Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-04-21
DOMESTIC FELICITY.
PRACTICAL HINTS FOR MAKING
A HAPPY HOME.
The Way in Which 1t May, and
in Which 1t May Not
Be Done.

trinket for Jennie"
@Your wife, ah-her birthday ?"
No, sir said the workman, but its
my theory
My curiosity was excited, so l asked
him-this faundryman friend-what his
theory was lie belongs to class of men
too eminentIy practical to indulge in much
theory, or any great dreaming.
Its a theory have, sir, to keep from
growing old" he said, as we walked along,
making part of the stream of humanity
that pouring from stores and workshops.
was moving west on Washington avenue
" You see, | was quite 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 married
six years did. | mean mea Of my class
workingmen, sir"
d" understand you"
"They seem to get shiftless-not at their
work, you know, but about home. Spruce
looking fellows enough beforehand, you
see, but getting married seems to make
'em careless"
LII tHSlI ptTSOIldl HdDllS
" Yes, sir. Well, l couldn't stand that
in my life, SO l set myself to thinking the
reason for it."
"And you found it ?"
" 1t 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 question of poverty, saw
that there were more particular causes, or,
don't know just how to express myself,
sir, there were things even a poor man
could do if he would to keep himself from
falling into those shiftless ways, and I've
acted on my ideas and reduced my happi-
ness to rule that has just three main
things in it."
"Yesp'
" 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. Pm poor man myself, and
say that. They can't be- Just rub your
handkerchief over the sleeve of the coat
that wear every day at the foundry
See the SCOT on it? Well, | can't change
li1lS NOdl. L veal II dl llDut- vi COlI6C
it soils the furniture there, and it 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. l can get that off, and
| DO. No matter how tired am when |
come home, | wash up and have my hair
looking nice and my hands and nails tidy
when sit down to my supper-table. The
comfort in it is that it encourages my wife
to do the same, and by an understand
ing between us she is always tidy her
self. 1t would be very easy for me to
neglect that, and often | am so tree
that | am tempted to do so, but l
think that if |, 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 sponge, and before re
tire with the odor of a hard days work
upon me l take 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
| was counting her | never 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 he different now. |
try to sit straight in my chair, and l don't
so round-shouldered like and old-fash-
Toned, because l remember she used to
speak of how straight l was, and l know
that my strength was one of the things that
attracted her. You see, all that doesn't
cost anything"
"Only little thoughtfulness."
That's it. Just a little thoughtful
ness. Well, it pays. She is tidier about
home for it, and thinks great deal more
of me. Now, there are two other things
l do"
"What are they?"
8 i make it rule to spend twenty-five
cents week on her. | see YOU don't I'M
derstand me. Well, twenty-five cents isn't
much. A fellow pays it for two drinks of
whisky, and it's little enough to give her.
With that twenty-five cents week | get
each week some little thing exclusively
for her. May be it's only comb or some
paper-backed story book, or half a pound
of fine candy, but it's always something for
herself, and not q thing that others share
with her. or which she uses for Others It's
never scrub brush or anything like that
| make it rule to get it on different days,
too, and not on pay day, so she doesn't
know exactly 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 Eve still some thought for
her. Now, tonight I'm taking home a
new kind oil tooth brush she read about
it last week and said she'd like one"
And the honest fellow took from his
pocket little package which he showed
with afiectionate pride
You said there we're three things YOU
did. What is the other one p
] take her out somewhere at least once
a week. Often it is only for walk or a
call on some neighbor, but it is a relief TO
her, and gets her away from the monotony
Of her household work. About once
month it is to the tbeater | can't afford
to go oftener, and then can't sit in the dol
lar seats, but she's content to go in the sec
ond tier, and Pm always proud of her. She
mas black cloak that is out of style The
sleeves are wide and not like the coats the
ladies wear now; but then Pm not very
stylish myself. We always go to see some
good play, and don't throw away an even
ing or our money on bad ones. This wear
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
I've reduced my way Of living to a kind of
rule, and it's kept our home happy one
when OTHERS have been miserable. My
wife knows what's going on 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 sub
jects we reached poipt where our paths
diyerged and said good night. This rracti-
cal philosopher went towards his home,
but his philosophy, if the sensible views
he held can be so called, seemed SO simple
and so valuable, too, that | have felt at