Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1898-12-04
A Preacher Among the People,

the word home impressed me, and
sugg ,sted an interesting fact in the
development of the race.
q John Fiske, in Cosmic Philosophy,
says: THE career of humanity as
distinguished from animality began |
when the family groups, temporarily |
formed among all mamals began to be- !
come permanent" The home is the |
king bolt of society. and once it is de-
stroyed the whole structure will go to |
pieces. BY virtue of some sad event, |
family circles are now and chen brok-
en- up and the interests of civilization
still kept intact; but as an institution
the home must be sacredly guarded
or society will be imperiled. OF all
known forces that make for nobler
humanity it is the most potent, and
should be put second to nothing else.
In these days when clubs and socie-
ties can in truth be named legion,
there is danger tat this essential
fact may be forgotten. l do not over
| lOph lut pOCldl sue vi lndu , udluIt
and so realize his social needs. 1t is
the possibility of an extreme in which
the greater may be sacrificed in the in
terest of the lesser that l wish to in
dicate.
Net long ago it was said by one of
our social philosophers: THE home,
which has hitherto been the funda-
meTtal agency for fostering morality
in the young, Is just now in sore need
of repair" This is a serious charge,
and, if true, it should command at
once our most careful attention. No
matter what their nature all other in
stitutions should be made to contrib
ute to the we'll being of the home. If
they do not do this, then they are a
hindrance and not a nelp in the life
of the world. Even the church does
violence to its right to exist, if for any
reason whatever, it takes from the
home as much or more than it gives
back.
The future of our country depends
upon the boys and girls of today; and
the future of the boys and girls of to-
day WI be very large ly determined
by the thought that dominates the
homes in which they live. If by pre-
cept or example they are led to think
tnat the home is simply house in
which the members of the family col
lpct tn 1,air alc cla CHI n1 ta,
themselves from an impending storm
whatever other training they may re-
ceive will avail but little in the matter OF
strengthening them for the RESPONSE
bilities soon to be placed upon THEN
shoulders.
/ do not suppose for a moment that
parents living in civilized society evel
purposely give their children such ar
impression concerning the home; but
when l note how completely many are
enslaved by business and "socia
duties" and how little time is left fol-
:, the reaI home life, | really fear tha
our nobelest institution is being en-.
dangered by thOughtless neglect.
Whatever else it may boast a nation
is going into decline whenever its peo
pie for any reason cease to sing "ir
p, spirit and in truth" BE it ever sc
humble, there's no place like home.
am sure "the American home mus
, save America" but with all the out.
side agancies that now absorb so much
of our time and attention, | am MOI
equally sure what is to save the Amer.
, lean home AS against our innumer,
societies of every conceivable sort, il
may be there will come a reaction in
favor of a more wholesome and more
extended home life. | remember sug.
which she lived needed another society
whereupon she held up both hands
and implOrd me not to urge the mat
ter. She insisted that she was then
worn out attending meetings and en-
tertainments of various sorts and that
her domestic duties were sadly in ar
rears. But" ] said, this is to be a
stay ome-three-nights-a- week So
ciety, and any one violating either the
spirit or letter of its constitution is
to lost standing in the community" "
Instantly her countenance changed
and she said: GO and organize your
society and l will be one of the first to
Join it," l might have acted on her
earnest exhortatiOn; but when l men
toned the matter to her husband, he
was ominously silent. Not being able
to perceive how the home was to be
Fortified by such society unless both
husband and wife pledged loyalty to
the principle which it was proposed to
embody in IT, have never insisted up
on its organization. l am, however,
much inclined to the opinion that, if
generously supported by the members
or any given community such a socie-
ty would, in the long rims prove to be
a good institution. Then think too,
that what seems to be the prevailing
modren idea of what makes the home
needs to be amanded. l am net at
all averse to a mansion gorgeously
furnished; but neither the house nor
the furniture contains the essential
element in home-maklng.