Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1871-02-23
oHEEHguLNzss M TIE HOUSEHOLD.

= uFeds Ol thousands Of busy men
cease from labor and turn their
E. steps homeward. 10 the women
Of the family, this return of father,
husband, or brother is one of tho
events Of the day but how diverse
the influence these workers bring
; with them, and how varied the re.
ception with which they are met -
4 lfit were possible to lay aside bus
mess annoyances with our hats and
coats when we enter our homes,
r how we would rejoice to be within
that charmed enclosure! And vet
thus II should he. Life is battle.
Of course, and those who bear
their part in Il must expect to give
and receive blows; but even pro-
fessional soldiers do not fight with.
out cessation, and the doughtiest
warrior must have some breathing
spell when he can lay aside his
armor. sEIome may be made q
sanctuary, to which we can fec
when sorely pressed by the rude
assaults of trouble and disaster,
and from which we may issue rS-
freshed and strengthened; but it is
too often just the opposite.
When John arrives at home, he
expects his dinner at once, and q
good one too, for has he not been
working all day to earn money
enough to pay the bills Z? As be is
tired and hungry, he has no pleas
ant word for any body; but if the
food is under-done, or over. done,
or does not suit his taste, or is
lacking in quantity, how he does
scold! Susan, for her part, has
had a hard day of it. The baby
kept her awake a good deal last
night, and has been very fretful
during the day, refusing 10 be quiz
ct unless on mothers knee. Like
many American women, she is ex-
cessively nervous, and after such a
trying day as she has passed, Johns
indifference and scolding are lit
tie more than she can stand So
she answers him sharply, word for
word, and the result of the angry
contest is that each passes a dreary
evening, and finally they retire to
rest, wondering why the world is
so full of trouble, and why they
we're such fools as to get married.
There are, however, other people
who live very differently. Harry
means 70 extract happiness from
life, and does. He likes a good
meal as well as any body, but he is
as reasonable before breakfast as he
is after it and if perchance his din
ncr is not to his liking, he does not
vent his spleen on Jane, his Wife
He carries sunshine with him
wherever he goes; and as he al
ways tries to make the best of cir
he is welcome Wher-
ever he goes, and nowhere more so
than in his own home. Would
there we're more like him, so that
there might be less sad-eyed wo-
men and more cheerful, sweet tenn
pered wives; but there might be
fewer men who prefer the club, the
counting groom, or almost any
place to their own homes, so called.
1t would perhaps be unfair to Sc
lect any class of men or women as
particularly neglecting cheerfulness
at home, and vet we think farmers,
as a class, fail to appreciate its i'm
portance They have their frolics
and eDjoyments, to be sure, but the
average American farmer is hardly
TO be called a jolly or even cheer
ful parsonage. In the busy season,
he rises with the lark, trudges all
day as faithfully and often more la
boursly than his team, so that when
night comes, all the snap and
spring is out of him. He does not
make any effort to interest his wife
in conversation at meal times, nor
she him; and if when the day is
over, she has any troubles to talk
over, he is too tired to be very
sympathetic and attentive So they
plod along, living humdrum sort
of life, which their bright
children mentally resolve to avoid
by going to the city. All farmers,
it is true, do not live so but many
Of them do, and that is one reason
why so many farmers wives break
down. They have too much work
and too little cheerfulness, and it's
more than they or any bedy else
can stand.
A cheerful household, however,
is peculiar neither to the city or
country. 1t is found where those
who reside beneath the same roof
the obligation of each to
contribute to the happiness of all
The rest, and where love is the rul-
ng spirit A determined effort,
with much forbcarance, is
necessary to produce the result;
Dut when once it has been attained,
t will well repay every effort, and
he home thus graced by cheerfulncss
md love will ever be cherished as
indeed "the dearest spot on earth"
Hearth and Home.
- jamestown has a genuine SEN