"No radiant pearl which crested fortune wears,
No gem that, sparkling, hangs from beauty's ears,
Not the bright stars which night's blue arch adorn,
Nor rising sun that gilds the vernal morn,
Shine with such luster as the tear that breaks
For others' woe, down virtue's lovely cheeks."
Is such, Christian brother, the sympathy of your home? It will be a
safeguard against the follies and the false interests of life. It will
restrict the fashionable taste and sentiments of the age. It will teach
wisdom to the pious mother, and be a sure defense against the dangers and
indiscretions of the nursery and fashionable boarding school. Under its
influence, mothers will not trust the souls of their children to the
guardianship of irreligious nurses, nor expose them to the perils of a
corrupted and heartless fashion. They will deny themselves the ruinous
pleasures of a gay and reckless association with the world; and with
maternal solicitude, attend upon the opening of those buds of life which
God has committed to them. The pious mother will wield her power over her
children, by the force of this sympathy; for her's is the deepest, purest,
and most saving of all home-sympathy:
"Earth may chill
And sever other sympathies, and prove
How weak all human bonds are--it may kill
Friendship, and crush hearts with them--but the thrill
Of the maternal breast must ever move
In blest communion with her child, and fill
Even heaven itself with prayers and hymns of love!"
CHAPTER XV.
Pages:
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163