.lANl'ABV. 1922 



G I. K A N I N O S IN REE C II T, T IT II K 



2S 



iiiiglit have tlie eolloge education wliicli slic 

 liad iiiisaed. 



But mother did not eonliue her hiving acts 

 of service to her chihlren and their cliildren. 

 She was never so happy as when she could 

 help the needy or lonely, those widowed or 

 fatherless. I doubt if father himself real- 

 izes quite how many of his kind acts were 

 done at her prompting. 



In Florida she "mothered" the neigh- 

 bors all around her, especially those who 

 came for a season only and were unacquaint- 

 ed in the region. In her last letter, written 

 just two or three days before her death, she 

 was planning to take fruits and vegetables 

 to a neighbor. To her a garden meant an 

 opportunity to distribute its products among 

 her children, friends, helpers and neighbors. 



Mother's care for the helpless extended 

 even to animals. Her tender heart would 

 never let her rest until she had made sure 



And she looked just as cool and dignified as 

 usual. 



I II reading over what I have written it 

 seems so inadequate. 1 iiave not touclied on 

 her loyalty to friends, her wisdom as a coun- 

 selor to husband and children, her ability 

 in every branch of home-making and her 

 indomitable energy which outlasted her 

 strength. 



Here is the Scriptural text which best de- 

 scribes her, "Even as the Son of Man came 

 not to be ministered unto but to minister." 



THE little picture below shows mother 

 and fatlier at a picnic. They would not 

 accompany us to hotel dinners, they 

 would not come to formal dinners or parties 

 in their honor; but they loved simple picnic 

 suppers out in the open, witli their loved 

 ones about them. 



that an absent neighbor's chickens had wa- 

 ter and food in plenty, stray cats and dogs 

 must be fed, and she was miserable if she 

 thought a horse was being neglected, over- 

 worked or abused. 



A former pastor, not being able to find a 

 word which expressed mother's thoughtful- 

 ness for others, coined the word "otherli- 

 ness, " as being more comprehensive than 

 the word " motherliness. " He also spoke 

 of another word which always came into 

 his mind in connection with mother, and 

 that was the beautiful old word "gentle- 

 woman." 



Just to give you a glimpse of the lively 

 and fun-loving side of mother let me tell a 

 little incident. When mother was nearly 

 seventy-two her youngest granddaughter, 

 about a year old, had a habit of entertain- 

 ing callers by turning graceful somersaults. 

 It can be done gracefully, you know, if one 

 is young and supple. My sisters and I were 

 laughing about it with mother one day when 

 she unexpectedly said, "That's easy, I could 

 do it myself," and deftly folding her skirts 

 about her ankles she put her head down on 

 the rug, was over without a jar and on her 

 feet again before we realized her intention. 



Just two months before mother's death 

 we celebrated her sixtieth wedding anniver- 

 sary with a simple family supper. At this 

 time she had ten children (including those 

 her five had married, for mother heVself re- 

 garded them as her children) ten grandchil- 

 dren and four great-grandchildren, all alive 

 and well, and the number of grandchildren 

 has been increasel by one since then. Each 

 successive year it has been harder for her 

 to leave all these dear ones and go to her 

 winter home in Florida. This year it was 

 especially hard, as I believe she herself was 

 sure she was not long for this world. But 

 when the car_ took her away from us the 

 tender, beautiful, mother smile was on her 

 dear face. 



Mother had suffered greatly at various 

 times in her life, but when death came it 

 was sudden and painless, while she was at 

 work. It was what she would have chosen 

 except for one thing. Her tender heart could 

 not contemplate leaving father and she 

 therefore had expressed a wish to outlive 

 him that she might make him comfortable 

 to the end. And I know father well enough 

 to be sure he is thanking God that he is 

 bearing the grief instead of mother. 



