Richland beacon., 1878-03-02
A HOME JOURNAL.
A Diary That All Families
Ought to Keep.

In certain farmhouse twenty years ago
a great blank book was kept, and labeled
'!Home Journal Every night somebody
made an entry in it. Father set down tie
sale of the calves, or mother the cutting oil
the baby's eye tooth; or, perhaps Jenny wrote
a full account OF the seighing party last
night; or Bob the proceedings of the Phi
Beta Club; or Tom scrawled Tried my new
gun. Bully. Shot into the fence and John
son's old cat'
On toward the middle of the book there
was an entry Of JenDy's marriage, and one
of the younger girls had added description
of the bridesmaids dresses, and long after
ward there was written, "The day father
died." in Bobs trembling hand. There was
a blank of many month after that
But nothing conId have served better t.
bind that family of headstrong boys and girls
together than the keeping of this book. They
come back to the old homestead now, meh
and men with gri7zled hair, TO see their
mother, who is still living, and turn over its
pages reverently with many hearty laugh
Of the tears coming into TO their eyes. 1t is
their childhood 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 a matter in
the management of household as the furn-
ishing of the library or chambers in good
taste, or the accumulation Of a bric>a>brac.
One most direct way is the keeping OF anni>
versaries; not Christmas, Easter, nor the
Fourth Of July alone but those which belong
TO that home alone. The children's birthdays.
their mothers wedding day, when they all
came into the new home. There are a hun
dred cheerful, happy little events which some
cheerful and happy little ceremony will make
a lifelong pleasure. The Germans keep
alive their strong domestic attachments by
Just snch means as these it seems natural and
right to their children that all the honse should
be turned topsy-iurvy with joy at Water or
Mutters Gcburtstag; while to the American
boy or girl it is a matter of Indifference, when
his father or mother were born. We know
of house in which it is the habi, TO give to
each servant irfling 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 sofiening, hnmaniznc
effect may be produced by remembering and
humoring the innocent whins and peculiari-
pie it is the custom too often to bring up
whole family in platoon and to marshal them
through childhood by the same general, in
flexible rules. They must eat the same
dishes, wear the same clothes, work, play.
talk, according to the prescribed notions Of
father or mother When right or wrorg is
concerned, let the rule be memorable; but
when taste, character or stomach only is in>
voived, humor the boy. Be TO Toms red
cravat little blind; make Will the pudding
he likes, while the others choose pie. They
will he surer Of your affection than if you
sentimenialized about mothers love for an
hour. Furthermore, do not grow old yourself
too soon. Buy chess boards. dominoes. baga
telle; learn to play games with boys and girls;
encourage them to ask their friends to dinner
and tea, and take care that your dress and the
table be pretty and attractive, that the children
may be ashamed Of neither.
~Why should stay at home IN the even
ing!' said lad the other day. "MoIher sits
and darns stockings or reads jays Devotions;
father dozes, aud Maggie writes to her lover
III 60 where | can have fun" Meanwhile,
father and mother were broken-hearted be-
cause Joe was "goins 10 ruin" which was on-
doubtedly the fact.