Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1881-01-19
Sunday Visiting.

l am not disposed to be over
strict about keeping the Sabbath
but still must confess that I hold
some old fashioned notions on the
subject, and among other Things l
believe that Sunday should be, sc
far as possible, day of rest fol
every living creature on the prcml =
ses. The farmer, the hired men,
the children, and the horses gener-
ally do rest, but in nine cases out
Of ten Sunday is the hardest day
of the whole week for the farmer S
wife. DAY OF rest, indeed Pre-
cious little rest the stay-at-home
woman gets, if she happens to be
40 unfortunate as to live in one OF
those neighborhOOds where the peo'
pie are gwen to Sunday visiting
How much rest can woman get
while sweltering over hot stove
cooking dinner for wagon-lOaa OF
company ? 1t the cooking were
all, one might endure it for forty
or fifty consecutive Sundays but
the company generally brings
lot Of children, aid as a natural
consequence the whole house IS
torn upside down, and it takes two
or three hours right out OF the best
half of Monday forenoon to put
things to rights again. 1 know
whereof 1 speak for once lived III
a neighborhood where fully one
halt OF the people were in the habit
of visiting Sundays. They came
by twos and by thrces, by SKIES
and by sevens, uncles, aun's and
cousins, people who went to school
with john" and | firmly believe
that every man, woman or child III
that community ''went to school
with John;" people who had known
Johns grandfather, the inevitable
.'old army triend,' and John must
have been Oh intimate terms with
a whole brigade at least; people
who knew my brothers first vile 8
sisters husbands mother, and peo-
ple whom I never saw or heard OF
before, and who didn't even know
any of our relations made my
Sundays regular days of torment
and hard work. My experience is
but the experience of hundreds OF
farmers wifes Said one woman :
i am tired to death OF so much
company on Sundays, but l don't
see any way to help myself WE'LL
l endure it as long as my strength
and patience held out, but not hav-
ing a very large stock of either on
hand matters soon came to crlsls'
and l declared that 'this having a
houseful OF company every Sunday
must and should be stopped. 'How
will you do it ?. asked the wise
man. "you will be sure to offend
somebody and I don't care if l
lido y I retorted. i am sure that
| | hope some OF the tribe will get
so mad that they will never spend
another Sunday in this house J
When l make up my mind to dc
a thing 1 generally do it, and ]
soon iroze out my Sunday visitors
l don't know whether l offended
any body or not, and don't care
Now my poor O'er-wOrked sisters
who have been bored and tired t(
death, cheated out fyour only day
of rest by Sunday visitors, put you
feet down with emphasis and main
tain your right TO rest on Sundays
You can get rid OF your Sunda.
company without offending anyOn
whose good opinion is really worth
having. When they ask you t.
come over some Sunday gravely
inform them that you shall be mos
happy to 90 some week day. but tia
you do not approve of Sunday Wis
ting. and besides you have to worI
hard enough during six days OF tn
, week. and need all the rest 20
can crowd into tho seventh. LII
sensible people will open tier eye
and stay away. and when thSs
|, who cannot take a hint come a
. usual, entertain them until ehurc
) time, then excuse yourself as polite
ly as possible, and deliberately 6
, to church. Rude ! Perhaps so
but you have TO kick some people
t And you who are in the habit {
visiting Sundays, going from hous