the whole of it itself with its own bricks and mortar or and it makes room for us by thrusting itself in the way it what is necessary to live but does not make it at all clear that it is necessary to live unless life contain higher objects than economy of it is saving and in the matter of food but if one chance to hunger and thirst after knowledge beauty it has no time for such a thought and lets him starve in its art of making a little go a great way it only draws out the metal of life into a meagre length it does not increase its weight it adds no value to its substance it is afraid of anything which of day no u april can be called living it an hour of pleasure which it would waste in fruitless of duty it cannot afford books schools of many kinds but it can afford food enough bustle and more than enough and whole winter evenings fall of thus in many people s system of life economy and education as well as economy and true enjoyment are set against each other as natural all this for want of an end in life of an idea of some perfection of living to which every experience should be made to contribute our list of is greatly changed by a new and better idea of the object of life and the old blind economy of custom then many and much sad waste again such economy against itself so cheerless is its aspect that some reject it altogether and grow often too it forgets itself and loses the run of its own operations in the of mind which it or one or the other sometimes both are the inmates and in a family inspired by no idea of personal improvement but this is the least part these effects are only negative this is only to live well indifference whether seen in the regular machine work of economy or in the of the want thereof is only but still we are by nature active beings and the activity of the hands and the stupor of idleness cannot suppress the of deeper wants the on nobler occupation the pent up restlessness of the denied its exercise in our common place narrow forms of life will still out as it were in innumerable petty and an ever running sore ot discontent much of your admirable economy for instance costs a great deal of scolding and domestic order seems to be at the expense of domestic peace and love and to drive out many a sunny smile consider too when there is no spirit of improvement in domestic life how the passions riot the mind with intellectual resources is poorly armed against little daily disappointments escaped from the r restraint of custom and economy which only tame but do not the rush to excess if home of every day life no be not a sphere for moral self improvement if it be not a school a temple as well as a retreat and shelter it will be made miserable by all the evil spirits of ignorance and it needs all the wealth of mind and heart and imagination all the energies of the will all the of taste all the arts and all the all the wisdom of all the visions of faith above all the spirit of and the offering up of a life to the invisible perfect one to make a happy home it needs these more than it needs fortune if it be not a kingdom of heaven it will be a kingdom of hell home is home only when it is the home of blessed spirits like the home of mary and of where the riches of the spirit made good the want of other riches where a sentiment of the heart was more deeply than rules of household and where it was counted good economy to pour out costly upon the s feet ii not much better will his home be who not contented with merely getting along thinks chiefly of getting up with him the ruling idea is prosperity success comfort and his is utility or strive and very well as far as it goes but the elements of sure and lasting happiness are not found in this system it needs a better spirit to make home a heaven here is indeed some spirit of improvement which is better than acquiescence to mere necessity or custom here is the will to better one s condition to increase one s resources to make home a more comfortable place but it the first of happiness in all this care upon the outward estate such a man the capital mistake of seeking only to improve the condition of his family when he should seek their own improvement of increasing their outward resources when he should think more of the inward resources of the mind and heart of securing comfort in the house when perhaps character is much more wanting he for blessings and not for he becomes absorbed in the love of gain the toils and calculations of business occupy almost the whole of him so that his own mind suffers and his heart too and his whole inward man for want of profitable leisure and opportunities of free exercise of all his higher powers his intellect gets in only of bay life no april one very partial way conversing only with one narrow range of subjects his feelings or by the anxieties the the questionable of a selfish system of trade into which he has let himself be hurried blinding his eyes and his heart and he goes daily to his home for the task of his children by his conversation with no inspiration which he can impart to them feeling that he has no time to attend to their minds and morals and accustomed by his own pursuits 