Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-07-20

Make Home Attractive.

There is such q thing as throwing around
home 30 many beautiful things-I mean
not beautiful in art 10 catch the eye,
but beautiful in thought and association,
TO hold the heart-that children shall cling
to it with an undying love. The point
which we have before US, is that OF bind
ing our children to us; and believe that
here. 10 making homes pleasant. is an in
strumentality whose importance is not un-
dersioOd as it ought to be. The complaint
is often made by parents, and with sadly
too frequent truthfulness. that as soon as
their children become old enough to mi /.
gle in society their home is forsaken. they
seem uneasy and restless when compelled
to remain there even for a single even
ing, and almost any other place seems to
be preferred to that where father and
mother and brothers and sisters are found.
This complaint is made with tone of
deep regret but at the same time perhaps,
the parents who make it have no suspi-
cion that, after all. The cause OF what they
deprecate is found in themselves. No
child, however sentimental. will love a
home simply because it has the name of
one. II we would have our children love
it. we must give them something to love
in the home.
Now it the principal ideas which child
has of his home are, that it is place where
he gets his meals and where he sleeps !;
where, il he is little, he is perpetually
found fault with: where he must keep
quiet; where at night-.all he must SIT STU
pidly waiting till bedtime; or. if he has
grown older, he can only deem it a dreary
room in which he must employ himself as
best he may. while the father sits at his
paper or dozes in his chair, and the mother
is silently busy with her sewing or book.
if such be the aspect OF home, one need
not wonder that children learn to look
elsewhere for pleasure, and seek to find
amusement in other circles. or that home
is forsaken as soon as it is possible to leave
it. 1t is practicable to make home so
delightful that children shall have no dis
position to wander from it or prefer any
other place; it is possible to make it SO
attractive that it shall not only firmly hold
its own loved ones, but shall draw Others
into its cheerful circle. Let the house,
all day long, be the scene of pleasant
words, kind and affectionate acts let the
table be the happy meeting-place Of mer.
~ group, and not dull board where the
silent, ii not sullen. come to feed: let The
meal he the time when a cheerful laugh
is heard and good things are said; let the
sitting-room. at evening, be the place
where asmiling company settle themselves
to books or games, Till the round of good
night kisses is in order; let there be some.
music in the huusehold-music not KEEP
like silk and sains to show to company
bnt music in which father and mother and
sister and mother join; let young com
panions be welcomed and made Tor The
time part of the group, SO that daughters
shall not deem it necessary to seek the OBJ
security Of back parlors with intimate
friends, or to drive father and mother tc
distant apartments; in word, let the
home be surrounded by an air of cosy
and cheerful goodwill; then children
need not be exhorted to love it-yOu will
not be able TO tempt them away from it,
Vim. Altman, d. d.