The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-04-07
THE HOME CORNER.


said one of Austin's lovely ladies the
other day, and her eyes were aglow
with earnestness and enthusiasm as
she spoke. "There is one institution
that L want to see in Austin, and /
have thought over it and dwelt upon
it for years. 1t is home for old
ladies. 1t is such sad thing for
woman to be helpless, especially
when she has grown old and has
nothing on earth to look forward to.
know one such right now, and the
very thought of her goes straight to
my heart, and wish the home were
6 ready, so that it could open and take
lher in. Poor, old. helpless creature,
how she does need little shelter and
= resting place for her old age; and
then to think that she gave four sons
to the war, and is left desolate by the
country for which she made the sacri-
flee. Oh, we must get that home,
here in Austin! l know one man
who has said that as soon as we were
ready to build he would give
fine piece of land on which to locate
it. But that must come later. We
might rent house for present needs.
don't believe there is a man in the
city who would refuse to give for
such cause. believe every church
in Austin would give for it, because
this is something that would come
close to everybody's heart. Let's all
write for it, and work for it and do
our best to get it established"
~
1t is a singular thing, isn't? that
people who call themselves Christians
should have to be appealed to on such
subjects as this, and should SO often
pass by the appeal unheeding. The
Hebrews look after their old and poor
with the most tender solicitude. The
outside world is never asked to sub
scribe one dollar to provide an asy-
lum for any unfortunate Jew. The
Catholics have their homes for or
phans, for the friendless, for the old and
for the outcast and forsaken whom
the world has trampled down and
Swept beyond the the pale of hope;
and in every such Catholic institution
Mot Catholics alone are welcomed, but
people of every religion at all. But it
remains for us, people who have had
had peculiar privileges and unnum-
bered blessings, to introduce a chart
table scheme which has for its object
the taking care of our own poor, as
cautiously as though we were afraid
of insulting the dignity of our friends.
When we make appeals like this,
nineteen men out of twenty pay no
heed to it; and the twentieth man
gives some slight sum, with sigh of
resignation and silent prayer that
these begging schemes would cease.
If things were as they should be, it
would only be necessary for some
large-hearted woman to say: "What
blessing q Home for old women
would be!u and instantly the sug-
gestion would be taken up and worked
on so effectively that in little while
there would not be, anywhere, in all
the land, an old and helpless
woman, dragging her weary life to
its sorrowful close, driven from place
to place, and with not where to lay
her head.
x*x
What are your children reading
That is a question that ought to be in
sisted on a good deal more frequently
than it is. I wonder how many are
Tin position to answer? l wonder
how many know? There is one care,
full mother who insists that hel
daughter shall read no novels. Not
very wise regulation, if it could be
enforced; but enforcing it, there's the
rub! If she could look into hel
daughters desk at school she would
find novels there of a kind that would
horrify her beyond description. And
that is the kind of mental companion
ship this young girl is seeking every
day. This young girl, did 1 say
The truth is, there are many OF them,
and the number is increasing. They
offered one of these books, last week,
to one of their companions, who re-
piled: "No thank you. Mamma al
lows me to read novels, but she always
selects them" Truly, a fine thing
to say. This little maiden
evidently had the gift o
speaking a large word in little
space.n heard the mother of whom
she spoke talking to her very serious
ly, afterwards. "Do not touch those
books,n she said. always excuse
yourself when they are offered you
I would just as willingly see you &C
among disreputable people and associ
ate with them as see you reading
bad book. Choose your associates
we'll, in books or out of them, and lei
me direct your reading for you unit
your tastes are formed" L think tina
mother will have little trouble IL
raising a daughter who will shur
coarse and sensational literature, JUS
as she will avoid vile and unworthy
people. But this is one. How many
such are there? 1t is worth while tt
/ ask again, "Do you know what, you
children are reading?" If you do not
know it is time you did. You cannot
investigate the subject too often or TOT
carefully.
Nv
read the other day that the Gill
zens of a western town had made Jay