The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-03-15
OF iniouity which would overpower and de-

home Is the best fortress. Household uten-
sils are our best artillery, and the Chin
neys OF our dwelling houses are the grand
est monImeuts to safety and triumph. NO
home, no republic.
Further, home Is school. Old ground
must be turned up with subsoil plow. and
It must be narrowed and reharrowed, ana
then the crop will not be as large as that
OF the new ground with less culture. Now,
youth and childhood are new ground, and
all the influences thrown over their heart
and life will come up in after life lu1uri-
antly Every time you have given smile
OF ap probation all the good cheer OF your
life will come up again In the genialtty OF
your children. And every ebullition OF
anger and every uncomfortable display OF
indignation will be fuel to this disposition
fuel for q bad fire quarter OF century
from this. You praise the intelligence OF
your child too much sometimes when you
think he is not aware Of It, and you will see
the result Of 1t before ten years OF age IN
his annoying affectations. You praise his
beauty, supposing he Is not large enough
to understand what you say, and you will
find him standing on high chair before
fattering mirror.
Oh, make your home the brightest place
on earth II you would charm your children
and religion. Do not always turn the
blinds the wrong way. Let the light,
which puts gold on the gentian and spots
the pansy, pour into your dwellings. Do
not expect the little feet to keep step to q
dead march. Do not cover up yonr walls
with such pictures as Vests "De cath on
Pale Horse" or Tintoretto's Massacre OF
the Innnocents." Rather cover them, II
you have pictures, with "The Hawking
Party" and "The Mill by the Mountain
Stream" and "The Fox Hunt" and the
"Children Amid Flowers" and the
Harvest Scene," and "The Saturday
Night Marketing" Get you no hint OF
cheerfulness from grasshopper's leap and
lambs frisk and quail's whistle and
garrulous streamlet, which from the rock
at the mountain top clear down to the
meadow ferns under the shadow OF the
steep comes looking to see where 1t can
find the steepest place to leap on at and
talking just to hear itself talk? II all the
skies hurtled with tempest and everlasting
storm wandered over the sea and every
mountain stream were ravlng mad, frotn-
ing at the mouth with mud foam, and
there were nothing but simoons blowing
among the hills, and there were neither
iark's carol nor humming birds trill nor
waterfalls dash, but only bears bark and
panther's scream and wclfs howl, and you
might we'll gather into your homes only
the shadows. But when God has strewn
the earth and the heavens with beauty and
with gladness let us take into our home
circles all innocent hilarity, all brightness
and all good cheer. A dark home makes
bad boys and bad girls In preparation for
bad men and bad women.
Above all, my friends, take into your
homes Christian principle. Can 1t be that
in any Of the comfortable homes whose In
mates I confront the voice OF prayer Is
never litted2 What! No supplication at
night for protection2 What! No thanks
brother, my sister, will you answer God in
the day otjudgment with reference to your
childrenP It is plain question, and there
fore I ask It. In the tenth chapter OF Jere.
miah God says he will pour out his fury
upon the families that call not upon His
name. Oh, parents, when you are dead
and gone and the moss is covering the In
scriptlon of the tombstone, will your chill
dren look back and think Of father and
mother at family prayer? Will they take
the old family Bible and open 1t and see
the mark Of tears Of contrition and tears OF
consoling promise wept BY eyes long before
inculcate Christian principle in the hearts
OF your children, and do not warn them
against evil, and you do not invite them to
holiness and to God, and they wander on
into dissipation and into inf1delity, and at
last make shipwreck OF their immortal
soul, on their deathbed and In the day OF
Judgment they will curse you!
Seated by the register or the stove, what
II on the wall should come out the history
Of your chlldrenl What history-the
mortal and immortal life OF your loved
ones! Every parent Is writing the history
of his child. he Is writing 1t, composing
One night, lying on my lounge when very
tired, MY children all around about me, In
full romp and hilarlty and laughter-on the
lounge, half awake and half asleep-1
dreamed this dream: I was In far coun-
try. It was not Persia, although more than
oriental luxuriance crowned the cities. It
was not the tropics, although more than
tropical fruitfulness filed the gardens. It
was not Italy, although more than Italian
sostness filled the air. And wandered
about looking for thorns and nettles, but
I found that none OF them grew there. And
I saw the sun rise. and I watched to see 1t
set, but It sank not. And saw the people
in holiday attire, and said, "When will
they put of this and put on workmen's
garb, and again delve In the mine and
swelter at the forge?" But they never put
of the holiday attire.
And I wandered In the suburbs OF the
city to find the place where the dead sleep,
and looked all along the line OF the beau
titul hills, the place where the dead might
most peacefully sleep, and saw towers
and castles, but not mausoleum, or
monument, or white slab could see.
And I went into the chapel OF the great
town, and I said, "Where do the poor wor-
ship and where are the hard benches on
which they sit2" And the answer was
made me, 1--WE have no poor IN this coun-
try" And then wandered out to find the
novels OF the destitute, and found man
slons Of amber and ivory and sold,
but not tear could I see. not a sigh
could I hear. AndI was bewlldered, and
sat down under the branches OF great
tree, and said, "Where am and whence
comes all this scene2" And then cut from
among the leaves and up the aowery paths
and across the broad streams there came
beautiful group throngins I'll about me,
and as I saw them come l thought IkneW
their step, and as they shouted Wrought
I knew their voices, but then they were SO
gloriously arrayed In apparel such as l
had never before witnessed that l bowed
as stranger to stranger. But when again
they clapped their hands and shouted
"Welcome, welcome" the mystery all van
ished, and found that time had gone and
eternity had come, and We were all together
again in our new home In heaven, and ]
looked around and I said, "Are We oil
here?" and the voices Of many generations
responded. "All here!" And while tears
Of gladness were running down our cheeks.
and the branches Of the Lebanon cedars
we're clapping their hands, and the towers
OF the great city we're Ginning their vel:
come we all together began to leap and
shout and sing, "Home, home, home"