The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-03-04
Home.
"What so sweet az home?

Home.
what so sweet ss homes.
How soft IL strikes the ear!
Tho near We stray or far We roam
That word Is ever desr.
II has . charm TO bind the heart;
IL holds q tallsmanic part;
And tho the hunblest spot on earth,
lis home. sweet home. our happy hearth
Home is the dearest spot on earth;
scenes, its memories Of JOY and sorrow
Is sacred. "Be it ever 40 humble there
Is no place like home" 80 sung John
How ard Payne aud SO millions Of men
have sung. There IL no word so dear
TO the heart, or that sends through the
mind such a flood Of pleasant recoliec-
tons as the word "home."
THAT hallowed word Is ne'er forgot
No matter where we roam;
The purest feelings OF the heart
sui cluster round our home.
Dear resting place where weary thought
May dream away its care,
Loves gentle star un vail ita light
And shines In beauty there"
What pleasant associations are link
ed with home! Time cannot wine
from our minds the joyous hours Of
youthful innocence spent in the home
Of our childhood. Though we may
roam the wide world over and look
upon that which IL fine and grand,
both in nature and art, but the genes
OF our childhood which comes 30 often
and 80 wildly TO our minds are more
glorious and more precious to Us than
anything else.
Home OF our childhood! how affection ciings
Bearer thy hills, though ella IL autumn
Than isirsss SUBMITS which the cedsrs
crown"
Home Is q necessity to the highest
interest Of mankind. God Intends that
In the home the seeds of goodness, and
purity and truth should be planted so
deeply and cultivated 30 wisely that
they should never be blasted by the
sun of prosperity, nor uprooted BY. ne
storms Of trials, nor transformed into
things evil by the temptations and
poisonous influences of later life.
Home is the greatest factor In
formation Of character. Character ID
the sum total Of q mans tendencies
and habits as regards bis thinking,
willing and loving" Reputation Is
that which il represented 10 be. God
has given us our minds, but our char
acters we make. Character Is much
more rapidly formed in youth than In
old age. There 10 an important truth
expressed 10 that old adage, LAS the
twig Is bent the trees inclined" This
is no less true Of the mind and soul OF
man. The early home influence ofthe
child generally shapes bis whole course
OF life for veal or Woe. The child
learns bis frat lesson by limitation.
The whole trend OF acbild's thoughts
IL turned by the examples Of those
with whom he spends the first few
years Of his existence. ut ID the pow.
er Of contact that is OF all Influences
the greatest; and this acts unconscious-
", involuntarily, and perpetuaiiy."
The character Of q little child ls being
nodded aud formed more by those with
whom be comes In contact In the home
than everything else besides. There
Is no more apt student Of human ma
ture than the little child. Most of the
crimes aud misery OF the world are
due to the early influence Of the.home.
We cannot tell how small an. influence
may work the ruin Of Q child To.in-
fiuence any one for good we must b.
good ourselves. Make the home pure
and noble characters will be developed
in 1t. It requires the influence Of q
Christian home to fertilize In q child o
noble chatacter. The habits that make
life o success or failure are generally
formed In childhood.
o. the soul; and she IL 10 who stamps the coin
or character. and makes the being who would
be q savage
Blu. for her genie care. . christian man.
Home is the main support Of the
State and the Church. The home, the
State and the Church are three insti.
tutions that are closely related to each
other. In the the first and most i'm
portant place stands the home. The
Influence Of the home as d teacher OF
truth and duty Is much superior to
that Of the State or Church. From the
home must come our statesmen and
all the officers Of U government.
From the home also must come the
members of the Church with all the
officers and teachers. The Church and
State must ever be controlled by the
character of the homes. Sow the seeds
Of truth and honesty In the home and
the Church and State will reapa har-
vest of noble men and women. Ma
poleon was right when he said that
the great need of France was homes
and mothers. Home Is the origin Ct
all civilization. The most illustrious
statesmen, the most eloquent minis.
tiers, and the greatest benefactors Of
human kind, owe their greatness to
the fostering influence of the home.
President Harrison said. "The Ameri-
can home Is one thing we cannot AZ
ford to lose out Of American life." As
long as we have pure homes and God
fearing, order. lowing fathers and moth
ers to rear the children that are given
them, aud make these homes the abode
of order, cleanliness, piety, intelli-
gence, the American society and the
American nation are safe."-Rev. ].
w. Neyman in Word and Works.