Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-07-28
The slnvon at Home.

Poverty. ill-tcmper and slovenlinesss
each in their own peculiar province,
have done, and are continuing to do
much ia the wayof making unpleasant,
uncomfortable and unhappy homes.
The first is, generally speaking, una~
voidable, the second often the outcome
Of ill-health, disappointment or misfor-
tune, but the latter is without reason
or excuse.
More husbands are driven from their
own firesides, more sons given cause 70
seek questionable associates and un-
worthy associations, and more daugh-
ters captivatcd by the destinations Of
the street, from being reared in untidy
homes, where slovenliness rules the
hour and method, order and neatness
rarely ever enter, than from any other
cause known.
The public places Of amusement, the
saloons and the bagnios, all under
stand and act promptly upon the sug-
gestions Of their understandings as 20
what attractions hold captive the eye
and the ear, and through them tho
hearts of the young-and. as for that.
for the old and middle-aged as well.
These are made bright and CHEEKY,
and, rs near as may be, without any
Objectionable features to unpleasantly
affect the outward or inward senses.
is il any marvel, then, that so many
are led astray by such pleasant and at
tractive surroundingsp When neat
ness, order, system and pleasant boz
longings are introduced into the fami-
ly circle, with as much effect and per-
sistcncc as they are in public places,
our homes will hold their own more
closely than they now do, and with
lasting benefit to every one into whose
province these elements of progressive
refinement may find their way.
To emphasize more fully the solemn
fact, we say-and more in sorrow
than in anger" one Of the most
repulsive features in home lifo IS slow
enliness in dress. Where that IS found,
general untidiness Is almost sure to
rule the hour, and affection willis and
goes limping out of tho door while love
hies out of the window. The house-
wife or house-maid who goes about ia
untidy array, with unkept hair or soil
ed garments, almost invariably brings
desolation to the hearth-stone where
she holds sway. The home whose
mistress .'slicks up' when company
comes and only then, is an unfortunate
one. They who do this forget that the
pleasure and happiness of their own
family are of more vital Importance
than al the world beside. and turn q
deaf ear to one Of the most instructive
teachers that points to the higher life
Of the household. They forget that the
unholy rivals for the affection and
presence Of their husbands and sons
and daughters, evcn-know full well
the value of tidiness Of apparel, Of neat
ness of person, of order in surround
ings, and they make these elements
prominent and primary in all their
carefully-deyised plans and purposes.
Not that gaudiness and glare are
necessary to win and keep the hearts
of men-and women-from going
astray. BY no means! But order,
quietncss, neatness, pleasant words
and ways, will do more to keep the
family circle full and the fire-Iirht
of the hearthstonc bright than eli
the treasures That riches alone can
bring. On the other hand, the slOvcn-
" home and the slattern in that home
can accomplish more in the way u
producing blackened embers and dark
cning the ruddy light Of home life than
all other causes combined.
In short, the household sloven Is
more to be feared and summed than
any physical pestilence that walketh
In darkness and spiritual destruction
that wasteth at nOon-day. No poison
is more subtle or dangerous 10 the pur-
ify and beauty Of home life, no element
more fatal in effect upon both the theo-
ry and practice of good housekeeping.
than is the sloyen at home. from
''G00d Housekeeping.