Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1873-05-29
Never an Encouraging Word.

Never Ar. Encouraging Word.
'sHe never speaks an encourag-
ing word to u.s." said servant OF
Mr.. Towne.s ssIs thatsoF .sYou
may try your life, out to please
him, and he never speaks an en-
couraging word. Itis life under
the harrow there Eve left
His children cannot leave
home. He has two boys. They
are somstinlts at work in the gar
den,pulling up weeds. cutting
the grass, making martin-houses
and fswindmills. They put no
heart IN then work; it is dull and
spiritless. They are forever
haunted with curative fear. Try
as they Wand try they do,
their father never encourages
them Nothing but "a dismal fault
finding falls from his lips. "A
sound seodfding, a genuine cuff
ing when they deserve it-and
children know, they, deserve it
sometimes like a thunder storm
purifes the air and makes every
thing the better and brighter.
Then the clouds clear away, and
the. gladdest1zsunshine follows.
That is not Mr.. Towne's way.
He is never thunder and light
ming and over with it,not he; but
a perpetual dizzle, dark, damp,
murky. Nothing eplesses, moth
ing suits him. Putting bis eye
on his boy is a mark of ill-favor.
Every child breads his gaze, shuns
it, is i'll at ease,awkwark, squirm-
ing, until-it wriggles out of the
way and is gone. There are no
glad voices in his presence; no
outspoken, frank, honest utter
ances, only hesitation, in conse-
quencs,, Standardization; for
feafalEats beclouds the bright
est mind and the simplest
heart.
"There is no use telling it be-
torez father,n- the boys say, in
bringing home a bit of news or a
tale of adventure.
But, worst of all, ssThere is no
use in trying" as they often say.
And the disheartement will pres
emily merge into Indifference,
possibly into something more ac-
tive. They will run away. Evil
"speaks pleasantly" at last, and
many a young person has turn
ed rom home and sought other
companions TOR no other reason.
The heart with all its warm i'm
pulses, and with them its sense
of shortcoming and incompleet
ness. needs enlargement-must
have itin erderjo grow ostrong.1
"Not one encouraging word
from father" Poor boysl Briget
can leave, they can't f~sf
Nor canshiswua leave. Poor
woman! She is a brave woman,
too. What hopeful smile she
often wears. 1t is because she
will bear Mp; and smile. she!Hhst
an answering smile ito the loye
of friends, the courtesy of society,
the beauty of flower and grass,
and the slant sunshine, through
the ftees.f But there is mo j6y1
within. Home is joyless spot;
for her most careful housewifery
there is never an encouraging
word; for the taste and grace
with which she tries to make
home attractive there is never an
encouraging word. To her love
her. devotion, her painstaking, |
her sweet solicitude to please,
there lis never IAN encouraging
word. The glance of her hus-
bands eye only takes in what
happens to offend; the word of
his mouth only expresses what
he finds, andathoseA are faults,
spotsr something forgotten
overlooked, She breads she fears
him, she shrinks ron him There
is nd feedom or sunshine in MS
presence, Perhaps in her earn-
ing womanss heart she has long,
ed for his return, forgetting and
forgiting in his absence the small
tyranny of his exactisg spirit; ;but
the thrill Of his coming is soonl
deadened mo encouraging words,' |
and she silently slips out of his
sight, to swollow her disappeint,
ment, and heart breaking alone.
There lisa sense of misery in the
house which no stranger can de-
tect; perhaps this is to positive
ly expressed; it is rather an alb |
sence of joy; everything ponta-
neous,l .and cheerful, and glad
held in check. A minor tone
runs throuhg the family life, de-
pressing to every one. The
prints of an iron hand are on
every heart. e.
sNeFer a word to eEcouragep'
slipped unawares from her lips5
one day. It does not seem much;
but whoTthat has felt it does not
know that it is the secret of
many aJoyless childhood, many a I
broken spirit.
=. Adulteration of Food.
.w. la.HI, |