The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-09-05

- aeasoH % loving counsel and hen
AZ k8eal ar the family aItar in humble
petition for Heavens he0edtrtiona
unan tho ouI, son fn the silence
81 the night naf4Ees mother slips
lr1o Johns room. puts ii Bible in
t3s vaEse. ard as with hated breath
and panied heart She casts ope long,
lingering look 30 where 81 the dark
ness. she knows he les. Their $ .
rift n the clouds and the siiNery moon
beams steal IN through The shutters
and Gaod his sleeping bed with mel
-iozs-1Lg.Ai- That's -xeflnCLGa llEhL-
from the sun unused she. and oh
may the heavenly beams of the sun
Of Righteousness be ever cast DER
hts pathway" Mornings dawn. affee-
ttonate leave-taking and away he
speeds TO catch his train-~old tahby-
cat rubbing against his leg As he
passes through the porch ana purrlne
her benediction, while faithful old
Tiee whines his instructive fear Of
something wrong.
There is -hns,ia-anng aad -nalrth-
throughout all the precincts Of
happy home For weeks preparations
have been made for great and un-
usual event Now the company has
gathered. the daughter Of the home
mas pGGn uTifNG III marriage 10 tue
man Of her choice the wedding table
n radiant with heaming faces. The
weIkin rings With Sang and laughter,
but there liz shadow over the spirit
of the bride In keeping with that
whirh burdens the hearts OF fond
parents-'the last day at home
There may he other daughters Of tho
household as dearly loved but ITS
Mary's last day at home," There was
never man SO noble, constant and
true the assurance Of which IL quite
cempensa ton to the hearts Of loving
parents for yielding the daughter Of
the bosom sacrifice To even the
sacred state Of matrimony. The last
aay AT home" while in itself a rela-
tive phrase, since many and happy
future visits loom up In fancy---is In
fen.eiy real since no after day can
quite accord with those OF yore. And
the man who would he false to a wom~
an he takes from her sweet maiden
home or he ungenerous or unkind to
those whom ne should love as his
own mother and father is a Disgrace
TO his sex and the marital relation.
Mother and father accompa niod their
daughter down the driveway to the
outer gate Of the rose garden and
silently saw the bridal procession
start down the lane to the big road
and to new life's dubious way. There
each tried 10 he have and say some
thing OF cheer To the other, gave II mp
and mutually vented their grief, and
when the nieht-boIts were shot Sc
curing the privacy and protection OF
the premises" mamma cried, "oh,
you are shutting Mary out and for
ever" The last day Al home of a
child is a shadow on parental hearts
an aching void meier quite filled,
II was in the city and the new home
was less than a dozen blocks from
the old This WAS an instance Of no
family separation, hat Of them all
spending the last day at home" For
over two decades they had been happy
In their humble and Vet sweet and
tiav abode True. there had been
days Of shadow intermingled with
these OF sunshine but the old home
Is the more sacred for the smiles and
tears OF the years. II was not their
property but very really their home
The children were horn there and
have never known any other home.
Trees planted by father and nurtured
bv mother have grown 10 spread their
shelterng branches over the roof. The
grape vine has covered the arbor
lattice with wealth OF foliage and
rich clusters and the well-tended
slower beds shed rich fragrance
rcaod about Today the old ha rlmock
must come down The pigeons fiaAsser
ard COO in Amusement and fight as
their abode IL lifted to the waiting
var Faithful ola Soldier" who for
eight years hal well guarded the
premises is lenshed and muzzled for
a transportation he in-compre hends,
The furniture and belongings are
boxed and packed, the pictures taken
down and soon the old home Is bare
AS mother tearfuIly looks into
jimmy's room she notices the hoy re-
placing on the wall little framed
motto God Bless Our Home" It
had hung silently there in the room
where ne first saw the light and he
could not take il away Maybe the
newcomers wouldn't disturb It and
Il woald ne pleasant TO remember that
Il still hung iu his room a sly peep
Into the girls den witnessed two Of
the older ones in tears and intently
looking upon group picture which
had adorned the walls, and was
family picture with the old home in
She background NOW AL the belong
lngs have been wheeled away, the
vans of the incomers are At the gate
little Lizzie, with a tiRT kitten under
either arm, brings Gp the rear or the
procession thar moves forth on the
snt,e boy and little girl come sback5
tfIe one to find her pet kitten arrf the
sther his brag puppy. who have SO
aaon returned TO their native heath
and "a cry piteously over the last
3ay al home"
- --...,,..
BUT what about che last dag at
nome" with no abode in sight for The
morrow Less than week aeo. our
aezgspa pers chronicied the dispOses-
son Of an unfortunte family ~
parents ard four little children Say
: you please. that such instances gem
orally result from worthiessness. II
Is even SO that dire misfortune some
times hefaM the innocent. Whatever
The cause. how pitiab,e the plight u
poor mother and helpless little chill
dren spending their last day at
ssAAsae with the oninous shadows OF