The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-13
ENEMIES OF HOME LIFE.
PRIDE. PoTERTY, THE oIUB, INTEn-
PERINCE, APARTMENT HOUSES.

-. "a. often = Piace In which t. Rat
n,a sieep-Tho Club 1reauonter Has We
] time 20 Get Acquainted with Hts Chnaren.
The Rev. Robert X. Wick, pastor Of the
WAYNE Street Reformed Church In Jersey City,
preached last night the third OF his series of
sermon, based on answers from q large mum.
Der OF persons to a set Of questions he had pro
! pounded to them. The question discussed last
night was: what do you regard as tho greatest
enemy of our homo lifei' Mr.. Wick said In
part:
"of the 1874 replies received to this question
some said poverty, others domestic unrest, others
clubs, others PRIDE, others tho liquor traffic.
others lack OF harmony, still others ungodli-
ness. Thirteen people lay the whole trouble
in tho matrimonial world at the door Of poverty.
A lawyer says: "A lack of funds on the part
Of many young men necessary to support q
home A plumber says: The payment Of
wages insufficient to support q family or allow
q young man to marry A minister puts the
whole thing in O nutshell when ho says, Apart
mont houses The average tenement IL an
institution Of the devil. God never intended that
human beings should be crowded together like
beasts in such narrow confines and squalid sur
roundings. Mans cupidity is responsible for
tho deplorable condition of hundreds OF thou.
sands of the poor in our modern cities. It
Oio"ub = III bho bVubiiu mn Va
one block. Dcspised heathenism knows moth
ing Of the possibilities Of a tenement house. 1t
remains for Christian civilization to chow the
world what can be done in the way of crowd
ing thousands Of men and women and children
promiscuously together on an acre OF land.
That the poor of our city are as good as they
are is to me a constant surprise and an owl
dence of the innate nobility of humanity.
Sixteen persons say that pride and It's con-
sequent domestic unrest constitute the greatest
enemy Of our home. A druggist says: Among
the well to do the desire to be considered that
which they are not A manufacturer says:
Extravaganza and too great desire to please
society," A merchants: The disposition to dress
and live far beyond their means, which breaks
up homes and leads to disgrace An educator
lays the whole blame to the Indifference of
parents, who fail to mako homo attractive.
Home is too often q place simply to eat and
sleep,
dress and a foolish ostentation too often wreck
means; this leads to debt and to the utter
the window when duns come in at the door.
LOO often they lead to breaches Of trust, 70
isn't amy W W6 1lddsGn' Horace nS a,'e Gre ss tni' once sne 'I said /:
run into debt, but buy 9 peck Of corn and paTcI
Twenty people say that lack Of harmony in
the home 10 It's greatest enemy. A broker
NATURES PRS banker "a tsr aT TscE Of afRstHe1n''1 4
publisher: Often some popularity Of disposi:
tion which, unchecked, makes home UNDESIRABLE
Selfishness is the root out Of which most Of the
trouble in the world grows. Eradicate 1t and
lnine.tenths Of the e strife Which curses It. Tie
two cats together, throw them over q line and
you will have in the spectacle presented q faint
Illustration OF the situation when a man and a
woman out of harmony with each other are
bound together in the indissoluble bonds Of the
marriiage relation. They don't live in a home.
N, Twenty are of the opinion that the club is
good clubs and bad ones. but say with a terse-
ness which gives emphasis to the accusation.
says, The club. which is all the worse II con
nected with a saloon, An educator says:
Club ,Gly6 life and the conditions Of sosiety' A
IN general. and a minister: Especially the
ship in them is eo1taminating, deflins, utter.
still others exercise only, a negative Influence
to- s51 bs the then p aimeIE afo |nd tsslG hST Srsu9 Ihis ss ssfms
them with being the greatest enemy Of the
away from his home during the day, and II the
club occupies his attention until a late hour
every evening, L can't see where he Will have
any time left to become properly acquainted
the affection Of the woman he promised to love
and cherish by any such methods Then he
was all attention and she had every reason to
expect a continuance Of his devotion. And
she has a right to expect 1t. She ought to get
It,. Nothing in the marriage m alb
solves q man from the obligation to be consid-
crate of the wishes and rights of the woman he
was Fortunate enough to persuade to become
his wife. She certainly does not enjoy his alb
other company is preferable to hers. It looks
that, way. 1t %provokes jealousy. 1t burns
lead to alienation. estrangement, and final
separation, 1t is a fruitful cause OF divorce
with all the agony and heartbreak and dis.
grace which comes to husband and wife and
INNOCENT children on such an occasion.
"Intemperance, of course. is the enemy
which in the estimation of the great majority
is entitled 10 be known as the greatest Zoe to
the home. Thirty-fve people give It this un-
enviable reputation. 1t ought to be obliter-