The Family Circle

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 50, 16 December 1925, Page 61

The Family Circle

ip 4, v AS LITTLE CHILDREN. The Master said a man must be -: • /L»A little child once more, . ftf he would enter easily ; I Through Heaven's golden door. The pearl-white houses tower high, Like buildings all of snow, But men must stand outside and sigh k For Heaven's gate is low. And only children's voices rise Gleeful from star-paved street, And on wide lawns made out of skies Dance only children's feet. And when they've played the whole day long, In fields by angels trod, They go with many a laugh and song To bid good-night to God. The angels tuck them snug and tight Within each little bed; And one stands near throughout the night, His gold wings o'er them spread. Good Master, when I come to die, Give me Thy saving grace, And grant, with childlike heart, that I May look upon Thy face. —William V. Doyle, S.J., in America. ■ GOD'S CHURCH. "A>, ; God's Church is not an artificial creation [jbf human wisdom, nor yet is it a natural society. It is a supernatural organisation, founded by Christ, and set in this world, not as subordinate to the State, or drawing its - power from the State, but as supreme and independent in its own sphere. It is ready to co-operate with the State in all that pertains to human welfare. THE MOUNTAINS SANCTIFIED. God has chosen to work the greatest wonders upon mountains The Ark rested on a mountain; the sacrifice of Abraham was offered on a mountain; the Law was given on a mountain; Our Saviour began His preaching on a mountain; He was transfigured on a mountain; He was crucified upon a mountain; He appeared, when risen again, to five hundred of His disciples upon a mountain ; and finally He ascended from a mountain. A MELANCHOLY FIGURE. What a melancholy figure is the Catholic who does not read Catholic literature. He is the heir to all ages in the domain of truth. He has only to reach out, and the wealth of ;.. '' the intellectual world, in the shape of uplifting thoughts, noble ideals, and brave resolves will come tumbling into his lap. But * - • he prefers to exchange this priceless inheritance of - Catholic truth for the mess of pottage that goes by the name of light modern .; literature. ■"-'" ■; '..■■■.-•

ON CHOOSING ARIGHT. A great and good man once called four of his workmen to his presence and pointing to a table, said: "Here you see three gold-pieces, and beside them a volume entitled, The Lives of the Saints. Choose what you will." The first chose a gold piece; the second the same; the third the same. But the fourth said: "Give me the book; it is worth more than money." The three took their gold pieces, their companion his book. Lo, inside the covers were eight gold pieces. Imagine the faces of the three who had taken the gold, and the face of horn who had chosen the book! Nor could the disappointed three accuse their master of injustice; they had only themselves to blame. So shall it be on Judgment Day. Those who chose temporal vanities in preference to eternal goods will be forced to say: "It is our own fault; no one else's; we have what we chose; we have lost heaven forever because Ave blinded ourselves with the tinsel of earth." NAPOLEON'S FAITH. The Emperor Napoleon, in the days of his prosperity and earthly glory, thought little of God or of the practice of his religious duties. He was not, however, without faith, and afterwards, in the solitude of his captivity at St. Helena, became convinced of the vanity of the world, and returned to the practice of his religion. It happened one day that one of his officers asked him in a jesting way how he could believe that there was a God since he had never seen Him. "Listen, and I will tell you," said Napoleon. "You say that I have a talent for war. When Ave used to go to battle, if there was any important movement to be made, you were the first to come and look for me, and everyone cried out, ' Where is the Emperor?' And why so? It was because you trusted in my talent, yet you had never seen it. Did you, then, doubt its existence? No. My victories proved that it existed, and hence no one called it in question. But which of my victories could be compared to any of the wonders of creation, which all bear testimony to the existence of God? What military movement can bear any comparison with the movements of the heavenly bodies? My victories made you believe in me: the universe makes me believe in God. St. Joseph's Annals. THE ANGELUS. In all Catholic countries the Angelus bell is rung three times daily the morning, at noon, and in the evening. It communicates the great mystery of the Incarnation of Our Divine Lord. "The Angelus," by Millet, shows a French peasant and his wife saying the Angelus. They are both working in a field. The man stands in a furrow with bowed head, the woman near with her hands clasped in prayer. Away across the fields is the church spire. In fancy you can hear the sound of the bell, you can see the

woman's lips moving as she whispers: "The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary." Father Lockington, S.J., tells in his beautiful book. The Soul of Ireland, of a scene he witnessed in Ireland : "Once when walking along a quiet boreen on a day when the Summer's sun set all things shimmering, I saw in a small field a young man and his wife industriously working saving their little crop of hay. A little distance away, beneath the sheltering shadow of a beech tree, sat the baby, chuckling and 1 playing with a frolicsome dog. Suddenly the Angelus bell rang out across the miles from a neighboring monastery. At once the mother ran to the little child, caught it in her arms, and placed it kneeling on the grass. Then she knelt beside, holding its little hands aloft caught in both her own as she looked up to heaven. The husband, who had followed, knelt beside the two, and in answer to the message of the bell across the soft silence came: ' The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary,' from the reverend lips of the kneeling wife, and with bent head the husband, answering, gave audible testimony of his faith. It was a delightful scene." ' When the Angelus bell rings all should raise their hearts to God and say the Angelus. In the streets and crowded thoroughfares it is surely a fine thing to see men raise their hats at the sound and say the Angelus. He who does so is proclaiming himself a Christian, a Catholic, and a follower of Christ. He is joining in prayer and thanksgiving with Catholics all the world over. He is making an open profession of his faith, and he is saluting Mary in the works of the Archangel. During this holy year let us resolve to say the Angelus regularly, morning, noon, and evening. Invalids and others unable to go to daily Mass should try to assist in spirit at the Masses celebrated in all the churches of the world. Let them say the Spiritual Sun—Offering of Masses with devotion. It will obtain for them many blessings and graces. . THEIR BIRTHDAY. I've a secret to tell you, Dolly; Let me whisper in your ear, To-morrow will be our birthday— Your birthday and mine, my dear! As soon as the sun peeps over, The hill where the blackberries grow, I'll be eight years old, my Dolly, And you'll be one, you know. Don't you remember, Dolly— I'm perfectly sure that you do— When I awoke last birthday morning The first thing I saw was you? * You sat on the edge of the workbox, v Waiting, you lovely child; And when you saw I was looking , You stretched out your arms and smiled. And you're just as lovely as ever, Though your curls are very thin, A.nd your poor legs wobble sadly, And your left eye's fallen in. And if to-morrow morning :..;.,'■': Another doll comes here, • . vl . f We'll be kind to her, but she shall not Supplant you, Dolly dear.

; JUST THE THING! .•A, farm worker had come up to London for a few days. Before he started he had promised to buy his daughter a present, so he went into a jeweller's shop and said to the assistant: . "I want a pair of earrings, cheap but purty. They be fur a present." ■ "Yes, sir," said the jeweller. "You want something a trifle loud, I suppose?" "Well, I don't mind if one of them is a bit loud," replied the farm worker. "My girl is deaf in one ear." OUR FUNNY LANGUAGE. The nervous foreigner got up in the crowded tramcar and made his way to the conductor's platform. "Excuse me," he said, "but ze car he run so slow, and why, if you please, is it so?" The conductor was bewildered for a moment, but with commendable intelligence he realised that, he was being questioned as to the tardy motion of the car. "Yes," he answered, briefly. "But we can't help it. You see, the car ahead is bebehind." The foreigner's eyes opened wider. "Would you please to say him again?" he asked, apologetically. "Certainly!" said the conductor. "I said that the car ahead is behind. Do you follow?" Then the foreigner returned to his seat, holding his head in both hands. "Ze car ahead, he ees behind," he muttered, hopelessly. "Truly the way they do things in this Angleterre, it is wonderful!" SMILE RAISERS. Diner: "Waiter, there's a button in my soup." Waiter (ex-printer): "Typographical error. . sir; it should be mutton." V Hostess (to small guest, who is casting lingering glances at the cakes): "I don't think you can eat any more of those cakes. can you, John ?" John: "No, I don't think I can. But may I stroke them?" w "I can't understand," said Jim, "winFred is so mean. He rarely attempts to pay when we're out together; I generally have to do that." "Well," was the reply, "there's one thing about it. You can't say you haven't got a close friend." ft "What became of the Cromwell relics you had on exhibition here?" asked the visitor of the museum attendant. ' "Let me see," said the man, who was new to his job. "I fancy they were returned to Mr. Cromwell last week, sir." * Teacher: "Now, suppose I am leaving the school, and a man comes up, gives me a blow which knocks me down, and my head strikes the pavement with great force and lam killed. What is the consequence?" Pause. Finally, a scholar rose and said: "We should have a holiday." '■■V\