Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-06-07
ABOUT JOINING.
A Little Logical Reasoning Upon
Home Life.
Drawing q Lesson from the Plants an
Trses-Why tho Only Clubs John
and Have Joined Are Early
Morning Clubs.

'John," said I, ''are you and I to join
the new club?"
do you know" said John, "that in
some things vegetables have a decided
advantage over US? They join nothing.
Each tree has a spot that it belongs in.
and it stays there, leaves out there,
blossoms there and bears fruit there.
1t is never gadding about. If it moves,
somebody must move it. If maple
tree stands in a grove it belongs to that
grove, and has no notion Of pulling up
stakes and joining half a dozen more.
There is nothing in the world that 1
envy more than this ability Of the trees
to stand still and keep to themselves
We think it must be horrible to be
rooted down to one spot We wish to
have one root here, and another there,
and another somewhere else. The fact
is, I am tired out and tagged out with
joining somebody, or something. No,
indeed, we are not going into this new
club. You can go, Of course, If you
will; but intend to have my evenings
to myself; and as for the days, they are
already fully occupied"
THAT is very queer, John,' I said,
very queer, indeed. You do not mean
you would rather be an apple tree than
a man?"
''Oh, no, my dear, but 1 would much
rather be crab-apple tree than a club
man. Society has organized itself to
destroy sociality. The aim Of this club
to which you refer is to study sociology.
The object Is we'll enough, and do not
doubt it will benefit some: but it will
DO compulsory way Of spending two
evenings in month, and that, you
know, l am unwilling to be bound to
do. Then there are the Rural Art Club,
and the Browning Club, and the
Historical Club, and the Farmers
Club, and none of these include our
average human obligations as neighbors
and friends"
John is very emphatic about some
things. and one is that he shall have
control OF his own time, at least to a
large degree. He is willing to fill his
place as a neighbor and citizen, but
will not place himself under a for
midable array of obligations to
give up his nights to social affairs.
He seems to have growing aversion to
the word club, and declares the very
word an abomination, as its original
meaning is mass. I'VE are individ-
uals nowadays" he says, with indi-
vidual tastes and individuality to build
up. We left the mass in the middle
ages" This is not an easy matter to
SEQ through sometimes, especially for
us women. Social demands are among
the most righteous, and our duty to help
on cooperative affairs is clear enough
But OF course there is rational limit
do not see that any ono is the better
or wiser for tagging out in a round of
social improvement associations any
more than in race of butterfly parties
''Our first duty is at home" John be-
gan again. "No one can be worth much
to society who is not, first Of all. good
home-maker and home-keeper. Mon,
especially, feel too little the home-mak-
ing obligation. They leave it to the
women. But in my estimation the
man should have a full interest in
all the minutise of home life. But there
is another consideration. Home obliga-
tons arc increasing. A home nova
days can and ought to be an epitome of
the whole world. 1t takes in more, and
need not go out SO much. One may
live inside his house walls, and live
moro widely than a man who one hum
dred years ago travelled continually.
Look at these magazines and books and
papers! What need Of running about,
or. If one do CAD about, how can he di-
gest all the material that goes to MAX
ing modern home? No, my dear,
whatever other people do, let us stay at
home more, and make home larger and
more inclusive"
ITO be sure, john" l said, 81 APP
prove OF your ideas concerning men;
they should not be such foreigners
They visit their homes, but do not make
them. believe they go so far as to
build houses, and sleep in them; but
they do not in general enter into the
family cares and the culture Of tho chill
dren. Yes, clubs for men are a NUS
ance. If we have clubs, let them be for
both husband and wife"
John shrugged his shoulders. but was