The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-10-02
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
HE DOMINATES OYER THE LOSSES
AND CROSSES OF LIFE.
The Philosopher Tells About Some of His
Domestic Experiences and Gives Picture
of Things at Home.
For The Constitution.

tur me CONSTITUTION.
was just eliminating over the trials and
tribulations, the losses and crosses of keeping
up with society and running the domestic ma
chine. How expenses increase and encroach
upon you ineh,by inch, and how things wear
out and you'have to buy new ones before you
know 1t, and how you don't know when the
cook will quit and how most everything is on
a strain, and there is good side and bad
side to every pleasure, and we must not expect
too much and we won't be disappointed, but
we must move along calm and serene, and take
things as they come and watch them as they
go, and by the time we are old enough to die
we will be just about fifteen to live, and this
proves that this life is just little slSirmish of
raw recruits-a tuning of the violin, q school
whore we may learn the incidents il we will.
The best pleasure that l have ever found is
that which l gave away, or that
which somebody gave to me. AS Shaks-
peare says about mercy, 1t is
twice blessed-it blesseth him that gives and
him that death receive, and so one day in
midsummer when it was awful hot and the
nights milk soured before breakfast and the
cream spoiled the coffee, Mrs. Arp sighed and
said, 81 do wish we had a refrigerator" which
was an exclamation had heard before. Well,
found beautiful solid cherry one in Rome
soon after and bought it, and while she was
out visiting I slipped it in the diningroom and
we managed to keep her out until the supper
bell rang, and nobody said anything as she
walked through the portierre, but all Of us
were watching and listening. Mrs. Arp can
SEQ more with her two eyes and see it quicker
than anybody, and she paused upon the thresh-
old and exclaimed, "Well, did ever isn't it
beautiful just what l wanted" and she APP
preached her lord with maden's
grace and patted him on one cheek and
kissed him upon the other and then perused
the refrigerator to her hearts content 1t was
all right and peace and tranquility abounded
for q right smart while. Next morning the ice
business was duly inaugurated, and just to
show what fool | am about some things, I
Will confess that I thought refrigerator was
continuance to keep things cool without ice. 1
never dreamed that was entailing upon my
poor pocket just thirty cents day for three CT
four months in the year. But when money
brings smiles and sweet milk and solid butter
all mixed up together, it pays and I'm going to
run on that line as long as can. Home life is
the 3 ggest part of life and the best. A mans
hol~sis his castle, his church, his flower ear
den, his music hall, his continual de-
light and comfort, or 1t y his
curse. 1t is just what the
husband and wife choose to make tia hell or
a heaven. But have always thought that
home was more sacred to the wife than the
husband-more feminine than masculine, for
she has to dwell there and abide continually
and it ought to be made as attractive as posi-
BILE and as woman loves ornament more than
man and has an eye and heart for the beau
tifnl both in nature and art, it becomes every
good, thoughtful, considerable husband, TO in
dulge his wife in everything that he can afford.
Suppose he doesn't care snap about lace cur
tains or carpets, or papered walls, or china
dishes or pretty pictures, or beautiful flowers,
he has tied unto him being who does and she
can't get away from the place that is to be her
prison or her pleasure until she
dies. Sometimes get worried because there
is so much cooking and so much cleaning up
and securing, and washing, and so many
things that have to be mended and replaced,
and my memory goes back to the primitive
days Of my youth, when we lived in little
humble house OF three rooms, with a little
square porch in front. There were but two
rooms in front, and a shed loom attached-a
shed room that was not ceiled, and my brother
and | slept there and have never heard any
music half SO sweet as the sound Of the rain
as it battered on that roof on long winter
night. 1t seemed to me the sweet lullaby of
the angels, and it almost brings the tears from
my fearless eyes now as recall the tenderness
with which our good mother came every night
and tucked the cover around us, and said
good night my darlings." There was no glass
in tho Woodworking but battered shutter
no ceiling or plastered wall no fire place and
yet we were happy and contented, and slept in
comfort and had pleasant dreams and were up
with the morning sun
"That never rose a wink too soon
Nor brought too long day"
Those old times were mighty good times for
we did not know that better times would ever
come and / imagine that half a century from
now. when my wife and have been long un-
der the sod, and children will be looking back
to these very days as days Of primitive sim
plicity and yet more full Of happiness and
sweet content than any they ever enjoyed And
all this comes from the buoyancy and bright
ness that belongs to youth-to childhood.
What a beautiful halo surrounds everything
then. What luxury of delight to fish
or to hunt or to top chestnut trees
or pick chinkapins or gather walnuts and
blackhaws and maypOps or to wade in the
branch and hunt birds nests or catch young
rabbits or to set traps for birds The world Is
very lovely 10 child and / would keep 1t 80 IL
[ could. would rather be child Of nature
than q child of art. / have no greater horror
than TO sec young girls shut up within con-
vents amid monastic, ascetic, misanthropic
teachers--cranks who have soured on the wor
and are doing penance with solemn faces ard
continual prayers. We are what tho Creator
made us-social, cheerful and glad by nature
Just as the lambs. l see that somo poor mis-
CRADLE fools are trying to write down marriage
as a mistake and q fraud and they are cranks
too. The marriage relation is the natural rela-
ton and when Dame Nature speaks she speaks
truth. II is just as natural for tho sexes 10
mate as it is for doves. OF course they some
times mate badly but they had better do that
than not mate at all.
Speaking Of the old times ! am reminded Of
older times still, for have before me q news
paper that is dated August GOTH l773. II Is
the maryland Journal and Baltimore Adver-
tiser," and has long communication from
George Washington, who was booming his
lands, Twenty thougand ncres) on tho Kanaw-
ha river and wanted 10 lease them 10 settlers.
/ notice that the letter s is all right at the end
Of a word, but is an + elsewhere. For instance,
tho paper says, 1.-THE floop Mftifippi arrived
from Peniacola and tile captain fayB the parton
with his party from New Jerfey are fafcly
arrived and have began their fettlemcnt"
An advertisement says, IRAN away
from the fubscriber fometime Taft fpring my
negro man Prince, tall film follow, with few
eral hacks in his forehead, whoever feoures
him fhall have FIVE pounds" Another man
adyertises that lac has pocket Of hops for salo
and defircs 10 pnrchafe Il negro girl about
twelve years old"
There is big snake story and q casualty