The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-25
FOR FEMININE READERS
FOLLY OF SAVING THINGS THAT
MIGHT SERVE BETTER PURPOSE.
A New Club to BE Conducted by Cor
Room for Good Stenographers.

Turn out the furnishings of any large fam
lily dwelling for the cool inspection of a dis
interested Judge, says writer in the New
York Evening Post and his first question
would be: 'tWhy did they have so much?
When they bought the new why did they
not make some poorer household happy with
the old?" 1t never seems to occur to the
average householder when new lounge re-
places the one discarded to find some feeble
woman and endow her with so precious a
luxury 1t is made way for, the old put,
nine times out of ten, where it is incon-
venient to leave it because it is "too good
to throw away" Its incalculable value to
some one else does not seem to enter the
possessor's mind naturally. That house is
in most healthful condition in which only
what is really conducive to family comfort
and pleasure is retained, and the rooms
which are not overburdened with ornaments
and bric-a-brac are invariably the most ele-
CANT
The certain SORROW which clings, like
destroying barnacle to ship, was also
proved beyond a question to be the result OF
Accommodations of souvenirs of the dear and
sacred dead. Mementoes which can be used
and remain part of active daily life, or
things like pictures which delight the eyes,
or books which, read again, renew happy
hours of first acquaintance, with their de-
lightful contents, are helps to happiness
links in that golden chain which is not sew
cred, only hidden. by the descending veil OF
separation which falls behind death. But
corruptible. useless, and often even un-
pleasant things, kept because OF their
former OWNER, are absolute injuries to the
living. and become, as the years go on,
dissertation rather than a conserver of
hallowed memory.
A notable instance came once before the
writer's observation where a trunk opened
by mistake in a dusty attic sent forth
cloud of moths from the decaying wardrobe
of a child. whose cast-off garments might
have warmed some poor little girls i'll
clothed body and gladdened some poor
mothers heart To put every perishabie pos
session belonging to our dead to such use
as to make their memory dear to some
one standing in need of it, is as clearly a
help to the bereaved as it is a natural
rational outcome Of even a weak realization
Of lending a helping hand" To make some
one glad or comfortable, to relieve some
form Of want in dear name, is to continue
their lives in hearts heretofore strangers to
them.
TO see professional packers roughly ham
amusement from young voices, whose eyes
have just discovered something grown ride
ulous through the change of taste or the
advance of art, is to write in ones men,
DRY in indelible characters: Destroy every
thing which can neither give comfort nor
pleasure to the living"
Large accommodations even of books, those
treasures which in many cases only grow
more valuable with age. become of doubt
full value and sanity when a crisis arrives
which is like throwing q searchltght on
facts. After certain books cease to be IN
active use in q family, they should be sent
out to do their work elsewhere. Take for
instance the accumulated volums of bound
reviews; often they will stand on shelves for
ten years at time only moved by the care
taker Men unable to buy or far from free
libraries. would use. them as thirsty travel
ers drink from a fountain-head. ITO own
good library is to be rich after the best
fashion; but good library TO the owner is
one whose volumes are In constant. active
use, the books that are friends and COM
panions. those without which one ia lonely
and bereayed. Forty years Of bound Ldtteil 5