Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-04-05
HAPPY HON ES.
Avoid Family ouarro,s ~ Exercising Pa
iirrlce md COn.Mon Sense.

Avoid Family ouarrots ~ Exercising Pa
ticriee and COn.non Sense.
a home OF discord may be visited by
hcquaintances. but its doors are never
likely TO be knocked at by friends. Sem
sible people will give it II wide berth,
and prefer friendship and intimacy with
those who live at peace. Nobody finds
a wise young man counting girl in u
family who gets on i'll among them
selves He wants bird out of good
nest, and has no wish TO be drawn in
by marriage TO take one side or other
of a lifelong food. IL is hard on a
girl, you say. Sometimes. But about
the young mans sagacity there can be
no question whatever. If all homes
were happy what pleasant world it
would be; and there is no reason why
happiness should not reign every where,
if people would only make wisdom, and
not stupidity, the guide of their lives.
When people are miserable it is in
ninety-nine cases out of the hundred
nobody's fault but their own. An Emper-
or of China was once travelling through
his realm, and he came upon 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 peace and har-
mony. The Emperor was so struck
with this, that he asked the old man by
what means he contrived TO avoid quar-
rels and disputes, and TO have his large
family live together so pleasantly. TAX
ing out pencil he wrote in reply these
words Patience and common 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 are able to exercise patience
and common sense abroad, but find it
next TO an impossible task at home.
With them every thing 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
benediction, while in their own it is dis
figured 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. II any
one has a mind to be cross, snappish
and disagreeable, let her choose a field
for giving 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 il is right 10 wish for
the good opinion Of everybody, we
should be anxious most Of all about the
favorable impression we make on our
own folks at home. Ofkhe whole tribe
OF girls give us her whose brothers and
sisters call her, and with good reason,
an angel We have duties to perform
abroad, but we can never do these things
rightly if we start by neglecting what
we owe TO our own relatives, and act
ing as if we believed that good words,
kindness, gentleness and good humor
ought to begin ut 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 important point is TO cultivate a
sweet temper. We cam not do without
that. Some tempers are Ike violin
strings ont of tune; with them, who
can expect either melody or harmony
from the family orchestral This is
specially a young woman's subject; in
deed, if our girls are not amiable, no.
body else can be expected to be. 1t is
to their kind and gentle words that We
must look for an antidote 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 the house where it is al
ways uttered by the smiling lips Of
good-tempered girls.-H ousehold Har.
rnODV