Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 February 1917 — Homes Happy Where All Help [ARTICLE]

Homes Happy Where All Help

A household, toe members of whlph all work together, is the best example of active cooperation. It i« an example of a family doing worth-while things in a worth-while way. The children go forth from such surroundings ready to take their place in a world where the value of team-work to more and more recognized. It is toe training, and especially toe early training, of children that la most important in bringing out these qualities so essential to success. The first lessons in helpfulness are to bo learned in the Bomss Once learned there as they toouM be their effect will be lasting, says a Newark News writer. Parente sometimes complain that their children are not helpful, that they do not want to do the little things that are as’ ' of them, that it occasionally a task to get them to perform duties which are clearly toein to perform. There are, of course, special reasons for this unhappy lack of response on the part of certain children. But, as a rule, the unwillingness, if it may so be spoken of results from two things. The first to the mistake of the parents in not easing that children, as they srow older, share in a reasonable way in toe responsibilities of the home. The second is the lack of opportunity given to children themselves to help. To share in home dutiek should be a pleasure and a privilege for the child. It can be made so if only a little sensible attention be given to the matter. A child likes to do things which are interesting to him; things th'at T at first at least, show immediate results. He likes to give proof that he may be trusted, and he appreciates, quite in the light of a reward, bis being trusted to do things by himself. If he does a thing well, he naturally looks for praise, perhaps for some special form of commendation.

To give this praise, or it may be, to make some return to the child for duties satisfactory done, are matters for the parent's discretion. But it to to be remembered that praise and rewards are, after all, only accompaniments. No parent should ask a child to do a thing that it is not right for toe child tn <ln r and for the child to do without the expectation of reward save that reward which comes from toe knowledge of something wait dOOB Helpfulness on toe chikfs pert comes from a training in ways to be wwfuL And wh< children once get toe idea of being useful, and see the help and happiness that they give ways occur to them. There probably is nothing that gives a parent more genuine pleasure than to have a child give some evidence of thoughtfulness in this regard. Not a few parents, out of a mistaken consideration for children, give the youngsters small, if any, opportunity to develop in usefulness about the home. Certainly the wise parent makes no such error. No matter what the circumstances of the family, it is the poorest possible training for the children for them to be made to feel that they are expected to do little or nothing for themselves or others, feeling at the same time that all sorts of things, constantly will be done for them. Mothers, particularly, have a very obvious duty; totoefcr daughters and to themselves in this matter.lt is no kindness to a girl not to ground Berta the preparation of meals, in ♦he faghinning of simple articles fOT herself, in the care of her room and in such other things as come in the province of home making and keeping. When this course in helpfulness to followed toe girt gains in self-re-Nanoe as well as to ability. She becomes a real factor to toe smooth and efficient running of the home. A hoy,too, can be taught to make himself useful in many ways about the house. The making of little repairs, the construction, perhaps of some handy device, toe keeping of the grounds In order, too doing of errands—all these things help and they help in toe boy’s development, too. The interest shown by the father and the encouragement that he may give to both boys and girls in toe performance of onto duties, must bo powerful aid in the ordering and operation of the household machinery, ,

The happy wettordered home is the home in which every member of the household has a part to perform, a part defined naturally hr toe very things to bo done, bat suited, so tor as possible, to ability and tastes.

—-- Use gd'. Sraeea. --- .1 always keep an ordinary blackboard eraser near the kitchen range, using it to. wipe off the top, writes a New York Press contributor. This keeps the range clean, and I only need to wash and polish * once a week. The eraser can bo purchased at a very small cost and oaves time and •roubto jg ■ Mama - When lamp chimneys are washed with soap they are liable to crack. Washing Is not necessary. By holding them in the steam of a boiling kettle for a moment and then rubbing them with a‘eleam ctoto, they nee easily cleaned. ; ~ ▲ new kitchen utensil is a cutter tor removing too cores from vagototilai to too tom long spiral.