Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-04-09
To Be Read Twice

l and the readers sincerely IOl11<O.
To Be Read Twice
! Dear Miss Thomas-rve Just finished reading
our page and, as usual. after every reading,
declare to myself that 1 will write again
The day is done. and from the scene the
sun has upgathered the last Of his spent
shafts and put them back into his culver. to
use again the morrow to again brighten
the whole landscape, animate and inanimate'
making a picture gallery replete with speci-
mems Of coloring such as no art Of man can
equal, either for richness or for delioacy.
You sisters who have tried to advise Muriel
have only wasted time and advice, for a
woman nine times out of ten, will follow
the dictates Of her own heart and inclinations.
No one can ever remotely guess what style
/ Of man woman will choose for huspahd'
1t is entirely impossible to predict what mat
rimonial caprice may or may not seize even
/ the wisesL. most experienced, most practical
I and reasonable IT woman. would sooner IN
dertake to conjecture how high the thermom-
4 eter stands at this instant on the crest OF Mt.
| Copernicus up in the moon, or to attempt to
take sail on the Sea of Serenity, which
astronomers tell is located in the left eye
OF the man in the moon, the decide what
/ freak will decide ones choice.
4 ] Just much at sea without a san
/ as any one. for silk worm like so long had
I wrought within that ] was lost in the web
OF my own thought. but thank the All Merclfui
/ One. my choice has been a most happy one.
A true, good husband Is joy to a woman
heart. but / know a drunken, negligent one
must be a thorn in the mothers, wife's and
children's hearts.
Not for all the kingdoms that Satan pointed
out from the pinnacle Of Mt Quarantine would
L undertake the reformation OF Just a little
won't hurt me-" kind OF lover or husband.
Neither would 1 like to live the rest OF
! this fleeting existence with one 1 only re-
spected. A step-mother is always handicap
ped at the very beginning by some Mrs
Grundy' trying to prejudice the children,
who already think Of the sten-mother not with
| love and kindness for the one who for love OF
the father is willing to take up the cares
and burdens OF ready-made family, but TOO
often with hatred and distrust Of the one
who Is taking mammals place in her home.
] II one loves the father the right way II is
oftentimes a sore and heavy trial to mex
perienced shoulders and heart, but If the
4 love and faith that surpasses understanding is
lacking how sore indeed the trials, espe-
cially after her little comforts" begin
/ to come to her. Marry for love every time,
IL the loved one is deserving Of that greatest
Of all good gifts TO man. a woman's true
, love- but an unmarried lot is happier by far
than an unloving or unloved wife, or
who sees the money needed to buy a much
needed stove. chair, hat or, worse still, medi-
cine for baby. go into the till OF the whisky
dealer.
/ have no little ones Of my own, but il
/ the good God sees fit to send one to our
home I want to try, with Gods help, to raise
II in the straight and narrow way and to
! teach It to remember its Creator in the days
| OF its youth
/ 1 love children devotedIy, all children are
dear to me. none ever too homely to be
sweet and lovable to me, and I've seen but
few that I couldn't soon win their love and
trust. so 1 believe IL / can win the faith
and love OF some other mothers darling
! could win my own small image Of God to me,
enough to rear him to the only true life,
pure Christians.
/ would be startled by the faint moan of
conscience as unexpected as the echo from
/ Morella's tomb or the resurrection Of Iigeria
/ II any one should tell them they are partly
20 blame for the future sins Of their off
| springs.
who can doubt that the long dynasty of
4 81
hone. from the frozen shores of Spitsbergen
| TO the green dells of Owyhee, from the shin
| ing spires of Europe to the rocky battlements
4 that front the Pacific, shall be ruled by good,
! true women, whose scientific erudition keeps
/ pace with their piety and gentleness.
| One Of the sisters writes that she is sorry
winter is / can't really decide whether
! I am or not; like her, I'm sorry TO give up
/ the long nights, devoid Of care, in which
| could read so much. I'm so fond Of reading.
I've read numbers Of good books this winter;
also lots Of magazines.
Sometimes 1 feel very blue and weary OF
/ the struggles OF life and sometimes think
/ must have a faint Of untamed ancestors still
/ IN my nature. I have thought that IL the
| doctrine Of metempsychosis be true I must
/ have been a tawny-dapped leopardess or a
/ green-eye cougar in some former stage of my
existence. For with all my prayers for
/ strength and patience and a forgiving spirit
whenever know I've had a grievous wrong
done me. 1 feel like it would be a reliet
/ for crunch something, which is not
an approved orthodox Christians way to feel.
I
refinement. But who Judge us women
right II - times we appear TO be cold. or too
warm no one can read hearts to
see glse- suffer in silence. Like a dove
wis r. arrow in its vitals, Il droops fts
winSz and dies with the deafh-wound securely
] hidden. for some lightly spoken word delivered
| 10 us secondhand.
/ II it wasn't for the blessed consolation Of
prayer. a husbands true love and parents
witchfuI care. 1 fear I would long ago have
become bitter that tree Firdousi COM
pared MahmOud to- whose nature is so bitter
that were you to plant II I'm the Garden OF
Eden and water IL with the ambrosial stream
/ Of Paradise and enrich its roots with virgin
] honey IL would after all discover its innate
/ always born, but. thank heaven. the pain and
bitterness soon pass away when 1 carry it all
/ TO Him.
| 20. what Joys often forfeit,
| What needless pain we bear,
| Because do not carry
Everything to God in prayer"
I Miss Thomas. yours is a noble work; your
Chats are always so clear and concise. I'm
: always eager to read them.
And dear Mrs. Felton, how many can look
back over the years of her useful Christian
career and say how much good her noble, up-
: lifting writings and sweet smiles have done.
/ I was very much interested in a late piece.
The Danger Of so Much kissing" Very few
/ women meet without kissing l think II not
only dangerous. but hypocritical for a kiss is
an outward show Of love to dear ones. I don't
think a mere acquaintance should kiss an
other. I sadly fear that a good many kisses
between women are Judas kisses. Every
Z neighborhood has one Miss GrIndy or Mrs
Grundy in Il; more's the pity.
I One writer in a recent paper states that
church-going Is not essential to a Christian
/ life. No: I don't think so either although
IL is good habit TO get into. Until this
year. the nearest church TO me was six OF
1 seven miles. so didn't get there very often
as preaching was only once month. but this