The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-05-19
Gaiety in the Home,


doubt whether it can be dispensed with in
after life. There is an Innocent craving for
it even in old age. God has scattered flow
ers upon our fallen earth, and sent US the
songs of birds. Why should we turn away
from them? Why should mirth and hearty
laughter scandalize us?
If many of us do not love our homes,
the reason is far, far from inexplicable. To
tell the truth, have but poor opinion of
homes where laughter and merriment, and
jokes and puns, nay, even absurdities, are
unknown. Measure the heartlessness of
that confession of Fontenelle, "For the last
half century l have neither wept nor
laughed" Ssa .ssngs in this life,
which prove that we have heart and an
imagination as well as brain, were lost to
the man whose universe was academies and
drawing We are quite aware that
there is forced gaiety and forced laughter,
than which nothing is more sad; and that
this spirit may become chronic, to the ami
hilation of every serious thought Itwould
be difficult to choose between Fontenelle,
who never laughed, and the man who is al
ways laughing; difficult to say which of the
two had sunk the lowest.
Without seriousness family life would
hardly deserve the name. There is nothing
so serious as life; nothing so serious as hap.
piness, duty, responsibility, the education
of children, personal education. is there
anything as serious as our sins, ourrepentance,
our prayers? any task more serious than the
charge of souls that we love?
But in proportion as seriousness is gen
uine, cheertulnesS will be so too. There
will be the slime to laugh and the time to
weep" Solomon tells US that the wisdom
of man maketh his face to shine, and his
countenance is no more sad" This is the
magic of wisdom; it is when the heart is
turned towards God that the countenance
is joyous and benefcent.
A hearty laugh is one of the best and
rarest of things; gaiety is the privilege Of
the supplemented; it is one of the surest
symptoms of moral health; though of course
this is a rule by no means without excep-
tions. Epaui must not be classed among
the virtues; we must not give way to mo-
rose and languid moods. 1 know houses
where there is perpetual signing over the
evils of humanity, past, present, and to
come; after the evils come the faults, and
after the faults the errors, till the melan-
choly catalogue is gone through; but that
does not prevent it from being resumed on
the morrow. There are complaints, politi-
cal, religious, moral, artistic and literary,
always in abundance.
remember once visiting a neighbor who
was extremely deaf; every one made it a
duty to contribute something for his amuse-
ment; the speaking trumpet was passed from
MANU- W manu- anu WndG MSI6 Iue Gu6LueS
that passed through it but the sorrows and
calamities of the neighborhood how one
poor gentleman had broken his leg; how
some poor lady had taken the smallpox
and another had lost a child. The most
communicative added details of the faults
and mistakes of the government, the fears
entertained as to the harvest, the failure of
sundry attempts to do good; and the unfor-
tunate listener lifted up his eyes to heaven
and sighed piteously; but when the evening
had ended, every one congratulated himself
on having helped to amuse him for an hour
If were asked for recipe for cheerful
ness, would say, Humbly enjoy the good
gifts of God, love those around you ten
derby, realize that amiability is binding
virtue, and that we are bound to diffuse Joy
round us in our homes. But there is just
one more item in my prescription; we must
be willing to unbend, even to stoop to lit
tie harmless folly. A love for animals will
encourage this; the very presence of these
true but unassuming friends will do our
hearts good. We may talk nonsense to
them; they introduce an element of intellec-
tual repose. Dogs, cats, horses, poultry,
are so many contributors to the gaiety and
simplicity of our daily life. We cannot
enjoy thsfwithout loving them. am not
going to enter into the ranks of those who
contend that they have souls; still l hope
my reader holds in equal adherence with
myself the systems of Descartes and NAL
branche, which would make them out to be
mere machines. We have but to contem-
plate the dog that follows us, watches our
movements, shares our fatigues and perils
voluntarily, either to sink at our side, or
perhaps to follow us to the grave and die
thereto reply to the theory of mere me-
chanism. Animals are, in some sort, men,
bers of the family. They are the friends
of young and old, and young and old alike
enjoy and benefit by their gleeful, irrational
society.-C0unt de Gasparin.
-
To REMEMBER an offence, after having
pardoned it, is thing which can be recon
ciled doubtless with sincere pardon. and NAV