Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1911-10-13

Reading Of the Homes Of Antiquity
Should Make Us compIalssnt
Over Our Own Homes.

Hello, central, give me Eeaveni
That is what the young man said when
he installed the new telephone In the
study and wanted to test IT, At once
they connected him with his home and
he found the instrument working to his
intense satisfaction. And he had been
married several years, at that.
The general level of the American
home Is pretty high. II we may Judge
by the external signs Of comfort-the
average quality of the houses. foods
that come from all over the world.
good clothes. schools for children. with
text books furnished free. In many
places, large and attractive parks for
recreation. or. better still, open coun-
try, and Injuries like the telephone in
almost all homes, whether In city or
country. And. II we Judge by the SEN
timents OF orators and writer's, espe-
cially the apostrophes of the poets, we
may be led to imagine that Eden is
blooming and even booming here in
our country. the lost Paradise regained.
We certainly have right to be some
what complaissnt over our homes when
we read about the homes of antiquity.
When Mrs. Wigs was asked If she did
not feel her privations. she gave good
long list of her blessings and asked In
reply, "Ain't you proud you amt got
hare Iip?" We may be proud we are
not part of an old Roman home. for
instance. To use a Hibernicism. 1t
would not be a home at all. The Latins
had word for family and one for
house, but more for that something
which a family in house constitutes.
which we call home The family. with
or without children. plus the house
form something called home. thing
more easily spoken OF than described.
Well, the Romans had no word for
that. because they had no need for such
q word. And whenever we catch any
one trying to reestablish such a do
nestle anachronism and monstrosity
| in our land and time, It Is taken In
hand either by the white caps or the
blue coats. or the pettcoats. them
selves.
| II takes at least two persons to make
a home. and in the Roman house there
was only one, the man. The woman
was not person. In her cwn right, un-
/ der the law. She could not intervene
in the government Of the family. II
one Of the children wanted 20 get mar
ried, her consent was not necessary
II her husband wanted to put her to
! death or leave her for a handsomer
woman, he had right to do so, with
out legal process or prejudice.
1t could not be real home when the
children had no rights which the
father and mother were bound to re
spect. A defective or girl baby wal
usually exposed or abandoned or killed
Sometimes, when the father was away
the mother, too tender-bearted to xii
the child. would abandon 1t.
There is space left to speek of two
facts about the American horne. Ont
is that It is safeguarded by Just an<
generous laws. The reason for this Il
that the people themselves hold II
their deepest consciousness and con
victions the sentiments that are essen
tial in the home; and the legislatures
and courts have given them what the.
were taught by the home to give
Another fact is that the American
home has been the most powerful in
stitution in generating tides Of patriot
] ism and education and in conserving
the treasures of religion. It mas Eel
the need OF schools. and. under urgen
home sentiments, the leaders hay
gone forth to found and fashion educs
tional agencies to assist the home 4
its nurture OF the young.
And Two very hopeful signs encoul
age us. One is that the psychologist
has invaded the home. He is studyin
; the institution as whole and IN d.
tail. especially mothers and boys. Tn
great international home congress
Just held in Brussels. helped. Tn
children's exhibit on home cond
ltions, now being prepared By som
men and women In New York. wi
help some. The other sign IL tbs
movements are starting IN the hon
for self-inspection and self-rectific'
: ton. It has got as far as the moths
and we have mothers clubs Next v
must have fsfhers' clubs for the stud
of the whole situation We have boy
o and girls clvss. but no sons Al
1 daughters >lub~ - yet These vi
come next