Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-01-11


Some days be dark and dreary."
And it is wisest and best to ignore the
clouds, and dwell in the sunshine as much
as possible.
Separation and bereavement, sooner or
later, come to every heart. Let us by love
and sympathy make he lives Of those who
remain with US as happy and sunny rs
may be.
Let us make our homes as bright and
cheerful as willing fingers and loving hearts
ctn make them; money can do great
deal, but expensive furnishings do not
make real home, neither does e1cessire
uedLaesS. have been in houses when
every door, window and chair were polish
ed to the last degree of nicely; where every
floor was so immaculate that one scarcely
dared TO tread on 1t. and the "gudo mon "
and the children did tread carefully
promise you; where the children were
never allowed to make litter of any
sort, or to leave book or paper out of
place. OF course such II house could seldom
be in disorder, but there were seldom any
real hearty chldren's frolics there. The
of an evening things were too spollessly
nice for children of the common order to
feel at home among them. and the children
who called this home were glad TO escape
to other homes where a little less stringent
regulations prevailed. Such homes are
not real homes, they are plrceS where
human bodies are sheltered. clothed and
fed, but where human hearts are starved,
sacrificed on the altar of excessive order.
Now am not advocating dirt and disor-
der by any means. | think no family of
even common refinement can be happy in
home where cleanliness is one OF the
"ost arts" but there is decided differ
ence between cleanliness, that ranks next
to goodness, and this excessive neatuess
that sacrifices comfort, convenience, hap
piness of children, and every other consid,
GRAFTON to the one idea of spotless order.
l have in mind another home where
everything Is really just as clean as in
the ones have mentioned, and have nc
doubt much more time is spent in cleaning
and putting things to rights than in the
first named houses; bat The children run
in and out at will; the chin;z covered
lounge is not too nice for any one to lie on
who chooses; the table is covered in the
evening with an orderly disorder of books
papers, chidrens games and mothers or
sisters work; the neighb0rs children
crowd in OF IN evening, sure of II wei
come. Now this is a real home, and though
the mother finds her morning task of pick
ing up and putting to order much enAtnc-
ed, yet does sne not feel amply repaid by
the real comfort and happiness enjoyed by
her tamilyP AN sure she does She has
found the happy medium between exces.
sive order, that makes II god Of neatness
and excessive disorder, that spells the
happiness of the family as surely as the
! first, but 10 different manner. | wish
there were more such homes.
Sometime ago read an article entitled
"Homely Plenty" and the idea advocated
was this: Always have II plenty of what.
ever graces your table, if it be ever 80
plain and coarse; better have enough of
plain food, than to have too little of
daintier food. If you cannot afford meat
in plenty do without and have plenty OF
vegetables and cereal food; il you ctnnot
afford vegetables enough, live on the grain
foods, but always have plenty Of what you
provide.