The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-04-25
H O NJ E
BY Mss Frances Straw

school training, the results canno
be satisfactory.
If the home is miserable, worth
will suffer Persons coming from
this class of homes do not make gooC
citizens and do not tend toward the
moral uplift. Some of these worth
less men gain political offices and
abuse their rights. This has a disas-
trous effect on the whole community
Often this worthless class, that are
even too unprincipled to gain po-
litical authority, become tramps and
the criminals of our country, and in
most cases the homes are directly
or indirectly responsible Do not
misunderstood me. ! did not say poor
homes, for often they are the best.
Some of our noblest presidents have
come from humble homes. but in
those homes the principles of right
living were instilled. Very often the
worst men and women come from
wealthy families, which. although
worthless and unprincipled buy off
those in higher authority. If all
the home training were correct this
would never occur.
Few realize what an important
factor home is. 1t is the basis of all
government, and the making or los
ing of noble men and noble women,
the glory or the ruin of a nation.
What would our country be with
out our homes? We cannot imagine
it and do not wish to, for our nation
more than any other is composed of
real homes In times of war it is be-
cause of the noble men and women
That battles are won. If there were
no home ties to be broken and no
homes to fight for, those fighting
would lose courage because of lack
of incentive. In times of peace the
nation demands the cooperation of
the homes. The Spartans trained
their boys to be brave and honorable,
and in consequence there arose
great nation.
All the illustrious statesmen, vic
torious warriors, noted speakers, and
great benefactor of our nation, ad-
nit that home made them what they
are
Thus we see that the homes of
nation make it what it is, great or
small and if we wish our nation to
be best, we must strive for the best
homes.
Home has an overwhelming, 81
lent and irresistible power which
draws us along in the swift current
of life, and whether we will be
dropped in the whirlpool of evil or
be buoyed onward and upward to
that which is worthwhile depends
on our stability of character.
DO we Americans ever stop to
think that there are parts of the
universe which do not know h me
as we know it. To us, it is a place
of peace and freedom. That one
word freedom, which means so much
to us, makes us think of the coun-
tries where here is absolutely no
freedom for boys or girls If free
dom is not taught in the homes all
over the world, the universe cannot
prosper.
AS home, so the school, as the
school, so the community, as the
community so the nation, and as the
nation so the universe.
Let us remebre home in the words
of the poet:
What's a house? You may buy it
or rent,
1T may be a mansion,a cottage
tent,
Its furniture costly. or humble or
mean,
High walls may surround it, or
meadows of green;
Tall servants in livery stand in the
hall,
Or but one little maiden may wait on
You all.
The table may groan with rich
viands and ware,
Or potatoes and bread be its costliest
fare
The inmates may glitter in purple
and gold,
Or their raiment be homely, and tat
tered and old j..
'Tis house and no more, which vile
money may buy
1t may ring with a laugh or but echo