The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1885-09-24


1t is desolatel By the dim ray of the
lamp sits pale-faced sister, whose sad
eyes wander from time to time from the
face of the dead mother-looking out
from the frame upon the wall-to the
heated and bloated face of the warm
hearted brother, who lies dreaming Of the
horrible shapes of Demon-land. There
are they who played together in the sunny
days of their youth; this is the noble
brother who was ever ready to rush to
the defense of the weak and unprotected;
distress never called to him in vain,
until the life had been so far engulfed in
the troublous waves of the drink-world
mother failed to arouse in the worse than
murdered heart a noble sentiment in re-
sponse. In the horrible destinations of
the Demon of Intemperance the voice of
mother, even the voice of God, has proven
Ineffective to reclaim that loved one.
The home is desolate The nearest ap-
proach to relief from this desolation will
perhaps be the final great sorrow, when
the polluted formal unprepared as it is
shall be placed, covered by the tears
and prayers of sister, beside the mother
who died of a broken heart. Oh, yes!
The home is desolate!
And the home to which we have al
luded is not desolate because the inhab-
itants thereof have rejected or neglected
any of the teachings of the Divine
Father. For, with the exception of the
lost one, the prayer of faith and trust
goes up daily and nightly from that
home What then can be the cause of
the desolation? What Divine end or
aim may be served by the crushing of
the human hope, or the dragging down of
human life? 1t is as an indefnable mys-
tery-something for us to endure, but not
understand.
The slightest neglect of duty or vigi-
lance may tend largely in the long run
toward desolating the home. The loving
smile may give place to the mere look of
recognition, this in turn to the careless
glance, and this to the frown, or impa-
tient expression. Almost imperceptibly
the grasses and flowers of that home life
have been whitening and fading. and the
startling realization is forced at last that
the home is desolate. Each ungenerous
or unkindly act, like an impure drainage
corrupts the waters of the sea of human
experience until at last they may be made
to exude desolation which is fatal to
human hope, and that house becomes
desolate.
Here is erected place of public amuse-
ment. In the anticipation of the joys to
be found there the greater, holier, more
sacred joys of home are thrown aside for
the time, and the young lives given up
to the rush, and whirl, and amusement,
to be found elsewhere. Surely no harm
can come of harmless amusement! The
young lives go whirling and dancing
down the stream of time, regardless of
the anxious friends who are frantically
beckoning from the shores. 'Tis but a
| few short months, possibly few short
weeks, until the bright eyes begin to fade.
the smile is gone from the lips, and set
tied gloom seems to settle upon the young
life. The passion for excitement and its
mock pleasures has for the time become
wearied, but the heart finds that it is
unable to go back and fully enjoy again
the innocent pleasures of the home-life
Or, it may be, still worse A young life
intoxicated by the follies of the worldly
amusement, may throw itself upon the
mercy of villainous mind, and be lost
to society-lost to home, and friends. In
that case, the house is desolate!
Disrespectful treatment toward father
neglect to lend helping hand to mother
inconsiderate treatment of brother or sis
ter; words or unpleasant glances toward
neighbors-all tend toward making the
! house desolate. In some cases we may
< by our own acts avoid the desolation. il