Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1867-05-15
Cur Homes.

fieS that makeup the sum "f human lie
and balance the happiness or misery of
mankind. The subject is an exhaustless
one, aud hardly y day passes without fur
uishing US with additional instances of the
importance of little things. There is not
one man in ten who does not, half uncon-
scously, look TO them for comfort, or is
driven into thousand eXccSses by their
want. In the domestic menage especially,
people are themselves unaware of their
perpetual silent influence, and are perhaps
unwilling to acknowledge how entirely
their moods of mind are dependent upon
the minor comforts of their home circle.
II they would frankly concede their
importance, we think it would be one
GREAT step towards the reformation of
households. The husband who would
q rietly and calmly, without sulkins or
stormipg. point out to his wife the errors
in her domestic arrangement, and their
adverse influence on his life, would soon
tiud them reformed. But he generally
contents himself with feeling that every
thing is wrong and uncomfortable enough
to put saint out of temper, and so he
rails in season and out of season, perhaps
against the very things in which she was
most blameless. A sense of dire inlus-
tice is aroused, and every one knows how
domestic martyrs bear their crowns Of
thonls.
We sec much to deplorc, much to
amend in our home life. We have seen
much, too, to admire in some individual
cases, which have given US eloquent les
MS of the strength that surmonnts and
governs necessities We know instances
OF men returning from hard and unaccus;
toned toll, weary and diSPirited enough,
but bv stern effort of will leaving their
daily cares at the threshold that their
households may not be saddened. We
know, too, wives who oy their strict econo-
my, their constant attention to every little
trlle Of nicely that makes home pleasant,
not only save their husbands credit and
exc out their straitened incomes, but
make their lives warm with q sunshine
they had never known in the prosperous
days Of many servants, and much eye
service.
A woman who cannot manage house
hold judiciously, is lacking in the ele'
ments of the best womanhood. 1t is her
province, for which she was intended by
nature, long before she found out for her.
self the thousand and one by-ways, which
she fancies she adorns by her missions.
As certainly as God intended her for the
mother of children, did he also intend her
TO be the "house mother as the Ger
mans call the mistress OF household
she who makes the hearth glow, and by
ceascless care gladdens and warns the
hearts bound to her by the closest tics
who thinks nothing beneath her attention
that can react Oh the comfort Of the cir
cc Of which she is tho centre.
1t is certainly no more Il slavery or
drudgery to give personal attention to all
affairs of the domestic meuoge, than to
toll at the fripperies that fashion exacts
from her senseless vassals. To cook q
dinner is less tatiguing process than to
stint, and scheme, and worry over some
adornmcnt that may not comport with II
slender purse, but that Dame Grundy re
quires at her receptions.
We Southern people have no leisure
now for frivolitics. There arc countries
and state of society to which they natll-
rally belong-palt and portion themselves
OF social system that has existed proba-
bly, since the reign Of the fig Leaf. 1t is
Il system that has It's uses, but It's uses
and its place arc not here now. Not with
an impoverished people, one half of whom
are starving, aud the other half making IL
fight with unaccIstomed weapons against
tronble Of every form and degree. We
have no political life, no agricultural pros
pcrity. no prosperity of any kind, and
our horizon is fast narrowing down to the
domestic life thai alone promises us some
clements Of rational content.
We are not expecting i,npossibiitics of
Southern women, when We ask them to
turn their energies and abilities to the
management of their households, and the
comfort Of their families; that the hard
earned gains of their husbands should be
economical or judiciously spent, and
their children encouraged to decided hab-
its of industry. They should understand
that the highest order Of Womanhood
exacts of its members more than James
de Molay ever did of his Knight Temp.
lars, for it requires of them to be patient
helpful, and looking upon adversely as
merely the touchstone Of the noblest and
highest attribute of their sex.
With vertical sun over q mans head,
the world cannot take his attitude, but as
the shadows lengthen we can measure it
to the inch. So we need only glance at a
mena7e in these troublous times, and if
not too poverty struck, it is easy to gnage
the real nature of her who superintends it.
If our remarks on this prolific subject
see,. to bear entirely upon one sex, it is
because we feel we are dealing with wo-
mans province however she may choose
to ignore it. We know perfectly well
the weight of mans words aud actions
in his domestic circle, but we must say
it is only hard and rugged nature that
is inaccessible to the softening influences
of we'll ordered household. When q
woman stands before his eyes the perpetu-
al reminder of what woman should be;
when he sees the love and unselfishness
that dignity her most bomely employ.
ments, the good sense that reghstes her
expenses, the word helpmate becomes to
him full of. the dearest significance, We
think too, his home becomes TO him tho
sweetest spot On earth, what we would
wish all Southern homes TO be In this sad
crisis Of our ooun!ry's fate,-s-New Orleans