Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-11-22


wife and children? Shall we do as
many men are doing who never have
their children think Of their fathers ex-
cept as money making machines
Shall we let our wives work and slave
for US and vet have that aching heart
void which only a true husbands love
and companionship can All? 1t Is said
that when Seargent s. Prentiss was
about to die during the long weeks Of
suffering which preceded his death he
would never let his wife out Of his
room. With his great yearnlng eyes he
watched her every step. wonder
what were his thoughts. Happy the
man in such situation who, looking at
the partner of his life, feels no twinge
of an accusing conscience, has no recol-
lection of hours wasted away from
her and from his home. l wonder II
when we come to die some of us will
spend most of our time regretting the
evenings which we have spent away
from our children and from our dear
Indeed, my brother. do you not regret
even now the evenings you have spent
away from homer
"Where were you last night?" ask
"Oh," you say, "just as I was finish
ing up my work Mt the store an old
college friend called me up and said ::
Jones, what are you going to do to-
night? Come and take dinner with me
at the hotel. Then we Will 60 out to
the theater.' AS had not seen him
for long time, went" "Well, what
did you do the night beforci" "Oh,"
night each week at the lodge" "Well,
what did you do the night beforeW
"Well" you say. ~ had a business en-
gagement that night. | wanted one of
my customers to buy some goods. So
thought the best way to sell them
was to ask him down to the club.
introduced him TO some Of my friends
there and gave him fine dinner.
got him feeling good. then / clinchcd
the bargain that night and netted q
good sum by the deal. Not bad
nights work for me, was III" Thus
you go on telling me how you spent
this night away from home and that
night and the other night But"
ask, did you not spend any night at
home last week? Did you not give
your wife and children Mt least one
evening"" Yes" you answer; II was
home last Monday evening. came
home sick. had caught a bad cold
at the store. / came home feeling
wrctched. I intended to go out that
night, but a fearful rainstOrm came
" and my wife cmphatically put her
foot down and forbade my going. But
/ did not see the children much that
night I was too sick and felt too
miserable. Immediately after supper
my wife put me to bed and gave me
lot Of hot drinks. and l got up a
good sweat. and 50 l was able to be
back at the store next morning"
What, out of all last week have you
only spent one night at home, and that
was because you were too sick to go
out? You ought to be ashamed OF
yourself. With such a wife and such
children can it he that you never re-
serve any evenings which you can
spend in their company?
Tell Them to Come Home.
Your children when they grow up
should be able to look upon YOU as
something different from a mere board
er. When Major d. w. Whipple, the
evangelist, some years ago was sud
denly called upon to preach to a great
audience which had assembled in Pitts
burg. he turned to his wife just before
he left the hotel and said, "AIy dear,
what shall l preach upon?' Major
Whipples little daughter spoke up and
said, Papa. tell them to come home"
BY that she meant, Tell them to come
to heavenly Father, who has never
ceased to love his children, who will
never leave them unprovided for and
who will never let them wander beyond
his care" That was what the one sen
tence symbol!zed. Tonight in the eyes
of your children stand as the represent.
alive Of loving heavenly Father
Have you by your actions taught your
children to feel that there Is no place
in all the wide world where you would
sooner be than by their side? Have
you taught them that they can come to
You in every trouble and that you will
be to them loving, tender, protecting
gentle, forgiving friend? AS father
and as a breadwinner you must work
from early morning until the sunset
hour. But what have you been doing
with your evenings? Have you given
them to the club, and to the lodge, and
to business, and to outside pleasures
and not devoted any Of them to holy
associations with your family?
The evenings also should be held
sacred for mental Improvement They
should be the time when we should
lay out systematic course Of reading
and study. They should be the time
when we find out what is happening in
the great wide world and what prog
ress the world has been making in the
last fifty or hundred years. 1t is Just
o. easy to discuss the characters of
great men and learn about the policies
Of governments rs it Is to gossip about
your neighbors' affairs. 1t Is far more
beneficial to the mind and restful tc
the tagged out mental and physical en-
ergles to try to study the origin OF
China's superstitions than it is to en-
ter into the quarrels of some husband
and wife who are living on the oppo
site corner to yOur own home Ry