her child were requested to favor him with a sitting.  Here he thought “I shall surely succeed.”  He worked steadily on and success seemed at last before him.  The last stroke of the brush had been made and stepping back to view the work, his heart sank within him, for here he had succeeded in catching the look of lovely maternity, with the expression of the earthly mother imprinted thereon, but the combination of human love and Divine motherhood was wanting.

Just at nightfall, sick at heart, weary and discouraged, he wandered out into the streets, going on and on until he found himself in the portion of the city inhabited by the very poor; passing an old church, he was attracted toward it, scarcely knowing how or why.  On entering the door, he saw a woman dressed in rags, kneeling before the altar.  The man gazed in wonder and awe, for here amidst poverty and distress, he had found the expression vainly sought after, for weeks and months.  In the face before him, there was no envy, hatred or selfishness, no vain glory or hypocracy, but the resigned look of one who suffered but bowed, meekly to the chastizement.  At eventide, and alone, she had brought her sufferings to the foot of the Cross.

* * * * *

* * * * *

I hear the voice of the Cynic.

Friendship is a myth.  In prosperity and sunshine you find yourself surrounded by flatterers and so called friends, but let the waves of adversity beat about and threaten to engulf you—­then stretch forth your hands for the friends you have known and you will find yourself stranded and—­alone.  There may be a few timid, shrinking creatures who feel they would like to give the right hand of fellowship, but popular opinion and example prove too much for their weak natures and it is but charity to let them go.

“There are times when we are even inclined to smile at our own misery, but it is the smile which brings wrinkles instead of dimples.”

* * * * *

* * * * *

The Philosopher is saying: 

“Time in its resistless onward sweep” has taught us many things; has disabused our minds of many false ideas and erroneous views, has opened a new world to the thinking mind—­a world of thought.  When God created man he gave to him the divine instinct of reason, by which all persons, high and low, rich and poor, can solve for herself and himself the great problem of life.  Very young children can only see objects that come within easy range of their vision; they are in the world of instinct, but after a time their vision becomes enlarged, they are able to see a greater distance, and in the larger space; more to arrest the eye—­then comes consciousness.  After consciousness—­reason.  The minds of many adults are still in their infancy, only seeing in a small circle the things by which they are surrounded and in close proximity.  Others