant a token of safety.” ? fer ■-i «■ L -.jTf

PIANIST AND PRESIDENT.

In spite of the fact 'that his earnings were something like <£soo an hour, Paderewski gave up . all for the sake of helping his country. l^\He. was the greatest "draw" at a concert that has ever been, this shockheaded wonder. His fee in America was £IOOO for a couple of hours. His piano-playing raised the audience to frenzy; the famous Pole was hurried from the back door after the show, lest the ladies tear the clothes off his back for souvenirs!.. ."'.".,' ....-.....„,.;.

Rut Paderewski left all for Poland's sake.' ; . He went to America, and raised : an army out of the 4,000,000 Poles that are there. He secured loans, from President Wilson. He wasted his strengtha frail and delicate artist—at stormy public meetings. He wrote fiery propaganda, showing the glorious history of Poland for 1000 years. And how the Poland of peace'would be a land nearly as big as Germany, with 30,000,000 people redeemed from Austria, Russia, and Prussia. Paderewski has since become the first President of this new Poland as another "big-brow," Thomas Masaryk, has been elected for Czecho Slovakia, or Bohemia. Paderewski's is the only case where a public performer has left the stage to rule a great romantic land.

LIMITATIONS. She sighed. “I saw the loveliest lace curtains today!" she murmured. “I did want them so badly!” She sighed again. “But I. knew you wished to economise, dear,” she concluded, “so I didn’t get them.” A,:" Then he spoke. “That’s too bad, my dear!” he said, generously. “Anything which adds to your happiness, and brings gladness to your eyes ; anything which brightens your domestic cares and gilds the lowering clouds; anything which borders with sweet flowers the thorny paths of duty, and appeals to your aesthetic nature,'you are welcome to, my angel—if it doesn’t cost more than a shilling.” ’

HIS ONLY BLACK SUIT.

_'-_ He was not a good card-player, and it ' was only on f : pressure being brought to bear that he took a "hand." But that was no reason why his partner should; be so disagreeable whenever. he made mistakes. -: : After a particularly glaring error, his partner turned upon the novice in real anger. * . : ; V "Why didn't you follow my lead?" he asked. V "If I followed anybody's lead, sir," exclaimed the novice, hotly, "it certainly wouldn't be yours." . His partner snorted and subsided. But in the next "hand" he threw down his cards in desperation. "Look here," he cried. "Didn't you see me call for a spade or club? Have you no black-suit?" "Yes, I have," retorted the novice with warmth; "but I'm keeping it for your funeral." .. ■,

HER FIND. Breathless with excitement, the old lady appeared at - the window of the Lost Property Office. “I've found something in the train,” she said. “It’s a box with 1 handles at each end. It may be a bomb, an infernal machine. Fetch a policeman ! • i . "“Let me see it, ma’am.” - ! < “Certainly not. It may be a jewel-case. • • It’s made of metal, and it’s very heavy. -" Send for the stationm aster. ” . . , v-'- ; . “Won’t you let me see it?" > --£>v Mm®°> I will not. Trying to cheat a poor woman pu.v or her reward'.- . Send for the station master and a poHbOinan !" m - -' A * ' • '{L ■U- 01 til '"i

■ These two worthies having, arrived, the old - lady showed her find to the expectant crowd. “Now,” she said, “what is it?” “That!” roared the stationmaster. “That thing! Why, youyouit’s a foot warmer!”

THE LAST STRAW* The young cyclist was fighting hard against a strong head wind, and wondering what unhappy thought had prompted him to venture so far away from the school. It was getting darker every minute, and, to crown his misery, rain began to fall. " '• Soon the rain came down in its best style, and the poor fellow got wet to the skin. Then a piece of glass laid his tyre open. With a moan he flung himself from the saddle and commenced to repair the damage. Presently there approached from the opposite direction a benevolent old gentleman. Gazing at the upturned bicycle, the perspiring youth, and the repairing outfit, which he had dropped in the mud, he inquired: ’ “Had a puncture, my friend?” The boy looked up, and swallowed his feelings with a huge gulp. “No, sir,” he replied, with a magnificent effort at sarcasm. “I’m just changing the air in the tyres. The other lot’s worm out, you know!”

SMILE RAISERS. The teacher had been telling her class about the rhinoceros family. “Now name some things,” she said, “that are very dangerous to get near to, and that have horns.” “Motor cars!” promptly answered Johnny. New Vicar: “The next question is, dear friends, the carol singing. From what I learn, a couple of tenors would brighten the singing, ander —I think I can find them for you.” Giles; “On be’alf of the singers I thank ’ee, sir; I’m sartin sure it’ll make us sing more ’earty. You see, sir, last parson was ’ere twenty year, and he never gave us a penny.”

The fisherman dashed into the country hotel and excitedly grasped the manager by the arm. "What do you mean by luring anglers here with the promise of fine "fishing ?" he said. "There isn't a bit of fishing about here. Every brook has a sign warning people off." "I didn't say anything about fine fishing," said the manager, calmly. "If you will kindly read my advertisement carefully you will see what I said was, 'Fishing unapproachable.' "

"Where's your watch?" asked the observant man. "Why, here it is," replied the man whose prosperity had slipped a cog recently. "But that's a silver one. The one you used to have had a handsome gold case."

"Well —er —circumstances alter cases."

Examiner: "Now, William, if a.man can do onefourth of a piece of work in two days, how long will he take to finish it?"

William: "Is it* a contrac' job or is he workin' by the day?"