The Savannah morning news., 1902-11-24
INFLUENCE OF HOME
DISCUSSED BY REV. CHAs. H.
STRONG AT ST. JOHNS CHURCH.
THINGS THAT THREATEN HOME
ARE CLUB LIFE, DIVORCE AND
NEW POSITION OF WOMAN.

Home. in Its True sense, n Modern,
an American, Institutton-Htstor
of Its Development Hns Been His
tory of CiviIizntion-Its Growth
and Tremendous influence on the
Individual and People Yet TO Be
Written-Only From Happy Homes
Come Men and Women os Service
to the state and the Church-LOng
rs Home Life stands Country il
Safe.
Rev. Charles H. Strong preached to
q large congregation in St. Johns last
night another of his sermons on "The
Home" He took no text bus prefaced
his sermon by quoting from the
Psalms a Biblical picture of a happy
home The influence of home hfe On
character and happiness can hardly be
overestimated, he said.
No scholar has ever traced the
growth and influence OF home life or
individual happiness and upon civili-
cation. Our libraries are full of works
OH law anu Ou tUAAiiAiNANNf SCI -'AA
Strong. "Fiske and Brice have writ
ten of the commonwealth. but some
student should trace the growth and
influence of those sentiments that turn
a mans house into home, for the his
tory of civilization is history OF the
fireside influences"
Pictures of Home.
Mr.. Strong pictured 'h0nle" in the
true sense of the word. which he said
is of modern growth, with the
ancients, the homes of the Greeks,
when Athens was at the pinnacle of
her glory, with those OF the people of
Rome, Of the inh abitants Of England
so late as the time Of the Good Queen
Bess," and even of those of modern
European cities AMI concluded the
comparison by saying that home, as II
should be understood, is an American,
modern institution.
For love of home he said, "a man
is willing to SILVER in the cold OF the
Arctic regions, or suffer the heat of the
tropics. 1t has been said that man
will give everything for life, but man
will give both life and everything else
for his family" He told of the in
fiuence OF mothers upon the lives of
their children ana cited the cases of
Napoleon Mendelssohn, Byron. Rich
ter. Luther and Goethe as examples of
mothers influence.
Clubs Threaten Homes.
rs there any reason to-day. he
said, Ito be anxious about home life.
and he answered the question by say
ing that he did not believe in the
great majority of homes there is great
danger, but, he added. there is some
danger in certain quarters. 1--WE will
pass over the homes of the towns and
villages, and come to the club life of
the great cities, which is being devel-
oped at the expense of the home. 1t is
now becoming common for meetings at
the club where all matters are discuss
ed 1t was reported "A short time ago
that there are two Wall street men.
leaders Of finance, who had been as
ISOLATED together for some twenty-odd
years, and yet in that time neither had
ever crossed the threshold of the 9TH
er's home. All their meetings had been
at a club
\ Place to Gather.
1--WE ought to feel that home Is the
place for us to gather. In some coun-
tries the aristocracy have few visitors
in their homes, and even in this coun-
try, among some of the higher classes,
there has been a reserve in this mat
ter, but, fortunately. it is passing i
away. Gardens and grounds that form
erly were encompassed by high brick
walls can now be enjoyed by the peo-
pie through the removal of such walls.
brought about by more liberal spirit
on the part of the owners.
Everything that God has given us
a. 81 eek, sp{r,
man great gifts, but these things are
not entirely our own: they are also for
the welfare OF others
Besides club life, Mr.. Strong men,
toned as ether things that are dis
turbing homes, divorce, and the chang
ed position of woman. II think it a
mistake" he said, that so many men
are forsaking marriage or putting it
off. The excuse that many men give
of not being able to support a wife in
the style that she is accustomed to is
not always a good excuse.
The Mothers Influence.
81 know that there are some mothers
who, in the case of two men wishing
to marry their daughter, the one of
weak mind and fiabby muscles but a
millionaire, the other without wealth.
but hardy. ambitious and intelligent,
would choose the former, yet l know
also that the wise mother, who would
choose for her daughters welfare,
would take the latter. 1t is an out
rage on public life that only the men
who are inventors. those who achieve
business successes and others who
succeed on such lines should be the
ones TO receive all the praise. Rather
should we praise the man who is
rearing noble sons and daughters.
OF divorce Mr.. Strong said that il
is the hardest question to solve that
threatens the influence of home life.
In the consideration of this subject he
said he did not believe he had the
right TO condemn anybody, yet he felt
that something must be said about the
matter. In some states" he said,
statistics show that there is one di-
vorce for every ten marriages. This
Is a serious matter even though 1t is
treated as a joke in the newspapers.
Many men have studied the question.
In Canada IT is not only judicial mat
ter, but legislative one as we'll, and
as a result couples have learned to
adapt themselves to the little frictions
in their relations. One year i'm all the
provinces of Canada but seven di-
vorces were granted.
woman's New Position.
"The greatest danger to home life. :"
Mr.. Strong said, lis the new position
of woman. / do not think women Will
ever be again merely home-makers
They have entered into too many bus
inesses and have open to them too
many doors Of education. In the high
schools of the country three girls are
graduated to one boy and for entrance
to these institutions more women ap-
ply than men.