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THE HOUSEHOLD
A DEPARTMENT OF EXPRESSION FOR THOSE WHO FEEL AND THINK.
TRUE TO HIS VISION
Margaret A. Richard.
To him, in dreams, a vision came,
From heaven sent,
In which were love and truth and faith
Divinely blent,
And he to let that vision pass
Was not content.
He rose, his eyes upon it fixed,
And followed far,
As though there gleamed again on
earth
The magi’s star,
Nor feared the mists that rose before
His view to mar.
’Twas not for self alone he thus
Made eager quest;
Nay, toward the goal he strove with
far
More tireless zest
Because he knew his followers would
With him be blest.
But some of mean and envious mould
Sought to defame
i-i a nr -
i 1 1 r,=
DOES CHRISTMAS NEED RE
FORMING?
Pecause I agree with the Pictorial
Review just here, and am sure
that comparatively few have heeded
the note of warning sounded in this
clipping sent me by Mr. Theodore
Wettstien, a friend of the paper, I
am going to pass it on hoping it will
help you in your unfinished plans for
Christmas.
It seems a tragedy that we have
made such a farce of the unselfish
“Christmas spirit”—the gift of the
Saving Christ child from the Father
to us, and have twisted the celebra
tion of this gift into a lavish expen
diture of money for those things that
become the purchase price for the
gratification of our own grasping na
tures. If we knew we would not re
ceive a gift from any one, how many
would we give and to whom would
they go?
Two years ago the “Pictorial Re
view” had this to say in an article,
“Help Us to Reform Christmas:”
“We are writing this the week be
tween Christmas and New Year’s,
every face you meet wears the ffhank
goodness-it’s-over’ expression. What
is the matter with Christmas? Why
do people complain so about the bur
den of it? Why do you hear fathers
and mothers say they dread the com
ing of the holidays? What has be
come of the old-time Christmas spirit?
People don’t give presents nowadays
Don’t despair. There is help for
that weakened stomach of yours in
Nature’s remedy, Shivar Spring Wa
ter. It has cured hundreds. Let it
cure you. Ten gallons will benefit
you, or we refund the $2 you paid us
for 10 gallons. Ask your druggist
for our testimonials. Get the water
of him or write Shivar Spring Com
pany, Shelton, S. C.
TO PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS.
The Meridian Colleges have only a few
vacancies in each College. In order to
complete their limit of students they are
making a special rate for the fraction of
Session. For particulars write Prof. J.
W. Beeson, Meridian, Miss.
THE GOLDEN AGE FOR WEEK OF DEC. 11, 1913
Both man and motive, thus to put
The two to shame;
Yet he not paused, but still pursued
The pure white flame.
And though they rolled him in the dust
But to abuse,
And bade him now and for all time
His vision lose,
Yet to arise and follow on
He could but choose.
And still he followed, though around
Deep shadows spread,
So heavy, other eyes discerned
Not he was led;
But even he beheld his star’s
Bright sheen ahead.
Unto his heavenly vision true,
Has he not taught
How brave the spirit that with faith
And love is fraught?
How well worth while the work in such
High spirit wrought?
for the simple joy of giving. More
than half the time you send gifts be
cause you are afraid —yes, afraid is
the very word —that somebody is going
to give you something and you don’t
want to be under obligations. All of
us have experienced the embarrass
ment of the unexpected gift from a
casual friend. Something surely is
the matter with Christmas. Not only
from the overworked shop-girl and the
pack-ridden postman, but from the
homes of rich and poor alike we hear
complaints. One rich man I know
buys his Christmas presents in whole
sale lots and has the same thing sent
to everybody on his list; half the time
he doesn’t even see what .he is send
ing. What joy does he get out of
Christmas? A young society matron,
no children of course, told me that she
had eighty names on her Christmas
list this year, all grown-up friends,
and she herself was complaining be
cause she never got what she wanted
for Christmas. And so on. Every
man and woman you meet can give you
parallel instances. But the crying sin
of it all is the waste of money in giv
ing people what they don’t need and
don’t want, while every large city has
thousands of poor children who have
to depend on such organizations as the
Salvation Army for their tiny bit of
Christmas joy. Now this is not as it
should be. There must be some way
out of it. We have started out bravely
to reform the Fourth of July; let us
see if we cannot do something in the
way of reforming Christmas.”
SUPPOSE THIS TEAS' YOU?
Dear Little Mother:
I received your letter and thank
you for it and all you are doing with
all my heart. God bless you.
God surely sent me to you. No.
I’m not able, even if I had the money
to go where you suggest. How I did
wish for a few hundred dollars a few
years ago, that I might try going some
place. But I didn’t have it and knew
I couldn’t get it. So I wouldn’t say
much about it; my dear family did
all, and more than they could afford,
and I wouldn’t make them feel bad
by talking of something I knew they
couldn’t do for me. God has been so
good in giving me such, dear good
family to care for me and they never
seem to get tired, but jump as quick
now for my relief as they did twenty
two years ago. (First of my illness.)
God will reward them for it all. But
I thank you oh, so much more than
you will ever know, for your kind of
fer to try to help me get away. It
does my heart good to have your sym
pathy. U Well God knows. I received
a number of subscribers, ten in all, I
mean ten for the three magazines.
Thanks so much for your asking for
them. Then I received SIO.OO sent me
in money. How I wish it were pos
sible for me to make those who sub
scribe or send money, understand all it
means to me and I thank them from
the very bottom of my heart for their
help.
My doctor orders very expensive
medicine from Tennessee for my heart.
I have six to eight “spells” with it
every day and doctors all say I would
never get over one of them if I did
not have this medicine. One who is
not accustomed to seeing them always
think I’m dying. Dear father never
could get used to them, and mother
cant. She gets so excited. How au
fully I suffer! it’s just like sticking a
knife into my heart. Often I’ve felt
like I was shot. Now my lungs pain
me so, oh! so, so bad, and with three
kinds of rheumatism, pleurisy in both
sides and other diseases. I have no
rest from suffering. But I feel it is
all for some purpose. All to the glo
ry of God. I am not discouraged,
so many ask how I can be so sunny
and cheerful while I suffer . God is
always with me. The more I suffer,
the nearer He comes to me and sweet
er He smiles. Oh! I wouldn’t do with
out my talks with God and the pleas
ure I’ve had with Him for all of
health, yet of course I’d like to have
health. " It is so sweet to trust in
Jesus.
I received one dollar from two
friends who didn’t sign any name.
God bless and reward them both. Do
hope they will see this. While it is
impossible to write even a post card
without suffering for it, yet I like to
have names to all gifts so I can write
just a word of thanks. But God sees.
I would be oh! so thankful it
some of you will remember my invalid
mother at Christmas. Help me ro
give her a surprise party. Just any
little thing will indeed be appreciated
so much. She has been sick twenty
years. (I twenty-two years). She. is
so lonely since dear old father died
two years ago. They had been mar
ried fifty years on September twelve,
and he died Nov. 5, 1911.
Surprises do a shut-in so much good.
Some friends tried to give me a sur
prise party a few years ago. (I’d so
often wished for one) but a friend
sent me the paper some time before,
yet, oh! how I did enjoy that party.
Now I’m asking for one for my moth
er, not myself, as Christmas. It will
be enough pleasure for me to see dear
mother happy. Send to Mrs. S. D.
Jackson. Same address as mine. Now
again I thank you Little Mother for
all your kindnesses to me and so much
for your kind offer about sending me
off. If T could only get help to buy
| my medicine, just a few dollars a
f month. (It costs from $15.00 to $20.00
[ each month) and it is very hard to
r get. My sister gave up getting mar-
> ried to care for we sick ones. I’ve a
I single brother who has sciatic.
• He was down five years at one
: time. Sister hasn’t any health—
• overwork. So if I could only have a
little help with my medicine. Help
; from those who can really afford to
i give it and not from those who must
work hard and make big sacrifice to
; send it. I would be so thankful. Now
I must close and I do hope I’ll get
more subscribers. Mother’s Magazine
is $1.50 now, The Golden Age is $1.50
. 1 get a commission on them. Please
’ send me historic post cards. They do
s me so much good and who will remem
ber mother Christmas. I’ll keep all
for her. I never open anything until
Christmas morning after breakfast,
t Sincerely,
MISS MYRTLE JACKSON.
Hall, Barbour Co., W. Va., .Route 2 ?
i Box 28, Dec. 4, 1913.
VIOLET TO FINETA
Oh, yes, I did go to the fifth annual
! convention of the Southern Commer
cial Congress, in session in Mobile,.
■ October 27-2i9th. And I hasten to an
swer your last dear letter that I may
tell you of this event of national and
international importance, participated
in by our own President, and by dele
gates from the Pan-American Repub
, lies.
When I arose Monday morning, it.
» was cold and rainy, and the roaring
; waves were wildly dashing against the
shore.
“Bessie,” I asked my chum, “what
- are we going to do?”
• “I’ve got my head combed,” she an
swered, “but there’s an awful dark
cloud.”
i “But it is brightening in the east,’''
I told her, “and we will not eat any
? breakfast so we won’t fear sea-sickness
> despite the rolling waves.”
i However, that threatening storm
could induced me to leave my blue silk
and my new hat in my wardrobe, as E
thought my brown shoes, brown skirt,
i white waist, brown cloak and hat, more
; appropriate for braving the wind and
I weather. Ere we had crossed the bay,
i the winds and waves had calmed down,
« and the clouds were fast disappearing.
SATISFY YOUR LONGING FOR
MUSIC IN THE HOME.
“Music! Oh, how faint, how weak.
Languages fades before thy spell!
Why should feeling ever speak
When thou canst breathe her soul so
’ well?” —MOORE.
The Golden Age Piano Club brings
the King of Musical Instruments —the
' Piano —within reach of practically ev
ery reader of this paper. Those who
have already taken advantage of the
opportunity presented by the Club
are enthusiastic in their praise of its
plans and its instruments. Write for
copies of their letters and see how
easy it will be for you to satisfy that
longing for music in your home. The
Club gives you perfect protection and
insures thorough satisfaction to every
Club member. You are cordially in
vited to oin us. Write for illustrated
' catalogue and full information. Ad
dress the Managers, Ludden & Bates.
> Golden Age Piano Club Dept., Atlan
’ ta, Ga.