The Minneapolis journal., 1904-02-15

sons, or Bridget has just given no-
tice." or most likely gone off without
as much as saying goodbye.
She does her best. poor woman, but
even while she 1s talking she knows
by the look Of his eye that his mind is
wandering.
"You aren't listening to word I
say! You don't care any more about
your home than If it We're a boarding
house!' she snaps.
IT guess If you had all big burdens
on your mind you'd find it as hard as
I do to listen to title-tatle," he re-
plies.
who asks you to burden yourself
in this way? I'm sure I don't"
"Talk is cheap! You want an es-
tabllshment, and it takes money to
keep it up. You ought to know that a
man can't earn money without the
concentration Of all his strength on
business
For my part, would rather have
| less money and more husband
'Nonsense!
Its little enough you know about a
| woman's heart. What long for be-
yond all earthly things is your love
| and your sympathy. I want you to
help me discipline the children. I
want you to be interested in my house,
hold cares. I want to hear your old
gay laugh. hate that store! I hate
business! I'm sick and tired of money
and positionl want to feel that he
hears me when speak! Can't you
| understand %
"Eh?" What? Excuse me, but ]
wasn't listening. I just happened to
! think of an order for twenty dozen
suits Of underwear that I'll bet a
twenty-dollar bill that stupid shipping
clerk has forgottenl'
! PitifuI, isn't it? What are we going
to do about it? It's getting worse all
the time. There is so much truth in
what the man says about the exactions
Of business that we cannot help pity
| ing him. To succeed Cor even not to
faiD man must keep strained UP
like a fiddle string. His competitors
are after him with a knife and toma-
hawk. day and night. If they would
only be reasonable-he could! But
they won't! The whole pack are as
mad as March llares! There seems
to be no middle way to-day. A man
must either "get rich'' or "go broke
and that in mighty short hurry. He
must either march at the head Of the
procession or get out of the ranks en-
| tirely.
Nevertheless-the dilemma remains.
This man must give more time to his
home or he won't have any. What
he has now isn't home. It's only a
house. IF he has to sacrifice one thing
or the other, he had better sacrifice
! the business to the home than the
home to the business. And if he says:
! How can you have q home without
business?" the answer Is, "a sim
pier home with a less exacting busi-
| ness.
| More love, more peace, more Of the
bliss of the fireside is what this age
needs. Not more fine clothes and bob
I tailed horses and long-tailed gowns.
| Doesn't it seem sometimes as if we
had lost our minds? One time kind
ly old clergyman stopped by the side
! of a labOring man who was turning at
a windlass, bareheaded beneath blaz-
ing sun. "Hey! man. said he, work
ing without your hat is bad for your
brains" Faith, your riverence," he
replied, eff it's any brains had, how
ever small, I wouldn't be working at
this windlass at all, at ALI"
Sometimes when I catch myself and
other ounces like me tearing along at
breakneck speed, eager, impetuous
absorbed-struggling for pleasure or
prizes that turn to ashes In our grasp
and sacrificing the joys of home to
attain them, T. think we have as few
brains as the Irishman. For I know
Gas well as know my A B C's) that
undue absorption in business is the
| destruction of home. &
| iof