Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-10-24
Family Squabbles.

There are homes where it is JOY TO
visit.
Not because of the splendor of enter
tainment, nor the richness of appoints
ments, nor because of the tremendous
fuss made over your arrival.
In fact, you don't have your happiest
time in that home where YOU are made to
feel that the whole family routine has
been overturned in your honor, and that
the members of the household are 10
stand on their heads, so to speak, till you
depart. One of the pleasures of visiting,
to Il sane individual, is to be welcomed
into home life just as it is; to re made
To feel that you are privileged to enter a
sacred circle without being disturbing
element, Ii is change and a rest to
witness another households methods and
family life, which you cannot possibly
get if those methods and that life are
turned topsy-turvey to accommodate
themselves to what you have been used
to-"
Never mind what you have been used
TO. When You visit YOU want what your
hostess and her family is used TO. If it
is offered with the grace of real hos
pltahty and accepted with sincere friend-
illness, 1t is ten times better than what
you have been accustomed to. though il
cost but tenth as much, if only for the
newnesS of it.
conceal when you have Il guest. If yours
is one of those unfortunate families
where the habit of back-biting and bick-
ering prevails by all your household gods
insist that Your guest shall be spared.
To intiict domestic squabble upon the
stranger within your gates is a crime
which should be punished by the loss of
all your friends
If the meat is overdone, if dinner is
late, if Susie's dress is torn, if the head
of the house forgot to fulfill his commits
Slous-nO matter what goes wrong don't
tell each other about it in the presence Of
the guest. 1t will pay to pass it by in
silence until a moment Of privacy comes;
the chances are, too that by that time
You will speak less hotly and more as
the occasion warrants Your visitor
would rather be fed on bread and water
than be made an uncomfortable witness
of family "Spats"
But there are homes as was said in the
beginning, which is Joy to visit, and
they are the homes where no such petty
skeleton rattlea his bones behind the lock-
ed closet door. 1t is n rare thing to
be welcomed into a family where the at
moSphere is so charged with simple love
and kindness that one never hears a sin
gle harsh or unkind word spoken to or
about any one.
A little peep into such family life
mas just DteH EIdlLeu the WfltcF-tWO
sisters and brother whose love for each
other is idyllic. Such genteuess, tender
ness and Difference on the stalwart broth
er's part would be incomprchensihle were
it not matched by the passionate beau
tiful affection Of The sisters for him and
each other. To spend few weeks with
them was a revelation. One left with the
feeling that one had partakcn of sacra-
ment
1T was always So" ami the elder girl
smiled tenderly in answer to her visitors
question Our mother is so. and from
childhood We have been brought up 10
show each other our real feelings. 1t is
natural to love each other, and there is
no reason for conceaIng it.
How the visitor longed to meet that
mother, in a distant state,
Another woman whose home life is no.
ticeably beautiful, explained it by saying:
1T is n kind of habit with MS. You
know that some people fail into the habit
Of always complaining. Others form the
habit of always speaking sharply. while
still others are hahitually morose. and
sulk continually. Now Il is Just as easy
TO form a good habit as a bad habit. and.
II one would only think 50. it ii just as
easy to form the habit Of kindness rs it
is TO form the habit Of unkindnesS. When
| was little girl at home my father had
ms children sing nearly every day:
Oh. say a kind word IL you cam
And you can and you can:
Oh, say kind word If you can,
And you can, and you can.
IF anyone spoke an unkin1 word in
the house, some one would be sure To sing
/ these lines, and SO we came to speak
kindly nearly all the time So much
happiness came from il shat / resolved
when / came into possession Of u home
Of my own that habitdal kindness should
be the rule there
These are the homes in which 1t is y
/ joyous privilege 10 visit Philadelphia
/ Hulleiin.