Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1872-02-22
Home Etiquette.
BY II. c. DANE.

WE Americans OIteU llHd HiutH lduts
with the English for their formality but
! sometimes think we might copy some
of their manners and customs with great
profit.
Ash have marked the practices in some
American families, where circumstances
have made me guest, have sometimes
thought we lacked home politeness, and
common display of affection. / know
how many look upon expressions Of af-
lection on the part Of members Of the
same family as show of weakness,
rather than Of strength. | am not one
of those who thus view the matter. To
me, there is no exhibition more touching,
and gratifying, than TO see parents and
children, brothers and sisters, affectiOnate
and tender towards each other, and ever
ready to express their affection, one 10 an
other To see "A husband and wife part
and meet, as do strangers, with simply a
word of acknowledgements, is to me, sim
ply chilling; to see parents and children,
or brothers and sisters, separate and come
together again, as do neighbors fills me
with feeling Of sorrow, for know that
in that family, where such is the custom,
there is enjoyed very little of the bliss of
domestic life.
Said a lady of high standing in Ameri-
can society, to me one day: Why, my
husband never thinks Of kissing me when
he goes away TO his business, or when he
returns. OF course, when we were first
married, he used to, but that died out
long agor' All! thought /, did not some
thing else die out with it? Many an ach-
ing heart could tell.
"Oh it is well enough for lovers, and
Young people, to be kissing, but for us, il
would be nonsense" said one of my ac-
quaintances, once when we were discuss
ing this question.
| am no advocate Of cheap display of
affection, or disregard of those displays of
love and devotion, but do admire to see
the members of "A family allectionatc, and
ready to exhibit it to their own flesh and
blood.
What the good | hear many asking
This Where family Of children are
taught from childhood TO manhood and
womanhood, to he kind and loving, one
to another, and see the daily exhibition
of like kindness and love between the pa
rents, and from tho parents to them,
there we sec strong manhood and noble
wOmanhood. Affection docs not bcgot
weakness, nor is it elTeminate for Il
brother to be tenderly attached to his
sisters. That boy will make the noblest.
the bravcst man. On the battle field, in
many terrible battles, during our late
heffffiiaa5 he war, i always noticed that those
boys who had been reared under the ten
derest home culture, always made the
best soldiers. They were always brave,
always endured The seIera 4s4s+tt4 IF
camp, the march. or on the bloody field
most silently, and were most dutiful at
Ill ,TI, M rnu ,ltn III
the frightful temptations that SO often
surrounded them, and seldom returned to
their loved ones stained with the sins in
cident to war Another point, they were
always kind and polite to those whom
they met in the enemy's country. Under
this protection, woman was always safe
How often ! have heard one regiment
compared with another, when the course
of the difference was not comprchcnded
by those who drew the comparison.
knew the cause, it was the home cduca-
ton.
We see the same every day in the busy
life i'm the city. Call together one hun
dred young men in our city, and spend
an evening with them, and we will tell
you their home education. Watch them
as they approach young ladies, and con.
verse with them, and we will show you
who have been trained under the influ-
cnce Of home affection and politeness,
and those who have not.
That young man who was accustomed
TO kiss his sweet, innocent, loving sister
night and morning as they met, shows its
influence upon him, and he will never for
get it. and when he shall take some one to
his heart as his wife, she shall reap the
golden fruits thereof The young man
who was in the habit of giving his arm
to his sister as they walked to and from
church, will never leave his wife to find
her way as best she can. The young man
who has been taught to see that his sister
had seat before he sought his. will never
mortify neglected wife i'm the presence
of strangers. And that young man who
always handed his sister to her chair at
the table, will never have cause to blush
as he sees some gentleman extend to his
wife the courtesy she knows is due from
him.
So might go through the catalogue,
but | forbear. / have shown enough for
my present purpose. But there are other
benefits derived from home politeness,
quite as valuable, if not more SO. When
love and tenderness are cultivated, i'll
feelings can never find root And what
is so sad to behold as anger between mem
bers of the same family. And yet how
very often we are forced to see, and feel
il too. / was the inmate of one family
for long time, where there were several
members, all of full strong tempers-if
you please-and yet never saw an angry
look from one to another. They some
times differed in opinion, but always in
kindness. My deepest regret is, that I
was deprived of the benefit of such
home and such training in my boyhood.
Again, young men from such homes
and such influence, make our great good
men, who save us from the evil that our
great bad men would plunge us into.
The home makes the country The
country cannot be higher than the home.
The stream cannot be purer than the
fountain therefore the laws of our land
cannot be purer than the men who make