The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1885-04-03
"HAvEN.r TIME"
A Wearisome Iteratim Which Suggests q
Pertinent Inquiry.


A Wearisome Iteratim Which Suggests q
Pertinent Inquiry.
No matter how reasonable and i'm.
portant the thing You ask your friend
or neighbor to do, ten chances to one
she VIII answer. Haven time. Would
like to ever so much; nothing would
please me better; but, positively.
haven't time" The veriest dawdler
or do nothing, male or female, will
chant the same refrain in your ears.
Haven't time," until you learn to ex-
pect it like an echo. So by and by it
naturally occurs to reflective mind to
wonder what has become of all the
time. People used to have plenty of il
for everything they wanted to accom-
plish, and still be at loss for some
thing to do for pastime. But to-day
the man or woman who has time, really
has plenty of it and to spare, strikes
one as relic of by-gone times-one
who has outlived his generation. as
it were, and now stands alone among
strangers; at least such was our i'm
preston on discovering one of these in
diyiduals not long since. A woman
neither young nor old, nor yet hand
some nor homely, sat in plain
but comfortable room, applying
herself most industriously to knit
ting threads into lace, each yard
of which would require probably a
day and half to finish. After express
sing our wonder, to say nothing of the
disgust, we felt at the woman's pa
tience in this work, we inquired what
it was intended to adorn. 20, nothing
in particular" she replied. 81 don't
know what I'll do with it. I'm only
making it to kill time" Wonder gave
place to amazement. 1t had been so
long since we had heard any one own
up to having time enough for any,
thing, that our look became a stare
and the woman appeared anxious on
our account. We explained as best we
could, to make the situation endur-
able, but really we haven't yet ceased
to wonder at her. That things have
changed since the good old time when
almost every one had leisure, is GER
tain. We have invented machines
that do the work in doors and out in
less than half the time it could be
done without them, but indoors at least
we have also invented work for the
machines to do, that just little more
than fill up the half time saved, and SO
we have grown busy and still buster,
until we haven't time for a good easy
breath more than once q week; and not
then if obliged to superintend the get
ting of three meals q day Sunday, and
an extra big meal at that. This pre-
cludes the possibility of woman's one
chance for full. deep breath, and she
must content herself with breathing
half way to her waist without hope
Of change for the better. To be sure
she won't live out half her days, and
can't be worth much while she does
live. But she thinks she might as well
be altogether out Of the world as out
Of the fashion, and since Mrs. Tom,
Dick and Harry do thus, and so her
fate is fixed. It is really unalterable,
or might she not help herself If she
would? Who made her neighbors her
pattern? And who obliges her to fol-
low blindly every senseless course they
may choose to walk imp
The fact is we need to cultivate a
spirit of self-dependence that will en-
able US to adjust our domestic affairs
with reference to the happiness and
of ourselves and family
without any reference whatever to who
may think what. There is entirely too
much plate-glass front to American
houses. We seem to thirst for notori-
ETY., without much regard as to the
kind we receive. There is not another
civilized nation in existence but seems
10 regard the home and home life
IS something sacred; and while we
are convinced that in this very matter
Of homes we have the sweetest, purest
and happiest the world affords. we do
Ieel that We should initiate the example
Of others in this particular. The
habit we have of living out of doors
and parading our domestic affairs
before strangers. not only detracts
rom the dignity of home-life, but
tends to foster an artificial manner
If living that chokes all the heart out
If the home. Again. could we but do
away with this custom of advertising
every particular of our living. we
should cease to care for anything be- !
Vond that which :conduces to the high
vt good of the inmates of the home; ]
aud what superfiuities such . reforma-
ion would cut off And what time and
lime we should have left for mental
and companionshipwith /
husband and children. For verify,
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