Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-02-01
Mems Part in Home. Making.
Golden Rule.


Most of the preachments we have.
seen from the text of happy home have
been aimed at the women. This is nat
ural enough, for they are the home
makers of the world and in future
number we shall Join in the chorus"
and also say something to the young
folks about their part in the work from
which no responsible member of the
family can be excused. But just now
we desire to nudge the heads of the
householders and ask them how they are
performing their responsible part in
the realm of home Their forte lies in
breathing and enjoying the atmosphere
after somebody else had made it-and
not but few can get along and make
known their authority without raising
a breeze" in it. Men are too busy, too
much pre-occupied, too impatient and
thoughtless, and-it must be said of
some Of them-toO selfish to do their
fair share of the pre-eminently millennial
work of creating a happy home, where
in love reigns supreme, and amiability,
affection, cheerfulness, JOY and peace
are the natural conditions of family life
Now in certain things man has been
a constitutional shirk from the time of
Adam-if the scientific gentlemen have
left us any Adam-down to this day.
Men will fight for their homes, and make
slaves Of themselves to their business to
maintain them; but like the proverbial
man who would die for woman. but
would never bring up a scuttle of coal,
they cant tell what their children are
studying at school, who their mates are,
what they are learning of good or evil,
nor hardly anything else that father
ought to know concerning his offspring.
1t is so sad that many father finds his
Sundays and holidays too few to enable
him to become acquainted with his
boys" But we maintain that man
who hasn't time to be father TO his
children, with all that includes, has no
right to have any. He wrongs them,
robs himself, puts an unjust responsible
ity upon the mother, and neglects his
highest duties, human and divine.
There are so many ways in which a
father may contribute to happy home
life that it seems strange the number of
houses should so greatly exceed the
homes 1t takes so little to make chill
dren happy at home, that it is won
drous pity so many little ones are mis-
| cradle, oruneasy, or discontinued. Ii
for an hour after the evening meal the
| father should give himself up to his
| children, would the mother wear out Sc
fast, or the children be so lawless, trou-
blesome and uncomfortable? What q
ministry for good to both parties is pa
pas frolic with the babies! What an
interest is added to the books. to the
drawings, the games, or even the studies
| if the father enters into them.
Aside from the children, and in homes
where haply there are none, men still
have more direct part than most OF
them are ready to bear, in making the
daily life pleasant We hardly need tc
say that a man should set the example
| for the family in patience, cheerfulness
courtesy, forbcarance, and all the anna
bic moods and graces that are the SOU
Of home happiness. The sort of mer
who display all their suavity and polite
| ness on the street or at their business
places, and save the storms and sulks
and sourness, and all the evil brood .oi
devilish dispositions that they charac
terize by the convenient euphemism OF
moods well, we have our opinion OF
them! and if they will come within
range we don't mind expressing it pri
! vately: but we are afraid it wouldn't
look well in print
The whole tribe of home tyrants--
men who make the whole household re,
volve around them as the center: whose
tongues are chronically ''furred' in the
| morning, and nerves so upset in the
evening that the family must keep 81
lence while they read and smoke; who
cant bear" the noise of innocent and
| natural mirthfulness; who have to be
! toadied and tended and humored; they
| ought all of them to be doomed to pass
| their days in shabby -genteel boarding
houses, without sight of wife or child
ren-with hash for breakfast, warmed
over pancakes for lunch, and lean mack.
erel and centennial hens for supper
| with the ledger overhead always learn
| ing the trombone, and servant girls that
steal the hair-oiI They don't deserve
a home, and no man does who will dc
nothing to make it. For mans rights
do not include the right to all the com
| forts of home without any of the
work. or worry, or self-sacrifce, OF
thoughtfulness and well-doing incident
| to its creation and maintenance
A good many men think they have
done their full duty if they pay tho
/ bills, more or less grudgingly But one
might as well try to warm room witt
fireplace and pair Of silver plated
! and-irons and no fuel or fire, as to make
home with money The money simply
makes a place for the home; to com
plete it the man must put in himself
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