The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1880-08-14
Home Life.


will be found elsewhere in our col
umns. Believing -kno7vine-that
here is the basis of every thing ele-
waiting and truly conservative, we
have time and again endeavored to
elicit something from the women of
the Grange. The light breaks. The
perception of the truth that there is
"an affinity between the beautiful
and the good" is step in the right
direction, and the recognition of the
fact that the refining of "a love of
the beautiful has tendency to dis
gust the mind with the deformity
of vice, and though it may not lead
to the practice of virtue, yet induces
an admiration for it." is a getting at
the key to the normal development
of character. For the moral and the
aesthetic faculties are so correlated
that neither one set can be perfecly
or BEAUTIFULLY developed without
the other. The mind that is obliv-
ious of the beautiful will not have
can not have-as high a conception
of the true, or as worshipfful a
regard for the good as one in whom
both are co-ordinately developed.
Along in this same line of thought
is the following passage, which we
quote from the other article: "If we
would spend more time in making
our homes bright and attractive
there would not be so many broken
hearted parents who weep for sons
who have gone down to ruin and
for daughters whose lives have been
blighted." That is part of our creed
The duties of home arranged in
rational order, the demand made
upon each individual member of
the household to contribute his or
her share in making and keeping
home what it should be, a place of
neatness, of thriftiness and of beau
ty, leads to self control, and is an
important factor in the production
OF contentment and consequently of
happlness,-and so leads to the de-
velopment of character which is
the ultimate and sole rational object
of all living. Begin with the chill
dren, and begin with their earliest
childhood. Make home the loveliest
and most sacred spot on earth. The
love of what is Immediately about
one is the primary affection. and
the fondness of the youngest child
for bright colors shows the incipi.
| ent taste for the beautiful. Take
hold of these natural affections, these
instructive tastes and develop them,
and they will prove SO many cords
binding mind and heart to the most
purifying associations, shedding
their beneicent influences along the
entire pathway of life. A life be-
gun all wrong, with ugliness and
barrenness greeting the child's first
outlook, can never be entirely got
ten into harmony. Mothers! if you
have any real, that is rational, affec-
ton for your children,--if their flu
ture is an object of concern and
solicitude to you, if you would turn
out upon the world set of beings
intelligent, refined, self-respecting,
cherishing as hallowed all memo
ries of you,-set yourselves to put
ting home life upon the highest
plane. In the first place be neat
and thrifty; in the second place,
cultivate the beautiful.
Now here is work for the lady |
officers of the Granges,-let them
make it their duty to see to the prop
agation OF these ideas,-let them
discuss this subject with all the
ladies who attend the Grange meet
ings. See if you can not be of some
practical help to some less fortunate
sisters-go round to their homes
and you can see there what help is
needed. To become aggressiveIy
benevolent is the crown of human
effort. Don't wait for them to come
to you. They do not know. in
nine cases out of ten, that thew
need any help. A few suggestions
here and there to the girls-a few
flower seed, rose slips, geranium
cuttings, given where there is a ;
lack, would be step in the right
way. And do not rest with one or
two efforts. The secret of all .ne- :
cess is perseverance-keep work t
ng-and if nothing else comes of s
t you will have the reward which T
always attends the effort to put
he world in better way of living.