The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-11-22
|PRATTLE OF CHILDREN
ABOUT MOTHER S KNEE
MAKES HOME heavenly
BY EDGAR ILlFF.

BY EDGAR lLlFF.
Book agents and tramps tell us that
houses have a physiognomy. Some
invite, others repel. They say they
can guess the character OF family by
the outside and surroundings of the
house. Some day, says John g. Me
hardt, author of THE River and L.
some one will write book on THE
Physio-Psychologica1 Aspect OF Hous-
es," and he concludes with this: =
God grant that no man in need may
ever look wistfully at your house or at
mine and pass on with q shake OF the
head. 1t is a subtle compliment to
have book agents and tramps frequent.
ly at ones door" -.--.
Henry Ward Beecher said that in his
circuit riding days he could almost In
fallibly Judge the character OF the fam
lily by the general aspect of the house,
and that If q woman had flowers In
her window or vines around the door
he had no fear of stopping over night.
House Voices Personality.
Balzac and Hawthorne, two OF the
greatest imaginative writer's of mod
ern times, believed in the aura or at
mosphere of houses. The very wall
! DdDCT. Tic WluuO" UlAlAuo 1Au tAAC opAA A.
of the house were saturated with the
personality Ct the dwellers within, &C
cording to Balzac. To the Puritan &C.
MUS OF Hawthorne, houses were stain
ed with crime or sensua.ity, or mean
ness or selfishness, or they might be
iperfumed and glor1fied by sweetness OF
character Read the House of Seven
Gables" and see. @, s2GEr:": -. :.
Some houses need no sign to tell
that the latchstring is ont. They look
II. Others are so forbidding that one
cannot call them homes, but institu-
fiOns. One often sees houses that look
las mean as the mean stingy people
within them. Little and humble hous-
e. may shine with the spirit OF the
great soul dwelling there, and big
houses may show that little soul is
whining there over the cost OF living.
- Mansions Chill Spines.
There are houses of the rich in Chi
cago that give you cold chill down
the spine. A stone wall, ten-foot iron
fence. an iron gate doubled locked and
iron bars at the windows. You imagine
the Man With the Iron Mask" Is there.
or you see some pale-faced prisoner be-
hind the bars, like a BIRD In Gtlded
Cage" These houses are jails, asy-
luIHS, AAAcSAS~IAOAD' AAO
homes. In the yard the shrubs and
plants seem starved. like poor Smike
Of Dotheboys Hall in Nicholas MCKEE
by" In one yard stands dead and
shriveled pine tree. Everything Is dead,
for the soul is dead that sleepeth. A
white-faced little girl comes out OF the
Jail with a servant-maid. The gate Is
unlocked and they look up and down
the street like a scared cat does before
1t risks it's life in running the gauntlet
OF dogs lying in wait for its frantic
rush across the street. There are no
laughing children in this ;neighborhood.
Everybody hasa care-taker. Every lit
tie act must be performed by Turnkey
These people are not free. They are
dependents. Very few rich and great
people are free and independent
Look at the swarming children of
the Ghetto on Central and Woodlawn
avenues in Cleveland. There you see
There you see the mills OF the gods
slowly grinding out men and women
who will care for themselves and not
be dependent, who will some day con-
troll the money and markets of the
world.
Blocks Arc Cherries.
On Euclid avenue. Cleveland, the
mansions of the very rich stand far
back from the street. At night they
are cold and cherries to look at, no
lights anywhere unless some function
OF display is going on. These houses
are as cold and barren as distant
snow-capped mountain. Venture on the
lawn and you may be shot for poach-
er. You would never ask for bread
there. You would 60 down to the
Ghetto, where the poorest Israelite
would feed you If you were hungry.
The houses Of these Jews! There
may be goods hung on the outside
walls for sale; the yard may be clut-
tered with stove iron, crooks, pots,
pans and kettles, all price-marked. The
veranda may have blankets an6 shawls
mattresses and carpets hung all over
them Swarms of laughing children
may be seen eating big slices Of bread
and jelly. There may be an outburst of
the commercial spirit seen in plant
marked. This rubber plant, only CSC"
There may be. what seems to your or
derby views. confusion and chaos, but
the spirit OF home is maintained and a
hungry man applying there for bread
would not have the dog set on him. He
would be fed
Poor Share Freely.
Harry A. Franck, who tramped
abroad and related his experiences In
his "Vagabond Journey Around the
World" tells the same story. The less
people had the more they shared with
the unfortunate. He always found food
and lodging. poor and mean as they
were. among the very poor Jews In
all Eastern lands. Thoreau treated
true hospitality right when he said:
Rather than money or fame give me
truth. sat at table where were
rich food and wine in abundance, and
obsequious attendance. but sincerity