Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-11-17

thing I ever heard OF my grandfather.
whom I never saw, was this: That once
having unrlghteously rebuked one OF his
children, he himself having lost his
informed of tho child's doings. found out
his mistake, and in the evening ofthe same
day f4thered all his family together, and
said, "Now. have one EXPLANATION to
make. and one thing to say. Thomas, this
anu y very sorry rsDI for il. Grebaksd % you in the
presence OF the whole family, and now
ask your forgiveness In their presence" It
must have taken some courage to do that.
1t was right, was 1t not? Never be ashamed
to apologize for domestic inaccuracy.
On the other hand. the husband ought
to be sympathetic with the wife's occupa.
tion. It is no easy thing to keep house.
Many woman who could have endured
martyrdom as we'll as Margaret. the
Scotch girl, has actually been worn out by
martyrs OF the kitchen. It Is very annoy
ing, after the vexations of the day around
the stove or the register or the table, or In
the nursery or parlor, to have the husband
say, "You know nothing about trouble;
you ought to be in the store half an hour"
Sympathy of occupation! II the husbands
work cover him with the SCOT Of the fur.
mace, or the odors OF leather or soap fac.
tories, let not the wife be easily disgusted
at the begrimed hands or unsavory aroma.
Your gains are one, your interests are one,
your losses are one; lay hold OF the work
of life with both hands. Four hands to
fight the battles; four eyes to watch for
the danger; four shoulders on which to
carry the trials. 1t is very sad thing
when the painter has wife who does not
like pictures. 1t is very sad thing for
pianist when she has husband who does
not like music. 1t Is a very sad thing
when wife is not suited unless her hus-
band has what Is called "genteel busi-
ness" SO far as I understand ''genteel
business" 1t is something to which a man
goes at ten o'clock In the morning, and
from which he comes home at two or
three o'clock in the afternoon, and gets
large amount OF money for doing nothing.
That is, I believe, a "genteel business"
and there has been many wife who has
made the mistake OF not being satisfied
until the husband has given up the tanning
Of the hides, or the turning of the banis-
ters, or the building Of the walls, and put
himself in circles VIII ere he has nothing to
do but smoke cigars aud drink wine, and
get himself into habits that upset him,
going down in the maelstrom, taking his
wife and children with him. There are
good many trains running from earth to
destruction. They start all hours Of the
day, and all hours OF the night. There are
the freight trains; they go very slowly and
very heavily; and there are the accommo-
dation trains going on toward destruction,
out when he wants to. But genteel idle
ness Is an express train; Satan is the stoker,
and death Is the engineer; and though one
may come out In front OF 1t, aud swing the
red flag OF "danger," or the lantern of
Gods Word, 1t makes Just one shot into
perdition, coming down the embankment
with shout and wall and shriek-
crash, crash! There are two classes OF peo-
pie sure Of destruction: first, those who
have nothing to do; secondly, those who
have something to do, but who are too lazy
or too proud to do 1t.
/ have one more word of advice to give
to those who have happy home, and that
IS, let love preside In It,. When your be-
havior in the domestic circle becomes a
mere matter of calculations; when the caress
you give Is merely the result of deliberate
study of the position you occupy, happi-
ness lies stark dead ou the hearth-stone.
When the husbands position as head of the
household is maintained by loudness Of
voice, by strength OF arm, by fire of tenn
per, the republic OF domestic bliss has be-
come a despotism that neither God nor man
will abide. Oh, ye who promised to love
each other at the altar! how dare you CON-
NIT perjury? Let no shadow OF suspicion
come on your affection. 1t Is easier to Kill
that flower than 1t is to make it live again.
The blast from hell that puts out that light,
leaves you in the blackness of darkness for
ever.
Here are a man and wife: they agree in
nothing else, but they agree they will have
n home. They will have IL splendid house,
and they think that II they have a house,
they will have home. Architects make
the plan, and the mechanics execute it;
the house to cost one hundred thousand
dollars. 1t is done. The carpets are
spread; lights are hoisted; curtains are
hung; cards OF invitation sent out. The
horses in gold-plated harness prance at
the gate; guests come In and take their
places; the flute sounds; the dancers go
up and down: and with one grand whirl
the wealth and the fashion and the mirth
Of the great town wheel amid the pictured
walls. Ha! this is happiness. Float 1t on
the smoking viands; sound 1t in the music;
whirl 1t in the dance; cast 1t In the snow Of
sculpture; sound it up the brilliant stair
way; fash it In the chandeiersl Happi-
ness, indeedl Let US build on the centre Of
the parlor floor throne to Happiness; let
all the guests, when come In, bring their
flowers and pearls and diamonds, and
throw them on this pyramid, and let 1t be
throne; and then let Happiness, the
will stand around. and all chalices
lifted, we will say, "Drnk, o queen live
forever!' But the guests depart, the
flutes are breathless, the last clash of the
impatient hoofs is heard In the distance,
and the twain of the household come back
to see the Queen Of Happiness on the throne
amidst the parlor floor. But, alas! as they
come back, the flowers have faded, the
sweet odors have become the smell Of
charnel-house and instead OF the Queen OF
Happiness there sits there the gaunt form
Of Anguish, with bitten lip and sunken eye,
and ashes in her hair. The romp of the
dancers who have left seems rumbling yet,
like jarring thunders that quake the fooI
and rattle the glasses of the feast rim to
rim. The spilled wine on the floor turns
into blood. The wreaths of plush have be-
come wriggling reptiles. Terrors catch
tangled in the canopy that overhangs the
couch. A strong gust of wind comes
through the hall and the drawing-ro and
the bed-chamber, in which all the lights go
out. And from the lips of the wine-beakers
come the words, Happiness is not In usl''
And the arches respond, SIT Is not in usl''
And the silenced instruments of music,
thrumbed on by invisible fingers, answer,
"Happ mess is not in us!'' And the frozen
lips Of Anguish bre ak open, and, seated on
the throne Of wlted flowers, she strikes
her bony hands together, and groans, "It
is not in me''
That very night clerk with salary OF
a thousand dollars year-only one thou
Sand-g goes to his home set up three