Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1868-08-28
GAIETY IN THE HOME.

Gaicty is indispensable to childhood
and l doubt whothcr it can be dispons-
cd with in after life. Thcro is m in.
nocont craving for it even in old age.
God has scattered flowers upon our
fallon earth, and sent us tho songs Of
birds. Why should wo turn away
from then? Why should mirth and
hearty laughter scandalize us2
If many Of us do not love our
homes, the reason is far, far from ex-
p!icable. TO tell tho truth, 1 have
but poor opinion of homes whore
laughter and merrimont, and jokes
and puns, Day, oven absurditics, arc
unknown. Measure tho hcartlcssncss
of that confession Of Fonten ole, "For
tho last half century l have neither
wept nor laughed" The two bost
things in life, thoee which prove that
VIC have heart and an imagination
as we'll as brain, were lost to tho man
whose universe was academies and
drawing rooms. We arc quite aware
= that there is forced gaiety and u
forced laughter, than which nothing
is more ead f.; and that this spirit may
become chronic, to tho annibilalion
OF overy serious thought. 1t would
be difficult to choose between the Fon
tenelle, who ncvor laughed, and tho
man who is always laughing; d:fi-
cult to say which of tho two had
sunk tho lowest.
Without seriousness family lifo
would hardly deserve the name.
There is nothing 80 serious as life :;
nothing so serious as happiness, duty,
responsibility, the education of chill
dron, personal education. Is thero
anything so serious IS our sins, our
repentance, our prayers any task
more sorion than the charge cf souls
that We lovo7
But in proportion as seriousness is
genuine, cheerfulness will be SO too.
Thcre will be "tho time to laugh and
the time weep" Solomon tells us that
the"wisdem of man makcth his face to
shine, and his countenancc is no m ore
sad, This is the mage of wisdom
it is when the heart is turned towards
God that the countonanco is when tho
heart is turned towards God thst tho
eouptonanco is joyous and benefcent.
A hearty laugh is ono Of tho best
and rarcst of things; gaioty is the
privilege of tho simple minded; is one
of thesurest symptoms of m oral health
though Of course this is rule by no
means without exceptions. Ennu;
must not be classed among tho vir
tues: we must not give way to mos
rose and languid moods, I know
houses where thcro is perpetual
sighing over the evils of humanity,
past, present, and to come afler the
evils come the faults, and after tho
faults the errors, till the melancholy
catalogue is gone through; but that
does not prevent it from being resum-
ed on the morrow. There are com.
,plaiuts, political, religious, moral ar
tistic and: literary, always in abun-
dance.
romembcr once visiting lady who
was very deaf; every one made it a
duty TO contribute somethingfor hor
amusement; tho speaking trumpet
was passed. from hand to, hand; and
What were. the themes that passed
through it bat the sorrows and oalana.
ities Of tho neighborhood l--how ono.
poor gentleman had broken hia leg; ;
how some poor lady had taken the
smell pox, and another had, lost her
child. Themest com mmunicative adj
ded details of the fasiss and snissakos os.
of tho governments tl5e feass shter.
tanned as to the haxxdst; Tbs failure of
the sundry attemt M pod & and
the unfortunate np his
eyes to Heaven and 0a pitsously :;
but when the evening had ended, ev-
cry one'congratuaatsd hiinsnlf' ':en hay
ing befpedto anause her Ior an hourt
HT were asked for recipe for.
cheerfalaess, 1would say, Hlmbly en-,
joy thegood gifts Of God, looss;e, those:
around you tenderly, realize Chat. .amia.,
biiity ID. abinding virtue, and that we,
arc bound to diffuse Joy around ma In