Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-02-21
How to Have a Happy Home.
Frem Household Harmony.

Frem Household Harmony.
A home Of discord may be visited by
acquaintances. but its doors are never
likely to be knocked at by friends.
Sensible people will give il a wide be tn.
and prefer friendship and intimacy
with those who live at piece. Nobody
nnds wise young man courting a girl
In family who get on i'll among them
selves. He wants bird out Of a good
nest, and has no wish to be drawn in
by marriage to take one side or another
ofa lifelong fireside feud. 1t is hard
on girl, you say. Sometimes. But
about the young mans sagacity there
can be no question whatever. If all
homes were happy what a pleasant
world 1t would be; and there is no rsa-
son why happiness should not reign
everywhere, If people would only make
wisdom, and not stuidity, the guides of
their lives. When people are misera-
bic 1t is in ninety-nine cases out of the
hundred their own fault. An Emperor
of China was once travelling through
his realm, and he came upon a family
in which the grandfather, with his
wives-he had several of them-his
children, grandchildren, sons-in-law,
daughters-in-law and servants, all lived
under the same roof in perfect har-
mony and piece. The Emperor was so
struck with this, that he asked the old
man by what means he contrived to
avoid quarrels and disputes, and to have
his large family live together so pleas
antly. Taking out pencil he wrote in
reply these words-"Patience and COM
mon sense" That was the whole
secret. An easy one to remember, but
hard, especially with some natures, to
put in practice.
What strikes one as an odd thing is
that many able to exercise patience and
common sense abroad, but find it next
to an impossible task at home. With
them everything is done for the benefit
OF society at large, and at the expense
of their own circle. In other peoples
houses they have face like a henedic-
tion, whilst in their own it is disfigur-
ed with frowns. OF all follies, this is
one of the greatest. AS if it were not
their interest, let alone their duty, to do
exactly the reverse. If anyone has a
mind to be cross, snappish. and disa-
greeable, let her choose field for CIV
ing vent to her ill-humor as far removed
from home as possible. Our best side
should be turned not to strangers but to
those with whom we dwell, and whilst
it is right to wish for the good opinion
Of everybody, we should be anxious
most of all about the favorable impress
sion we make on our own folks at
home. Ofthe whole tribe of girls give
us her whose brothers and sisters call
her, and with good reason, an angel.
We have duties to prefOrm abroad. but
we can never do these things rightly if
we start by neglecting what we owe to
our own relatives, and acting as if we
believed that good works, kindness,
gentleness and good humor ought to
begin OF any place rather than at home.
This is inverting the natural order of
things, and is proceeding to be looked
for only from foolish people. If there
is to be household harmony an import
ant point is to cultivate sweet temper.
We cannot do without that. Some
tempers are like violin strings out OIL
tune-with them who can expect meio-
dy or harmony from the family orches-
ira? This is specially young woman's |
subject; indeed, if our girls are not |
nobody else can be expected |
to be. 1t is to their kind and gentle |
words that we must look for an anti
dote to fretting and ill-humor. At
home the keynote of the days music
is often struck by the first word we
hear in the morning, and happy is that
house where it is always uttered by the
smiling lips of good-natured girls.