The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1885-05-06

Oh Dne members OF the great CLUBS Oh tnese
cities are married men. That wife soon
loses her influence over her husband who
nervously and foolishly looks upon all
evening absence as an assault on do
mesticity. How are the great enterprises
of art and literature aud benehcence and
public veal to be carried on II every man
is to have his world bounded on one side
by his front doorstep and ON the other by
his back window, knowing nothing higher
than his own attic or nothing lower than
his own cellarP That wife who becomes
jealous Of her husbands attention to art
breaking her own scepter Of conjugal pow
or. know in this church an instance
where a wife thought that her husband
was giving too many nights to Christian
service, to charitable service, to prayer
meetings and to religious convoca-
tion. She systematically decoyed him
away, until now he attends neither
this nor any other church, and
is on a rapid way to destruction
his morals gone, his money gone, and, I
fear, his soul gone. Let any Christian wife
rejoice when her husband consecrates
evenings to the service Of God, or to char
ity, or to art, or to anything elevated; but
let not men sacrifice home life to club life.
have the rolls Of the members Of q great
many Of the prominent clubs Of these
cities, and l can point out to you q great
many names of men who are guilty Of this
sacrilege. They are as genial as angels at
the Clubhouse and as ugly as sin at home.
They are generous on all subjects Of wine
| suppers, yachts and fast horses, but they
are stingy about the wife's dress and the
! children's shoes. That man has made that
which might be a healthful recreation a
usurper Of his affections, and he has mar
| ried it, and he is guilty Of moral bigamy.
Under this process the wife, whatever her
features, becomes uninteresting and home
ly. He becomes critical of her, does not
like her dress, does not like the way she
arranges her hair, is amazed that he ever
was SO unromantic as to offer her hand and
heart. She is always wanting money,
money, money, when she ought to be dis
cussing Dexter and Derby Day, and En-
glish drags with six orses, all answering
the pull of one "ribbon."
bell you there are thousands OF houses
in Brooklyn and New York being dubbed
to death! There are Club-houses In these
cities where membership always involves
domestic shipwreck. Tell mo that man
has Joined a certain club; tell me nothing
more about him for ten years and will
write his history II he be still alive. The
man is a wine-guzzler, his wife broken
hearted or prematurely old, his fortune
gone or reduced, and his home q mere
name in the directory. Here are six secu-
lar nights in the week. "What shall do
with themi" says the father and the
husband. 81 will give four Of those
! nights to the improvement and entertain
ment of my family either at home or in
good neighborhood; l will devote one to
charitable institutions; will devote one
TO the club" l congratulate you. Here Il
a man who says: 81 will make different
division Of the six nights. l will take three
for the club and three for other purposes. "
tremble. Here is a man who says: "Out
Of the six secular nights of the week will
devote five to the Clubhouse and one TO
the home, which night l will spend II
scowling like March squall, wishing
was out spending it as had spent th,
other five." That mans obituary Is writ.
ten. Not one out Of ten thousand that
ever gets so far on the wrong road evei
stops Gradually his health will fai
through late hours and through too much
stimulants. He will be frst-rate prey foi
erysipelas and rhumatism Of the heart
The doctor coming in will at glance see
1t Is not only present disease he must fight
but years OF fast living. The clergyman
for the sake of the feelings of the family
on the funeral day, will only talk In relig.
ious generalities. The men who got his
yacht in the eternal rapids will not bo Al
the obsequies. They will have pressing
engagements that day. They will send
flowers to the coffin and send their wives
to utter words of sympathy, but they will
have engagements elsewhere. They never
come. Bring me mallet and chisel and
will cut on the tombstone that mans epi.
taph: "Blessed are the dead who die in
the Lord" "No," you lsay, shat woult
not be appropriate" "Let me die the
death OF the righteous, and let my last enc
be like his" "No," you say, "that would
not be appropriate" Then give me til,
mallet and chisel, and will cut an honest
epitaph: "Here lies the victim Of dis
sipating Club house" think that damag,
Is often done by the scions of some aristo
cratic family, who belong to one of thes,
dissipating Club-houses. People coming
up from humble classes feel it an honor Il
belong to the same club, forgetting tn,
fact that many Of the soLs and grandsoni
Of the large commercial establishments o.
the last generation are now, as TO mind
imbecile; as TO body, diseased; as t.
morals, rotton.
Another test by which you can finc
whether your clubs legitimate or illegiti
mate-the effect 1t has on your secular oc.
cupation. can understand how through
such an institution man can reach COM
mercial success. know some men hav,
formed their best business relations
through such channel. II the club hal
adyantaged you in an honorable calling 4
is a Legitimate club. But has your credit
falledp Are bargain makers more cautioui
how they trust you with bill Of goods
Have the men whose names were down iT
tho commercial agency At before they en-.
tered the club been going down since II
commercial standing? Then look out