When the days come on which we desire to set off on pilgrimages, and, leaving the dusty house, turn Bohe- mian, we must stay closely at home, putting it in order and looking over closets and trunks full of old clothes. To whom shall we give them ? Some of us look away from home and fill the boxes which go to the home missionary, of whose joyful recep- tion of them I have always been doubtful. Others will answer the appeal of the beggar or tramjp who forces us to take a personal interest in him till he is safely out of the gate on his way to our neighbor ; but many of us know of deserving people poorer than ourselves who will make good use of the outgrown garments, and, if along with them we can give a little of our own skill and ingenuity in remod- eling them, what a blessing that gift will be ! Many women who are obliged to work almost all day to feed their children, and have vfery little time and strength left to plan out improvements, might accomplish wonders under intelligent directions. Another question suggested now is. Shall we feed the wanderer, who, unlike ourselves, has no house to clean, and so is at liberty to yield to the universal instinct and set out on his travels in the pleasant springtime ? It has always seemed to me better to feed six unworthy people than to pass by the one really needy, worthy one. There are draw- backs and discouragements in the practice of this charity, for one day I provided a ten-o'clock breakfast for a sturdy beggar who turned sneeringly from it and said he didn't want that ; he had been ^* bread and buttered to death." TALKS UPON VARIOUS SUBJECTS. 135 *^ HANDS OFF !" Who that has arrived at years of discretion — whatever that age may be — ^has not been annoyed and pained at the manner in which some mothers allow their children to lay destructive hands on other people's property ? Well do I remember one child who was the terror of a large circle of relatives and friends. She never left a house without leaving certain reminders of her presence — ^broken vases, finger marks impossible to erase from photographs and wall-paper ; pet books thumbed by her with a diligent carelessness that was simply exasperating to the owner ; and there her mother would sit with calm, unruffled exte- rior and pursue a devious and much winding conversation with a mind single in its interest, entirely unconscious of the depredations her daughter was making. Somehow you could not be downright angry with her, but could never cease to wonder how it could be so. A generous, high-minded lady, a true friend she was, but the fact re- mains that she was blind and ignorant in respect to the government of her child. Impossibilities are never de- manded of us ; hence there must be many ways to impress upon children that some things are to be looked at and not touched. ^' Your countrymen do not appear able to see with their eyes alone ; they must put their hands upon things," ob- served an irate foreigner at the Centennial Exhibition as he put, for the seventh time, he said, a new globe in place of one that an American vandal had broken. We are certainly remiss in our duty in the matter of enforcing the "hands off" principle upon our children. No one would think of giving a baby a lighted candle to suck, however much he cries for it. The line must be drawn somewhere ; then why not draw it at the handsome book on the table, the tidies, the pretty dishes, and costly 136 HOUSEHOLD HINTS, trifles which are so easily destroyed and are not likely to be replaced ? You might include also the newspaper which papa may wish to look at again.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

When the days come on which we desire to set off on pilgrimages, and, leaving the dusty house, turn Bohemian, we must stay closely at home, putting it in order and looking over closets and trunks full of old clothes. To whom shall we give them ? Some of us look away from home and fill the boxes which go to the home missionary, of whose joyful reception of them I have always been doubtful. Others will answer the appeal of the beggar or tramp who forces us to take a personal interest in him till he is safely out of the gate on his way to our neighbor; but many of us know of deserving people poorer than ourselves who will make good use of the outgrown garments, and, if along with them we can give a little of our own skill and ingenuity in remodeling them, what a blessing that gift will be ! Many women who are obliged to work almost all day to feed their children, and have very little time and strength left to plan out improvements, might accomplish wonders under intelligent directions. Another question suggested now is. Shall we feed the wanderer, who, unlike ourselves, has no house to clean, and so is at liberty to yield to the universal instinct and set out on his travels in the pleasant springtime ? It has always seemed to me better to feed six unworthy people than to pass by the one really needy, worthy one. There are drawbacks and discouragements in the practice of this charity, for one day I provided a ten-o'clock breakfast for a sturdy beggar who turned sneeringly from it and said he didn't want that; he had been "bread and buttered to death." "HANDS OFF!" Who that has arrived at years of discretion — whatever that age may be — has not been annoyed and pained at the manner in which some mothers allow their children to lay destructive hands on other people's property? Well do I remember one child who was the terror of a large circle of relatives and friends. She never left a house without leaving certain reminders of her presence — broken vases, finger marks impossible to erase from photographs and wall-paper; pet books thumbed by her with a diligent carelessness that was simply exasperating to the owner ; and there her mother would sit with calm, unruffled exterior and pursue a devious and much winding conversation with a mind single in its interest, entirely unconscious of the depredations her daughter was making. Somehow you could not be downright angry with her, but could never cease to wonder how it could be so. A generous, high-minded lady, a true friend she was, but the fact remains that she was blind and ignorant in respect to the government of her child. Impossibilities are never demanded of us ; hence there must be many ways to impress upon children that some things are to be looked at and not touched. ^' Your countrymen do not appear able to see with their eyes alone ; they must put their hands upon things," observed an irate foreigner at the Centennial Exhibition as he put, for the seventh time, he said, a new globe in place of one that an American vandal had broken. We are certainly remiss in our duty in the matter of enforcing the "hands off" principle upon our children. No one would think of giving a baby a lighted candle to suck, however much he cries for it. The line must be drawn somewhere ; then why not draw it at the handsome book on the table, the tidies, the pretty dishes, and costly trifles which are so easily destroyed and are not likely to be replaced ? You might include also the newspaper which papa may wish to look at again.

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