Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1874-03-26
Home Interests.
HABIT.


written concerning it. We need still
cline upon line. precept upon precept,
; here little and there a. great deal TO
Keep in our minds the Importance of
torming in our children and strength
enngin ourselves good habits II is
50 difficult TO break up long established
nodes OF action, and turn the channels
OF ene's activities in new directions,
hat is not surprising the mature in
Iae. who have suffered from not being
started right in the frst place, should
lay, as they are inclined to. great stress
on the importance Of making in all
things a good beginning.
There are few habits which form
pretty good foundation Tor success in
life and insure the friendship of the
discerning and virtuous First among
these We would place the habit of self
he This may and should he formed
inc child before its-esa walk or-talk..
BY providing resources for its amuse-
meat and leaving it. within the due
bounds. to depend npon those re-
sources. Then as it grows older it
should be taught and gently compelled
to perform in its own behalf all that it
can 10. Few of us but know Young
men and young women perfectly help
less for all the ordinary uses of life If
! they alone were The suffers it wouldn't
matter much, but they are social
leeches, always demanding service and
never rendering it. Good husbands.
good wives. good parents rarely, fever,
are found in this class of people
Mex, in Importance to the habit of
self-help we would place that of per
sonal lidiness. We do not care to
guess how many American men and
women set down to breakfast every
morning with their toilets half made.
the men without collar and crayat, the
women with unkempt hair, and the
children resembling the parents in
dress as much as in feature "But
you see there are so many things to do
in the morning-stotk to feed, COWS to
milk, fires to make, milk to skim, chill
dren to dress. breakfast to get-that
one can't spend much time fixing them
selves up" All very true; but one
doesn't go round barefooted in the
morning, or without washing face and
hands, because habit the reverse of
all that has been formed. "My hair is
combed in the morning for all day be-
fore{ leave my chamber" said an ele
giant housekeeper the other day. and
she keeps no girl, and we couldn't help
thinking the happiness her husband
must have had just in the one particu-
lar of seeing her every morning for
twenty years with smoothly combed
hair, and neat linen collar, opposite
him at the breakfast table, and of the
order and cleanliness in the household
of which that one little item was an in
dey. That cleanliness is next to god
liness." should be early and deeply i'm
pressed on every child, and il should be
taught to shrink from uncleanness and
as it shrinks from vice.
p Another habit of great value is that
of courtesy. If child is properly
trained to ask for what he wants and
make meet acknowledgements for ia
vors received, to recognize the rights
and respect the feelings of others, he :
will be able to win favors no matter
what other faults he may have. This
habit he will acquire, or absorb, rather,
from those around him. Courteous
children are but the reflection of cour- .
eous parents. Genuine courtesy fl rvs
,ut from the heart and can never be !.
put on as an outside garment.
Another excellent habit is that of 7
helping others. In fact we are in
he world for the express purpose OF {
ioing that very thing, and if we fail
n this, it matters little to any but
ourselves how long we remain here.
It is natural for the loving parent to
10 everything for his child and re a
Iuire nothing in return, but the soon II
sr the child is taught to deny himself
n order to serve others. his parents,
lis brothers and sisters, the more &
will Whatever is noble in
lin be developed. We are all selfish d,
enough, and there are very few who !.
sre not improved by having their =
impulses of benevolence stimulated 1t
The habit of improving ones time :
5 of importance that can hardly be
,ver-estimated. Not that children p
should work all the time, but that &
hey should spend very few hours in a
mere idleness and time killing One o
should succeed another, u
70 as to give due variety and exer- u
Use the mental and bodily powers in d
Idle children are apt to
make idle grown folks, and there are
90 many drones in society for its ID
rood, as we all know. 3
The last habit we will mention is a
hat of perseverance. Life, from be II
,inning TO end, is full of obstacles
o be overcome, of problems to be u
olved. of mountains to be tunneled ',
md valleys to be filled up, and we u
AN hardly begin too soon our en- u
leavors to master destiny. He that q
'vercomes in little will overcome in a
much. A child should not be given a =,
task beyond his powers, but within T
hat limit he should be required to "
10 what is assigned him. The stim- ln
Illus of praise or reward will often 2
'e sufficient to secure the perform ~
nee of q given labor, though the
'ain of censure may sometimes be
ecessary. p
With these habits of self-help, per- =
onal tidiness, courtesy, helping 9th =
rs, improving ones time, and per- U
everance, it matters little how poor ol
n purse an individual may be left, be a,
# she will possess buoyant power v,
hat will raise them above adversely 81
Il ,I,aH yiafory fr01, d