Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1879-12-04
Cultivating Cheerfmlmess.

Some one tells 4 story concerning a
household wherein few of the amenities
which contribute to render:. social life
agreeable were ever illustrated. The wife
had reached middle life. and performed
her part rs wife and mother in the too
common spirit OF necessity and subsection.
The husband came home from his shop at
night in that cool, Indifferent, and half
snllen state which marks the man who no
longer finds enjoyment in the home of his
creation. and tOlerates it as an obligation
that he cannot well shirk. One day the
tired wife read an admonitOry sketch in
the local newspaper on the theme. Make
Your Home Happy" The writer very
sagely urged, as an important aid to the
desired end, that the wife should always
greet her husband with smile and speak
in gentle terms to him. The poor woman
was impressed by the advice, and deter
mined to see what she could do toward in
Producing little sunshine into her mari
tai relations. When her husbands step
was heard upon the front stoop she hast
ened to open the door, and as ne entered,
she whispered, Good evening, dear" and
bestowed upon him smile that should
have melted his heart; but he only stared
at the unusual phenomenon, and strobe by
her and threw himself into his customary
chair at the supper table. The poor wum-
an felt little daunted by this disregard OF
her kindness, but followed her unappre-
ciative partner into the room, and there
essayed another smile and the question,
Are you tired, dear:'' The fellow look
ed at her in further surprise. and replied,
''Ies, and hungry, and want my supper
ble.''
"ies, DEAR the afflicted wife returned,
at the same time looking upon the h,s-
band with all the tenderness she could
command. She then brought the warm
plates and dishes and set them one by hne
before him, accompanying each act with
smiles. Finally, taking her own place at
the tea-board, she glanced at her lord once
more, with all the clleerfulness expressed
in her countenance that probably remained
in her composition. This proved too
much for the husband. who broke out
with:
''l.ook a-here, woman, I'd like to know
what on earth you're grinning at? Can't
you let Il man eat his supper i'm peace -
Poor woman! this outcome of her pa
tient endeavor was disheartening enough,
and she gave up the work of reform she
had begun only few minutes before.
The reason for her failure is apparent
She overlid the thing in the beginning
made herself ridiculous by the strained as
sumption OF part which contrasted too
sharply with the demeanOr her husband
was accustomed to see. She was probably
led to expect great results in the outset,
by the writer whose advice she sought to
follow, for the time forgetting that old
habits do not yield easily, and that we
must begin the work of their modification
or removal in spirit OF moderation, and
make our advances slowly. Those reforms
which are effected so gradually that the
subjects of theM are scarcely conscious OF
a change are the most thorough, just as
a slow recovery from Il severe illness is
usually the most substantial.
There is a great amount of romance in
dulged in by writers on social and domes-
tic reform. Their sketches and sugges-
tons are often written in haste, without
due appreciation of the elements which
make up character, and without a properly |.
considered method for prosecuting a re-
formatory undertaking. In most cases,
writers set before us certain very desirable
aims, delineate a moral and intellectual
character of poetic beauty and impracti-
cability, and if they venture to suggest
how harmony and propriety of thought
and action are to be attained, can only deal
in platitudes vague and commonplace. 1t
Is easy to say, ''Be cheerful" "Be kind"
8 Be agreeable" but it is far from easy to
point out the nature of special weaknesses
and to indicate their correction. The
esthetic writer cannot do that. 1t is only
within the power of the well-organized,
and much-experienced stu
lent of human character. -Phnenoio gicai
Journal.