The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-04-11
DOMESTIC FELICITY.
Some Practical Hints for Making Happ,
Home.
tGin in st. Louis Republican,
'lIow are you, JOhn?"

tGin in St. Louis Republican,
lIow are you, John"
'Good evening, sir.h
Rather unusual, isn't it,you being down town
at this hour? Quite time you were home at sup
per"
Quite, sir, but I've just been getting a
trinkei Tor Jennie"
Your wife, ah-her birthday"
No, sir" said the workman, but its my
theory"
My curiosity was excited, so asked him
! this foundryman friend-what his theory was.
lie belongs TO a class OF men too eminenily
practical to indulge in much theory, or any
great dreaming.
tits theory / have sir, to keep from grow
ing old, he said, as we walked along, making
| part OF the stream of humanity that pouring
from stores and workshops, was moving west
on Westinghouse. "You see, was quite a
time making up my mind to get married.
] liked the girl but was afraid of drifting into
such way OF living as men who had been mar
ried SIX years did. | mean men of my class
workingmen. SIR"
81 understand you"
"They seemed to get shiftless-not at their
work, you know, but about home. Spruce
looking fellows enough beforehand, you see,
but getting married seemed to make 'em care
less"
lin their personal habits?"
"Yes, sir. Well, couldn't stand that in my
life, so set myself to thinking the reason
for it?"
'And you found it?'
at was mainly poverty. A man can't keep
two people looking as well on the money that
cares for one. But, looking past the main ques-
ton OF poverty | saw that there were more
particular causes, or don't know inst how to
express myself sir, there were things even a
poor man could do if he would TO keep him
SELF from falling into those shiftless ways and
I've acted on my ideas and reduced my hap
pineSs to 4 rule that has just three main things
in H."
"Yes?"
"Yes, sir. The first idea that insist on is
cleanliness. The lack OF that makes more poor
people unhappy than low wages does"
Are poor people not as clean as rich ones"
"NO, sir. I'm a poor man myself, and say
that. They can't be. Just rub your haudl1er-
chief over the sleeve of the coat that wear
every day at the foundry. See the SCOT on IL!
Well, i can't change this coat. | wear it al
home. OF course it soils the furniture there,
and IL soils my baby's clothes when he climbs
on my knee. But, see here sir there is SCOT on
my neck and on my hands. | can get that of,
and do No matter how tired am when c me
home, wash up and have my hair looking
nice and my hands and nails tidy when | sit
down 10 my suPper-table. The comfort in it is
that ltencourages my wife to do the same. and by
an understanding b. Yeen us she is always tidy
herself. 1T would be very easy for me TO neg
lect that, and often ! am so tired that am
tempted to do so, but / think that il J. whose
will should be the stronger one, fail in my part
Of the contract, | could expect nothing else
from her. We are too poor to have a bath
| room, but | own a sponge and before
| retire with the odor of a hard
| days work upon me | take a
! quick sponge bath The work doesn't
consume two minutes, and it not only refreshes
me, but makes my presence welcome to her. You
see, when Twas counting her, lnever called unless
! was well-dressed and clean. That was one
| thing she liked about me, and don't feel that
| I've any right TO be different now. | try to sit
straight III my chair, and | don't go round
shouldered-like and old-fashiOned, because
remember that she used to speak of how
| straight j was, and know that my strength
was one OF the things that attracted her. You
| see, all that doesn't cost anything"
"Only Il little thOughtiulness."
''That's it. Just little thoughtfulness. Well,
| it pays. She is tidier about home for it, and
thinks a great deal more of me- Now, there
are two other things | do"
"What are they%
81 make ii rule to spend % cents week on
her. | see you don't understand me. Well, %
cents isn't much. A fellow pays it for two
drinks Of whisky, and it's little enough to give
| her. With that IS cents a week get each week
some little thing exclusively for her. Maybe
/ it's only a comb or some paper-backed
story book, or half a pound of fine
| candy, but it's always something for her
| herself, and not q thing that others
| snare WITH ner, or winch she uses Tor others.
| It's never a scrubbrush or anything like that.
make il rule to get it on different days, too,
and not on payday, she doesn't know ex-
/ actiy when it's coming. / don't believe she
| even knows that the little gifts come weekly,
! for often they are twelve days apart, but this
| always pleases her, and although we've been
/ married six years, she knows that 1 still have
| some thought for her. Now, tonight Pm TAX
ing home new kind of toothbrush; she read
| about it last week and said she'd like one"
! And the honest fellow took from his pocket
a little package that he showed with affection
ate pride
''You said there were three things you did.
! What's the other one?
! 81 take her out somewhere at least once a
week. Often it is only for walk or a call on
some neighbor, but it is relief TO her, and gets
! her away from the monotOny of her household
I work. About once month ii is TO the theater.
| can't afford to 90 oftener, and then | can't sit
/ in the dollar seats, but she's content to 20 in
| the second tier. and I'm proud of her. She has
| black cloak that is out of style. The sleeves
are wide and not like the chats the ladies wear
now, but then Pm not very stylish myself.
| We always 60 TO some good play, and don't
| throw away an evening or our money on
| bad ones. This year we've seen Clara Morris
and Jim, the Penman,' and Booth, and one or
| two like that. So, there you are. That's the
| way have reduced my way of living to kind
| of rule, and it's kept our home happy one
when others have been miserable. Ny wife
! knows what's going OH in the world. She has
| the right kind of ideas, and is something more
than a housekeeper. She is a companion"
After little further talk on other subjects,
we reached point where our paths diverged
! and said good night. This practical philosopher
| went towards his home, but his philosophy, il
the sensible views he held can be so called,
seemed so simple and valuable, that
have felt at liberty TO intrude them.