Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-05-29

FAMILY JOURNAL.

In certain farmhouse 90 years ago a
great blank book was kept, and labeled
Home Journal. Every night somebody
made an entry in it. Father sat down the
sale of the calves, or mother the cutting
OF the baby's eye-tooth; or, perhaps,
Jenny wrote full account of the sleigh
ing party last night: or Bob the proceed
ngs OF the Phi Beta club; or Tom
scrawled Tried my new gun. Bully.
Shot into the fence and JOhnson's old
cat.n
On toward the middle of the book
there was an entry Of Jenny's marriage,
and one of the younger girls had added
a description of the bridesmaids dresses.
and long afterward there was written,
This day father died. in Bob's trem-
bling hand. There was blank of many
months after that
But nothing could have served better to
bind that family of headstrong boys and
girls together than the keeping Of this
book. They come back to the old home.
stead now, men and women with grizzled
hair, to see their mother who is still liv-
ing, and turn over its pages reverently
with many hearty laugh, or the tears
coming into their eyes. 1t is their child
hood come back again in visible shape.
There are many other practical ways
in which home ties can be strengthened
and made more enduring for children, and
surely this Is as necessary and important
matter in the management OF house,
hold as the furnishing of the library or
chambers in good taste, or the accumula-
tion OF fancy knick-knacks. One most d.
rect way is the keeping of anniversaries;
not Christmas, Easter, not the Fourth of
July alone, but those which belong TO that
home alone. The children's birthdays,
their mothers wedding day. the day when
they all came into the new home. There
are hundred cheerful, happy little events
which some cheerful and happy little cer-
emony will make q lifelong pleasure.
The Germans keep alive their strong do
mestic attachments by just such means as
these; it seems natural and right to their
children tEat all the house should be
turned topsy-turvy with joy at fathers or
mothers birthday; while to the American
boy or girl it is matter of Indifference
when his father and mother were born
We know house in which it is the habit
to give to each servant trifing gift on
the anniversary of their coming into the
family, and, as might be expected, these
anniversaries return for many years.
Much of the same softening, humanizing
effect may be produced by remembering
and humoring the innocent whims and
peculiarties of children.
Among hard-working people it is the
custom too often to bring up whole FAM
lily in plateons and to marshal them
through childhood by the same dishes.
wear the same clothes, work, play, talk,
according to the prescribed notions of
father or mother. When right or wrong
is concerned, let the rule be inexorable;
but when taste. character, or stomach only
is involved. humor the boy. Be to Toms
red cravat little blind: make VIII the
pudding that he likes, while the others
choose pie. They will be surer of your
affection than if you sentimentalized
| about mothers love for an hour. Fur.
thermore, do not grow old yourself too
soon. Buy chessboards, dominoes, baga-
telle; learn to play games with the boys
and girls; encourage them to ask their
friends to dinner and tea. and take care
that your dress and the table be rretty and
attractive, that the children may be
ashamed of neither.
why should l stay at home in the
EVENING"" said lad the other day.
"Mother sits and darns stockings or reads
jays Devotions; father dozes, and Mag
gle writes TO her lover. I'll 20 where
can have fun" Meanwhile father and
mother were broken-hearted because Joe
was "going to ruin." which was undoubt-
edly the fact.-Scribaer' Monthly.