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

Dish. Therefore as the first step to-
wards true living in our homes let us
simplify, deliberately and determined.
ly, We must put behind our backs
many alluring things We must take
account Of our position in life, our
means, and our strength, and then do
only these things best suited to our
place, cur pocket, and our physical
ability. And why? Because the de-
parture from sim olicity is menace
to true home life in more than one
way. Complexity ard elaboration mean
time and strength Time and strength
so expended mean for the average
home-maker tust so much withdrawn
from other things. The care of too
many rugs and draDeries ana much
bric-a+brac means only too often less
time for the compaionship of the chill
dren; the attem9t to keep the family
wardrobe quite uD to, or little ahead
of, the DEGREES of fashion means less
time for culture, for hospitality, for
friendship, fer the obtaining of COM
petent service in the household, lor
much that makes life truly rich and
comfortable and beautiful.
The departure from simplicity to
elab grafton means also an ever-in-
creasing desire fer more luxury, more
refinements, more style, and leads Of
ten into what we call living beyond
ones means, which is, in plain speech,
dishonesty. Nothing can be more de-
structive of home life than this; fire.
quently the outcome is collapse, ac-
companied by dishonor. punishment,
and lifelong shame and sorrow. In
anv case it means endless anxiety for
some one, generally the father, on
whom the financial burden rests, per.
petual worry for the mother ever plan
ming more social triumphs, greater
elaboration, out of nothing,
health perhaps,-and is for the chill
dren a daily lesson in falsehood. for
the whole life is lie. 1t is in reality
saying that we are so and so and have
such and such. which we neither have
nor are. Why try to grow roses on an
apple tree? Why struggle to be the
thing We are not, to fill the position in
which we are placed? Why spend
the money which we have not earned,
or, if it is honestly ours, have carmel
only with the hearts blood, on vanity
of yanities? Is it not better far to be
content to live simply, to be ourselves,
than to strain so hard to be as others,
to do and have just the very things
they have and do? And here is one
root of the matter,-we take on not the
things we really care for, but those We
think we must have because someone |
else has them.
Furthermore, the departure from
leads us on into materialism,
which is the temptation of the age, and
naterialsm is a lie because it puts the
risible which is the unreal above the
which is the real. In school
nd 1T homo. in the church and the
'unGay-school, in the Bible and all lit
rature. all true literature, our children
re taught that the ;Ciritualities are
he only verities, that this life is
ransient. that the unseen life is ever
asting. that fashion and wealth and
eauty and fame dissolve like Ina
lornirg mist, and that character alone
cmains But the home life only too
ften gives the lie to all this. How
laHy children even see their parents
ng2ged in any but material pursuits?
o a certain extent this is inevitable;
Adam delved and Eve span," ard still
le father must tell with hands or
cad to earn his children's bread, and
le mother must as of old bake and
lend and make and tend.
But increasing comDleXity of life
leans setting more and more value
pom material things until they assume
lch magnitude that the spiritual is
and TO the growing child
lere will be nothing but the material,
nd the things of the spirit will seem
ut as the myths of some far-off golden
ge. To the maintenance. therefore.
{ a home life which shall contain
rose germs of immortality that reach
YER into the life beyond, it is essential
lat the material things of this life be
nphasized as little as possible. We
eed not often sneak before the chill
rem of the desirability and power of
ealth, of fashion, or of luxuries
yhen we find it expedient to have new
or new clothes, we need
ot make overmuch of the matter. and
lould justify such expenditures on the
,ore of neatness. comfort. or beauty,
lther than style, and we can try to
iach them to be content with few
lings, simple food, and simple cloth
g for the body in order that there
ay be richer food for mind and soul.
Emerson, in his essay on Domestic