?34 



Gl-l-.\NI\C,S IN HER CULIL'RE 



Jan. 1 



from where this was done, is now experi- 

 menting- with all the promising date palms 

 that can be collected from different parts of 

 the world. Some of the plants, or little 

 palm-trees rather, are worth ei'cr so many 

 dollars each. Wonderful results are now 

 and then achieved with these tropical fruits; 

 .but, as I have said, the average farmer 

 seems to decide that alfalfa-growing is 

 surer than almost an\' thing else. 



OUR 

 HOMES, 



BY A.I. ROOT. 



Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against 

 them.— Col. 3: 19. 



On pag-e 503, June 1. I repeated a story I 

 gave to the Spanish mission school in Cuba, 

 our good brother Frazier translating it as I 

 talked. In speaking- of the failure of a cer- 

 tain charitable institution gotten up by the 

 learned doctors, with the aid of all the most 

 scientific appliances, I said: 



The whole trouble was ths: The poor babies hun- 

 gered, not only for plenty of milk, but they wanted to 

 be /o2'f(/ and kissed and cuddled and talked to. When 

 they opened their eyes in this cold world, and found 

 uo one who loved them as babies ought to be loved, 

 they said in their infantile mind, 'Why. we might 

 just as well die now as at any other time. Nobody 

 loves us, and nobody cares for us ; and what is the use 

 of living ? " 



During the six months that have passed 

 since I told that story, it has been much on 

 my mind; and I have been impressed again 

 and again that it is not only babies that die 

 for want of somebody to love them, but it is 

 often grown-up people, and especially grown- 

 up women — yes, wives and mothers. The 

 babies I mentioned died of starvation— that 

 is, one kind of starvation — when they were 

 amply supplied with the best and most 

 nourishing food the world of science could 

 furnish: they were starving for a mother's 

 love. 



There has been considerable comment on 

 the matter of the number of women who are 

 in the asylums for the insane; and. if I am 

 correct, a large proportion of them come 

 from farmers' homes. Now. I am impress- 

 ed that this insanity among wives and moth- 

 ers is right along in line with the cause (or 

 perhaps, rather, the reaso?i) why those ba- 

 bies died in that palatial asylum. They 

 died because they craved and hungered for 

 the love they did not get. The babies could 

 not live and thrive unless they were loved 

 and kissed and cuddle 1 and talked to, and 

 called pretty names. Why, my good friends, 

 if there is a bab}^ in your home, no matter 

 how old or how young — that is, it does not 

 matter so very much how young — you can. 

 if you try hard, make it respond to loving 

 words.-* 



* Something tells me just now that my sermon to-day 

 IS hitting me a pretty big clif). Within a few steps of 

 where I now am there is a bright pretty baby that fair- 

 ly bounds with enthusiasm when he catches a glimpse 



If there is no baby in j'our own home, 

 hunt up one among the neighbors some- 

 where, and begin to cultivate its acquaint- 

 ance. We not only make the baby grow ami 

 thrive by finding somebody besides its own 

 mother who loves it and welcomes its pres- 

 ence into this bright world of ours, but it 

 will make yoit grow physicall}-. morally, 

 and spiritually. Now. herein is this great 

 truth, that not only is the baby or wife ben- 

 efited by kisses and loving words, but the 

 one who loves is in like manner benefited. 

 Much has been said of late about the bene- 

 fits of pure air — outdoor air, for instance; 

 and since these days of the tj'phoid-fever 

 epidemic, pages have been written about 

 the importance of pure drinking-water, or 

 boiled water, in every neighborhood where 

 typhoid fever is prevalent — the use of dis- 

 tilled water for drinking, where it can be 

 had. etc. But, dear friends, I am persuad- 

 ed, and I think the Holy Spirit is prompt- 

 ing me when I say, that loving words and 

 loving actions are of as much importance as 

 pure air and water and wholesome food; in 

 fact, a loving heart should be prompted to 

 take care that the air. water, and food be 

 of the best. 



Now. I am going to talk plainly to-day. 

 and some of 3'ou in ay object a little. The 

 first year you were married j'ou looked aft- 

 er the dear little wife carefully. You gave 

 her kisses and caresses — called her pet 

 names, without stint ; and then to be a 

 manly husband (by the waj', what is grand- 

 er in this world than noble mayihoodf) you 

 went to work and provided the dear little 

 wife with every thing she would be likely 

 to need, before you went to work. If out on 

 a farm, and you two were alone, you pro- 

 vided the best of wood and water near by 

 the little woman you loved, so as to spare 

 her useless steps or exposure; you provided 

 her with warm and comfortable clothing: 

 if she was subject to cold feet, as many 

 women are, you at times took those dear 

 little feet in the warm palms of your great 

 manly hands, and warmed them up; and 

 straightway you looked after the stockings 

 she wore in wintry weather; then you ex- 

 amined her dainty little shoes, and recom- 

 mended warmer ones; and as winter came 

 on. 30U investigated the matter of overshoes. 

 If she was obliged at times, or preferred as 

 a matter of choice, to look after the chick- 

 ens, pigs, and maj' be a cow, you probabl.v 

 gave her some warm stockings and felt- 

 lined rubber boots made expressly for wo- 

 men. 



Now, I do not know exactly ivhat you did 

 the first j'ear you were married, for it was 



of \n& grandma. I do not know but he loves his grand- 

 ma more than he does anybody else in the world, his 

 own mother not excepted. Well, the baby and I are at 

 perfect agreement in one respect at least ; but what I 

 was going to say just now was that his grandpa does 

 not get in to see him often enough but that he throws 

 his little head one way and the other to see if his papa 

 or mamma, or, better still, grandma, is near by to en 

 courage him when \\\s grandpa takes him in his arms 

 Just as soon as I get this article written I am going 

 over to take some of the .same " medicine " I am pre- 

 scribing for my readers. 



