Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-01-14
NEW YLAR THOUGHTS.

Dear Miss Thomas: Christmas has
come and gone. Your Chat put me to
thinking. Somehow / couldn't think that
Christmas was so near, for this year has
been the shortest year of my life or it
seems so. l know the minutes, hours
and days are just the same as when
was a child, but l am not so anxious
to see Christmas like did when Santa
Claus came to see me. Sometimes l wish
had never grown UP to be a grown
woman Though j must confess that 1
am glad don't have my life to live
over. Part of my life has been very
pleasantly spent, but part has been very
full of grief, and that is the part I
don't want to even cast my mind back
to. , - |..
had a letter the other day that put
me \ to thinking. My friend said: Il
can hear a sawmill running and it makes
me think of the time when our brothers
worked together, one was taken in the
twinkling of an eye. / cannot think of
1t without tears
. But the past is gone the future is
what we must look forward to. Let's
all of us try to make the best of the
life that's in the future Let's begin at
home. Let's ask God to give us new
white sheet Heaven begins at home. If
we have no pleasure at home we have
none anywhere on earth We can't find
pleasure hunting up the faults of our
home folk nor the faults of our COM
panions.
1 once heard a man. tell his wife that
another mans wife did. more than she
and all her girls. | knew that his wife
had ruined her health working, not only
in the house but in the field. l wondered
what consolation that poor woman could
-. rfl,
proaches in her face, and in the pres
ence of companyAat that.
A man ought to pet his wife l think,
for 1t is she who will stand by him
when all the world fails him. A woman
should by all means have pleasant words
and pleasant smiles for her husband. De-
liver me from a fault finder, from one
who finds no good in anything one does.
The children, too, like to be praised a
little and petted sometimes. What about
a child that is scoffed and scolded all
the time Some never get any praise
for things they do. Is it any wonder
that they go away from. home? Or
marry to find better place? .
Children have been made to do many
things they would not have done had
they received the. encouragement they
should have had I'M little deeds they did
at home. Who is it that likes to be
sneered at all the time? Yet we see
it, we hear it. in many places and many
hcmes Each individual in a home
should bear his or her part of the work;
too much work makes one ill and fretful,
besides 1t makes them grow old about
as fast as, not enough work. Moderate
work does one good. An idle brain is the
devils work shop and broken-down,
overworked brain is not far from it, l
know from experience what too much
work will do for one. l have never
eaten any idle bread, but | have seen
others sit in idleness, and they were
very quarrelsome.
: People who have nothing to do OFTEN
entertain vain longings and petty jeal-
ousies. One cannot sit with folded
hands and cultivate even one talent.
Patience ceases to be virtue when
one folds it in the napkin and lays aside
all efforts to improve oneself or ones en-
vironment Sometimes mental inertia or
following the lien of least resistance Is
called or, shall say miscalled pa
thence. Sincerely,
BUSY BEE.