The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1860-12-05

O'clock
Mr.. Thornton Mooh i ee5, ,,aod asked,
'sfter eleven. how wa lIs De spent.
4 dressed dlyself sfa Il sdtl
ksAkti@a iia 81
"A little after two o'clock
AN hour spent 10 dressing.'
yes air.
Where did you go?'
Il called for Helen Boyd, and we took
walk down Broadway
And came back just in time for dinner
think met you at the door,
yes SIR
How was il after dinner =
Il slept from three until five, and then
took bath and dressed myself From six
until tea time, sat at the psrlor window
'And after tsa!'
Read The Cavalier until went to bed
! AT what hour!'
Eleven O'clock
'Now we can make up the account said
1
Mr.. Thornton. You rose at seven and re-.
tired at eleven. Sixteen hours. And from
your own account Of the day, but single
hour was spent in anything useful-that was
the houF spent st your piano. Now, your
mother was up at halfpast five, and went to
bed, from sheer inNbily to sit at her work
any longer, at haIfpast nine. Sixteen
hours for her also. How much reading did
you do in th4t time!'
And Mr.. Thornton looked at hia wife,
Reading! Don't talk to me Of reading !
I've no time to read =
MIRA. Thornton spoke little impntiently.
The contrast Of her daughters idle hours
with her own life of exhaustiDg toll, did not
affect her mind very pleasantly.
'And yet said Mr.. Thornton, you were
always fond OF reading, and can remember
when no day went by without an hour or
two passed with your books. Did you lie
down after dinner
'Of couree not
Nor cit at the parlor wiadow with Effie
How about that 2
There was no reply.
'Now the cause is very plain one, con
tinued Mr.. Thornton. In fact nothin!
could be palmer. You spend from fourteen
to sixteen hours every day in hard work
while Fife, taking yesterday Os a sample
spends about the ssmo time in what is little
better than idIeness. Suppose new ad
jrstment were to take plsce, and Ef1ie were
to be uSetulIy employed in eIpjng you fol
eight hours in each day, she would still have
eight hours left for selEimprovement ant
recreation, and you relieved from your pre-
sent overtasked condition, might get back
portion of the health and spirits of whicI
these too heavy household duties have rob
bed you
'Father!' said Efie, speaking through
tears that were falling over her face, Il ne
yer saw things in this light. Why haven
, YOU talked to me before! I've often felt a
if Id like to help mother. But she neve
gives me anything to do; and if | offered Il
help her, she says you can't do it. 1t ism
all my fault !
1T may not have been in the past, Effie
replied Mr.. Thornton; but it certsinly vii
be in the future, unless there is new al
rangement of things. 1t is false socit
sentiment that let's daughters become idler'
while mothers, fathers and sons take up tn
daily burden Of work, and bear it throug
all the busy hours
Mrs. Thornton did not come GRACEFUL
into the new order OF things proposed b
her husband and accepted by Effie. Falls
pride in her daughter, that future lady idea
and an inclination TO do herself rather tina
teach another, were af SO many impedi
ments. But Effie and her father we're bot
in earnest, and it was not long before tn
overtasked mothers weary face began
lose its look OF weariness, and her langui
frame to come up to more erect bearing
She could find time for the old pleasure il
; books, now and then for healthy walk i
the street, and q csll On some valued frient
And was Efie the worse for this change
Did the burden she was bearing with he
mother depress her shoulders, and take tn
lightness from her step! Not SO. Th
languor engendered by idIeness that had bt
gun to show itself, disappeared in fe,
, weeks; the color came warmer into he
cheeks; her eyes gained in brightness. Sh
wss growing, in fact, more beautiful, for
mind cheerfully concious of duty, WI
: moulding every lineament Of her count'
nance into new expression. Did self. in
provement stop? 0, no |! From one
1.-TWO hours were given to close practice at I'll
piano every day. Her mind became vigo
GUS in tone, instead Of enervated by idlenes
chose a better order Of reading than h,
been INDUCED before, and che was CROWN
towards q thoughtful, cultivated, and INTEL
gent womanhood. She also found time, am
her home duties, Tor an hour or two twice
:, week, with German teacher, and she bege
also, 10 cultivate natural taste for drawn
Now that she was employing her hours US
fully, II seemed wonderful how much tin
/. shei found al her disposal for useful work.