The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1894-02-17
OUR SOCIAL LIFE"
Discussed from Different Stand
points by Sem P. Jones
Dirt, Debt and the Devil Are the Three
Enemies eff Social Life Which II
We Conquer Will Be Crowned
Conquersr, Indeed.
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WIG SAC VA AoSS "SCns " Ia NC I'D NAoSS@~
sion of our social life.
God has made US social creatures.
Society Is as much a divine institution
rs the church itself. Where social diff
ferenees are backed up and surrounded
by right sentiment and wisely made
and faithfully executed laws, the citi-
zen has the best vantage ground and
the finest field for the development Of
characte- and the maintenance of man
hood.
Where social life goes to seed, the
dude and the dudine claiming the high
est prominence in social life, the buns
and harlots occupying the lowest strata;
the excuses on the outer circles leave
the balance of humanity struggling be-
tween the two.
Social life has gone to seed in the ex-
tremes illustrated in the character of
the dude and the life of the bum. The
difference between the brainless, aim
less, voorhees, dude and the red-nosed
bum is illustrated more by their out
Stinks than instincts; the one imports
his perfume, the other deals in dOues-
tic goods. The one is a butterfly, and
the other a dirt-dau Der. | prefer the
vaga bond to the dude. Vagabonds may
be reformed, the dude never. Neither
can have any real place in social life,
and neither can contribute anything to
the betterment of humanity, or the
good of the world.
The centrifugal forces in the world
Of society throws the dude and the bum
on the outer circle The centripetal
force in the revolutions of society keeps
that which is best and purest near the
centre. Within the inner circle we find
the purest morals; extreme poverty has
its cOncOmitant vices; extreme wealth,
it's arrogance. From both of these,
Ager asked to be delivered when he
prayed, ''Oh, God! give me neither pow
erty nor riches: g i've me not poverty
lest be poor and steal; give me not
riches lest | be pulled up
The sweetest, pureSt social life will
ever be found among the middle classes
who are not surfeited with riches, nor
driven to extremities by poverty. 1t is
in the home like cottage, where the
manly father, the virtuous good wife,
and obedient children live, that man
hood and womanhoOd, surrounded by
the purest atmosphere, is developed
and maintained.
Our social structure can have for it's
basis only busy hands, busy heads and
busy hearts. A drone is a curse, the
idler is a plague. See the toiling, over
worked wife supporting the indolent,
fAC4OuS AuS DdAASls dlOAS Will Vic 11LC4C
children of their home. It is from
homes like these that we get the har-
vest of criminals. A husband ought to
be either a good worker or a good
trader and by one or the other support
his family.
A toiling wife once had an indolent,
worthless husband, who had lazy,
worthless dog. The wife said to the
husband that she could no longer sup
port him and his dog, too, and that he
must get rid of his dog. That evening
he returned minus his dog and said with
exultation to his wife, Il have sold my
dog for $50" what did you do with
the money!" she said. 81 didn't get
any money" he answered; 81 took it in
two pups at $40 piece" Of course
where a man can trade like that he
don't have to work.
Then we have the home given up to
pleasure and worldiness, to wine sup
pers, card parties and german dances
and SO on. From these elegant homes
the world gets it's gamblers, its forgers,
its libertines and its raScals. The fash
ionable city clubs are furnished their
mem bership largely from these homes.
Here we get the married men who love
club life better than home life. Here
we get the young men who love the So
ciety of drinking companions more
than the society of mother and sister,
and to whom the barrOOm and the bill
lard table is more attractive than the
dining ia BILE at their homes; to whom a
deck of cards is more attractive than
the Bible, the bucket-shop more attract
i've than the church, the gambling
room and the horse race more attract
i've than the industry Of the lawyer, the
toll of the merchant, the work of the
g. ~ l.,l> =
Such social life furnishes the cur
rents Of corruption which have sub
merged many homes and ruined many
lives.
Whatever fosters depravity OF engen-
ders abnormal living, or hurts morals.
ought to be kept out of home life, Just
as we protect ourhOmeS from the small
pox or cholera. Never bring into the
sacred precincts of the home a charac-
ter that is not pure. / have seen social
life from ocean to ocean, from the
home of the millionaire in the east to
the wigwam of the Indian in the west.
and say in all candor that the finest
type OF social life on which my eyes
have ever looked, is the plain quiet
country home which nastles on the
hills amid forests and fields and flow
srs, where the noble, manly father.
and the industrious. pious pains-taking
mother, bring up their rosy checked,
healthy, industrious children See
them in all their life, so real, so earn
est, so helpful. See them as they 60
forth to the busy duties of the dav. See
them gather at the three hearty meals
of the day. See them when the DAYS
work is done and the early bed hours
come, as the father gathers the semi,
circle about his hearthstone, and from
q little table on which sits a burning
lamp, he takes down the Word of God
and reads chapter to his loved ones
and then they all bow in prayer and
devotion to God.
| have imagined could see Gods old
family prayer elevator come down from
the skies. They all mount into it and
20 above star and moon until they over
vault the very throne of God itself
There they linger few momen IS look
ing over the towering spires and Jasper
walls Of the city Of God; then they all
come back and retire to peaceful
dreams.
Before the early breakfast in the
the same God is worshipped.
1t is out of homes like these that
have come the grand men and women
who made the history of this country
~.