Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-02-23

v Ten years slipped ava, siftly and silently as snownakes that fall in the night. The lover was patient, but gradually the romance vanished and he ceased to regard with worship ! being whom he saw very often in an unbecoming print gown, with a gingham apron; drudging, drudging, growing faded and wan, with creases upon the forehead, and puckers about the eyes. By and by pretty younger sister came home from school in the lissome grace and bewitching charm of Sweet and Twenty; her eyes were free from care, her cheek had the bloom of the peach. her hair was thick and brown, she was what Bertha had been ten years ago. John promptly forsook Bertha and furtively courted Elsie, and one morning Elsie stepped into his waiting buggy and the two went away and were married, after an engagement of single day. Poor Bertha, martyr and saint grew old and angular and after awhile, when Her mother was dead, took care of Elsie'e nhiidren
 A united family may make such a tragedy possible. Not because of the family union, but because human na- ture is much too ready to trample down those of us who do not remem- Der that we owe duty to ourselves as well as to our kindred.
 So far as practicable every family should stand for something in the community. A common aim is desir- able because, as the old fable tells us, while you may easily break each sep arate stick in 8 bundle, you cannot easily break the bundle itself.
 A family should stand together for loyalty to whatever is best. Loyalty to virtue, to citizenship, to honor. to the flag, should be inculcated as fam fly trait. In our history there are family names which shine from one generation to another. with undimin- ished luster. The Cslincys, the Adams, the Hales, the Everet.s, the Abbotts, the Lees, the Grants, the Roosevelts, carry on from. one era to the next the traditions of integrity, of altruism and of high ambition which have been their distinguishing characteristics from the first. Our president Is versa tile, straightforward. manly and pub lie spirited, qualities which have do scended to him from father and grand father, and which, let us hope, will be bequeathed to his children after him.
 In the commonplace daily life of the home the united family avoids picker ing, fault-finding, envy, jealousy and the malignant brood which follow in their train. They do not talk about one another to outsiders. There Is q quaint proverb to the effect that soiled linen is best washed at home.
 No family with the slightest claim to decency airs it's grievances before the world, or goes about retailing the infirmities or the sins of those who bear its name. If the family be large, there is every reason to expect that somebody in 1t may fall short of the family standard. There is all the more reason. this being the case, to throw the mantle of charity ovsr the unfortunate and to keep silent about what cannot be helped. Family pride is often carried to excess and it may make us laughing stock to our neighbors, particularly If the family honors are all in the past. and the present does nothing to justify it.
 A certain family in the south lived contentedly on the community accept ing gifts of food and clothing which were always delicately rendered, and refusing to do a stroke of work, be- cause of its blue blood. The blue blood that turns people into mendi. cants is a pitiably degenerate stream, but family pride is a good thing when 1t keeps stainless the family name, when 1t maintains high ethical standards, when in all its annals there are chivalrous men and pure women who make the world better place by their noble living.
 Copyright. 1906. by Joseph B. Bowles)