The Sweetwater enterprise. (Sweetwater, Tenn.) 1869-187?, 1871-04-27
For You Sir-And You !

"Times hre getting worse every day.
What then, my dear sir9 Will it dC
any good to draw your face up into tel
thousand wrinkles, and vent the bitter
ness of your spirit upon all with whom
you come in contact ON the strength o
the above mentioned fact2
Suppose you had to walk barefoot ovel
a road thickly stfewn with thorns and
sharp, hinty stones, What would yor
do? Go aside ont Of your way to tread
on every stray thorn and pebble instead
OF carefully avoiding every needless hurt
by picking your way warily through
them? Which course will you choose
now?
Win you snap your wife at the break
fast table when she asks you for "a little
change?" Win you suggest to her the
probability Of your all going to ruin in a
short time through the prodigal outlays
made for household needs, and then
throw the money across the table at her
as you would throw bone to dog p
You know very well that her demand is
perfectly reasonable and you know, too,
that you would be just as much offended
os you orJ now, if she did not ask you
for money for household representation
it is needed but you are not willing to
miss the opportunity Of selfshly venting
your unpleasant feelings on this conve-
nient domestic scapegoat.
And if she should Wonderful to think
of pluck up courage enough to ask you
for money to buy new dress-though
it may be only six months since she last
committed this mortal sin-dont ask her
ironically ii she thinks u thousand dollars
will do her this time or make some cut
ting remark about her ruinous extrava-
gance and the slave-life that you lead ;
but if you can afford it, give her the mon
ey and kiss into the bargain. But if
you really feel too poor to indulge your
self in the pleasure of seeing your wife
in new dress for the first time in six
months, give her kiss anyhow, and ex-
plain the matter kindly to her, and the
kiss and the kind explanation will go
nearly all the way towards making her
forget the disappointment.
And, above all, don't bring your bust
ness home at night with you. Don't sit
in solitary misanthropy, or snarl and
poke the fire. Your wife hasn't had
chance to talk to you all day. She has a
thousand little things to communicate
but while you sit there SO cold and repel-
liant, she has no courage to begin.
Your children are eager for game of
romp, but they are "afraid ofpapa" when
he looks as he looks tonight; so they
congregate in q half-awed manner in the
corner until it is time to go to bed. No
pleasant chat, nomerry laughter, no game
at romps, no music-nothing but gloom
and constraint, because "father has come
home in bad humor." ;"
You ungrateful man! You inhuman
iceberg, to behave so in the bosom of
your family! To turn away from the
pleasures and privileges still leftyou, be-
cause you can't have every thing just as
you want it! Think of the loving, cling
ing hearts that your coldness shadows
OF the bright faces oyerwhich your frown
has east reflected gloom. Arn't you
ashamed OF yourself?
Again your burdens may be SO heavy
that you cannot smile But oh ! be kind.
Because your own soul is dark, don't
pierce another heart with a needless
wound by your coldness and sullenness
Because there are some thorns in your
way, don't plant other thorns in the
path of another with your own hand If
you can not be cheerful, be kind.