The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-03-16
How to Make Home Attractive fol the Children

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How to Make Home Attractive fOi the Children.
Whether home is really home or only a
stopping place, depends greatly upon the
| life that centers there. Home, in the larg-
est and truest sense, implies great deal.
1t means rest, contentment, affection, ten
derness purity and progress. 1t is the best
that is left US of Eden.
But have seen homes where the parents
were good and conscientious, having the
who yet really made no home for their
children, simply because they had forgot
ten what belonged to childhood. They
were parents whom, it seemed to me, must
always have been men and women, like
Adam and Eve, always full grown, with
never a memory of childish wants and
needs. | remember household amid the
hills of New England, where the fine old
house under the shadow of the elms hardly
ever echoed to the music of childish laugh
ter, although it had its share of children,
and where the little boys and girls
were never allowed to romp together,
much less pass an evening in merry games
The Assembly's catechism was the book
for Sunday, and Blue Beard and Mother
Goose and Cinderella were all ignored on
week days; fairy land was realm into
which the children might not enter; and
even merry old Santa Claus was kept at
bay as popiSh invention which they might
not harbor. Nature set the example of
gladness for them. The birds sang and
twittered merrily in the branches, the
squirrels skipped and chartered among the
tree-tops, and the frogs held a carnival of
gladneSs every summer night within hear
ing, and the merry brook never ceased its
RUNNING, but for those children there was
nothing but firmness, no careless sports,
but constant life of repression.
Well, of course those children grew up
and a whole community of such people as
they made would never do the world any
good, because their characters, their whole
being, was stunted and ope-slded. They
never had known what childhood is. and
they had no sympathy with it. Children
must have amusements and recreations.
There is world of wise PHILOSOPHY in the
ole adage, ''All work and no play makes
Jack dull boy" AmuSements are legiti-
mate need of childhood, and pleasant pas
times should neither be depressed nor ig-
nored Make your children happy at home in
the enjoyment of harmless pleasures as well
as in the fultillment of simple duties, and
you lay broad and deep the foundation for
the life outside the home. A happy child
hood is the foundation from which to draw
in all after life-a green spot to which we
may turn ii life grows lonely in later years.
An excellent game, and one which will
stimulate the children to study, is called
Century Count" 1t is played by having
one of the party leave the room, when a
century is assigned to him, such as sixth,
| =. Al. IL. n. =.
charged with ali the crimes and abuses of
his century, which he must excuse, ex-
plain or acknowledge, according to his wit;
the excellence of his century are
also attributed to him, and its noble
character, ali of which he must
politely accept, trying at the same time to
discover to what century he belongs
When he succeeds in determining which
century he represents, he selects the per-
son whose last speech gave him the hint,
and says; 1.-The eighteenth Tor other) CEN
fury begs leave to retire, introducing Mr.
- to the court" and the new victim
leaves the room while another century is
selected. When he returns some one says,
for example, --Oh, how could you assassi-
nate one of the best men that ever lived!"
William, the SILENT. Another one
adds, "Well, If he did, he pro
duced one of the greatest poets,''
land tried to introduce the inquisition into
Holland" But exclaims another, THAT
was nothing to the massacre he caused'-
(St. Bartholomew He was good hand
at sinking ships, too.'' Yes chimes in
another, land it made the most gentle
manly duck imaginable crow for joy"
admirable Drake. ''Oh, yes, and laid
the foundation for roast goose on Michael
mas-day." This gives CLEAN of light to
Mr.. Century if he is 'up'' in his history,
and he eXcaims:
'Thank you, l see roast goose, sinking
ships and Michaelmas-day that means the
Spanish Armada and Queen Elizabeth, thus
making me represent sixteenth century.
Now will give place to you"
And so the game goes on. 1t is instruc-
tive, and may be made full of interest and
fun as well. | have seel players so de-
lighted with 1t that it has employed almost
the whole evening,
There is another game which affords
splendid fun,' and is called "Justice is
blind.n Blindfold one player, who must
take seat in the middle of the room, when
the leader takes up to her each one OF the
company. Justice must then pass an opin-
ion upon each, and the leader must decide
whether or not the opinion is sufficiently
correct for Justice 10 transfer the bandage
to the person described. Amusing mistakes
wholly at variance with the character of
the person described.
The Russian Game of Gossip" will
afford much amusement, and is played In
this way: One of the company composes
and writes out striking, but short nara
tive of about dozen lines or so. This he
reads carefully to himself, then folds and
puts out of sight. Taking the person on
his left aside he repeats to him, as accu
rately as he can remember, what he has
written. Number two repeats this, and
so it passes round until it reaches the last
player. This last person re-writes
tie story, and it is then com
pared with the original. When the
story finally reaches home it will never be
recognized as the one which was told by
the first speaker
But | will not suggest further in this
article the sources of amusement which
may be found to enliven an evening at
home, when guests are present or other