The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-10-26

settles the tack in its place, when with
one good blow you drive it far enough
in.
1t dawned upon me as this lesson
went on that we are all called upon tC
/ do considerable hammering as we &C
through life, women particularly, and
how important it is that we should dc
1t well! You hear people say, Il can't
hammer it into his head" Certainly
not, my dear friend; you don't know
how to hammer. In the first place we
must look well that the tack has a
points worth the hammering. How
many of us are constantly driving in
old useless tacks! The first blows
must be gentle, easy ones. Just here
most people fail. Have you ever seen
a wife or mother who, with the best
heart in the world, is utterly lacking as
to a knack of giving those first little
gentle taps to her tacks? She is anx-
lous to get the family started on their
daily round rather earlier than usual,
we will say by way of example. Just
as John is swallowing the last of his
ootfee-perhaps debating as to third
cup by way of exception to general
rules--and reading a dainty bit Of scan
dial or fine editorial, according to said
Johns tastes, and John, Jr., is making
up his mind to have a grand game of
horse with the dining-room chairs,
Mater begins:
Come, John, do hurry; it's Monday
and the servants are waiting. If you
must inger, there is the parlor. John
ny, hurry off, mamma wants this room. :"
The poor woman feels quite as hurt
as if she had knocked her fingers with
a hammer when John, ST., goes off to
his business with a shrug of his Shout
ders, or mutters '"confound Monday;n
and John, Jr., vents his ill-humor by
teasing the cat, or the baby, or any
other helpless victim.
A woman who understands hammer
ing accomplishes her end so differently.
She has something to show the family
III the outer room, Orwell, I'm one of
the unfortunate women that are always
knocking their fingers, so | won't dilate
on how the tack is driven; can only
admire the ease and grace with which
1t Is done. just here | would notice
that ones carpet experience does not
quite tally with the experience of life.
{. 1t often seems so much easier to drive
other peoples tacks than your own.
know woman who iabored long to
persuade her husband to shave most
unbecoming mustache. She hammered
away on that subject till it's a wonder
the mustache didn't get knocked off
but still it was there. A siSter-in-law
came to spend one day, and by night
fall the mustache was gone! Yet that
same sister-in-law had husband who
would not, for all her hammering, shave
his chin!
learned by repeated failures how to
handle our hammer and tacks, we
fail; the tack goes in, almost with
out driving, but it doesn't hold.
why, you foolish little woman"
says a friend, you're wasting time
and strength; there is no wood
there-your tack is over q crackn' All
me! We can only pity the men and
women whose lives seem full of cracks.
Here is a mother, full of energy and
ambition, who delights in study for its
with the literary hammer, but she is
driving all her wise teachings into per-
feet void. Her children remind one of
ducks Matched out by hen. Again,
there are wives whose husbands have
no love for the books and music they
delight in, and rice rcrSG. To all these
would give a hint from my carpet ex-
perience. When | found that the tack
wouldn't hold | gave desperate tug at
the carpet and just managed to reach a
firm spot where the point of the tack
could push in, and then, with a quick
blow, the matter was accomplished If
your boys care nothing for books,
stretch the carpet little-make your
self care for tishing-ta tackle, billiards,
croquet, or whatever the young people
care for. A mother of boys must care
fully cultivate taste for pretty girls
if she hasn' it already: must know how
to judge of baseball match, and grow
enthusiastic over bird s-nesting or boat
ing. 1t is the only way to find the firm
place in which to drive your own opin-
ions, your firm convictions and earnest
principles.
There is one more thought apropos
of lacking carpets. A new hand is sure
to drive in just twice too many tacks
Take our children, for example. | have
known mothers to make as much fuss
and time over a little mistake of Ell
quette in their boy as over his telling a
lie; and over and over again mothers
talk of smoking and drinking wine as
if they in themselves were sins. Let
us be very sure that the lesson is needed
before we drive it home, and be sure
we call things by their right names.
We ought to teach our boys what smok-
ing and drinking may lead to, and per-
suade them to shun them because of
their possible results. Again, wife
will keep perpetually hammering at
her husband for some trivial matter
that is of no consequence. You are
wastingyour strength, my good woman,
and spelling your carpet Hope Led
y0rd, IN Christian Union.
During the little thunder shower of