Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1901-02-10


their boy that they went to worship
God, but as they walked homeward
with him after the service they tore the
sermon to bits, criticised the music
and talked of nothing else except Mrs.
AS new bonnet and Mr. BIS immense
wealth. Could the lad really believe
that they did go to worship the Lord?
| Oh, the contradictions OF our home
life The strange and awful contrasts
between what we say we believe and
what we live and do! How can we
face them!
Truth" said Goethe. 'is a torch,
but terrible one; oftentimes SO terri
BILE thet the first instinct of us all is
to give side glance, with a blinking
eye, lest looking it fully in the face,
the strong glare might blind us
Truth demands that each home maker
look at her home life as it is illuminat
ed by this terrible torch. and that she
leave NO dark corners where contradic-
tions may lurk unseen. 1t is a small
matter, but after all a five-o'clock" tea
table fully equipped, whereon tea was
never yet served, and never will be,
and which stands in parlor only in
imitation of the like article in another
house which serves its purpose, is a
sham. We may not deceive our neigh
Dor by an imitation of any kind,
though we flatter ourselves that we do,
but we certainly put the child in our
home in the way of learning the art
of deception.
1t is said there is a skeleton in every
cur,boad and there is some untruth in
every home. 1t is for each one of us
to find that particular untruth and to
Danish it. In closing this section of
our discussion we may refer to one of
two points of departure from the
truth that are not individual. but so
general that criticism falls upon us all,
and that is the difference between our
belief about and the observance of hoiv
days and holidays. We teach the chill
dren the original meaning of the ma
tional Thanksgiving Day, very much
of it is made in the kindergarten, and
they hear read or read for themselves
in the daily press, the Droclamations
issued by the Governor of the state and
the President of the nation. But when
the day comes there is nothing to mark
it except the turkey. When parents
disregard the request Of the chief mag
istrates to assemble themselves in their
accustomed places of worship to give
public thanksgiving, is it likely that
the children will pay close heed to the
voice of civil authority? What is true
of the feast day is applicable to the
annual Fast appointed in so many of
the states. In how many homes is
there any attention paid to it except as
a day for pleasure taking?
1t seems a pity to criticise anything
so sweet and sacred as the great fes-
tivals OF the Christian church-Christ-
mas and Ea:ter--but they must fast
lose their meaning unless there is an
effort to observe them in closer accord
with that meaning. We teach the chill
dren that Christmas is the birthday |
of the Lord, and then, grown-uD chill |
dren that we are, proceed to act as If IL !
was our own birthday. Far better is it |
to let the bric-a-brac and tinsel go, and |
to ketp the day with rejoicing and in
nocent pleasure, but with self-denial,
that the children may see that we give
not to ourselves, but to Him.
Two or three years ago the writer
,hanced to see the window of a fash
onable Millinery Emporium" deco
rated for Easter-tide. A wax figure
lraped in white, with one foot placed
forward. was labeled
was during that craze
while overhead were lilies and white
love, and an arch bearing the inscriD-
ion, Easter Offering" Trilby an
IdSlSI .-Iuc q
'acrilege, but after all the very bad
aste of the milliner was but typical of
he "hodge-podge" that we are maxi
ng of the day by mixing Its religious
entiments with bonnets and gowns,
lowers and dinners. There is at least
me woman in the world who Tor the
AXE of little daughter would never
mention an Easter bonnet" and if she
lad "a new one would not don it upon
hat day. Unless we make effort to
piritualize these days and keep the
out of them they will become
ut empty symbols and the observance
# them only lie.
Self-sacrifice, we agree, is a neces-
airy element in home life-without it
he home cannot exist-but self7sacri-
ice may he affected by the tendencies
+ the age. Modern life has made us
o very comfortable that we are in dan.
er of mistaking ease and comfort for
ONE other and better things We do