I remember on one occasion meeting a long-
shoreman on the docks of Manhattan and saying



34 YOU AND YOURS

to him: "My dear man, you have a hard and
long day of it."

"Very true, Father," he replied, "but when I
think of my children and their mother, and that
my wages give them the comforts they need, the
day does not seem hard or long."

That was wisdom in a nutshell. That man
did not find life a burden. That man was happy
in making others happy. God bless him,'and the
many like him!

After all, what do we get out of life that is
worth while ! Dress, food, travel, society, enter-
tainment? When you sum it all up, what does it
give you that really contributes to a contented
mind? A good friend is more than all the style
and amusement of life. And if a friend is one
of the greatest blessings of life, what must chil-
dren and their father be to a mother !

We like to please our friend. A mother likes
to please her children and their father. Who
does not know the great joy that comes from giv-
ing a friend a substantial and desirable present?
A good mother gives to her children and their
father the best present of all — herself. And this
is a pleasure she enjoys, not only occasionally, but
daily. Mrs. Gadabout often wonders how Mrs.
So-and-so can stand her quiet and confined life.
MOTHER 35

And all the while Mrs. So-and-so, a good mother,
is thanking God for her paradise on earth.
