TO MY READERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2803, 4 December 1907, Page 72

TO MY READERS.

At a last reminiscence of the recent Competitions, I am giving you to-day the papers of the runners-up in the topics of " The Ideal Home " and the reasons why church-going is a duty. They are not placed in any order of merit, but only offered for the enjoyment and consideration to which their great merit entitles them. Competition No. XIV was pn "The Ideal Home," given in three groups oi short sentences, thus : Three things that mutt be prctent t Three things that must be absent. Three things to have if possible. LAVENDER. —Three Things that Must Be Present.— 1. The "keystone" of principle, without which the home will crumble. 2. The "light" of true religion, without which there is no true happiness. 3. The. "lodestar" of cheerfulness, to beautify all effort. —Three Things Which Must Be i Absent. — 1. "Selfishness," which kills love. 2. "Worry," which wears away the life and wastes the energies. — 3. "Intemperance" of any kind. —Three Things to have if Possible.— 1. "A moderate income to make the wheels of life run smoothly. 2. Good health with which to enjoy life and happiness. 3. Useful employment, to occupy the body, engross the mind, and awaken the energies. } RUNAisGA. —Three Things to be Present.— 1. In the ideal home, love — warm, unselfish love must be present, pervading the whole household. 2. Truth, beautiful and upright, must be present, loved, trusted, and cherished constantly by all the inmates-. 3. Order must be present — everything necessary both to good family government and to good housekeeping. —Three Things to be Absent.— 1. Selfishness, with its blighting influence, must be absent from the ideal home. 2. Distrust must be absent, or the joy and peace of home- could not exist. 9. Worry oi all kinds must be absent, es being both useless and destructive. —Three Things to Have if Possible.— 1. Jf possible, have perfect health for each Bomber of the houeehold. 2. If possible, have intellectual culture, thus making life wider and more enjoyable. 3. If possible, have sufficient means to en-

able each member of the family to cultivate any particular talent.

NAN. —Three Things "Which Must h& Present.— 1. A husband to guide, to protect, and to provide the home with its needs, its comforts, and its luxuries. 2. 'A wifej to share map's joy 3, his woes; to attend well to the duties of home, and to give things the finishing touch of 'her hand. 3. A child, too, must be there to fill the house with sunshine and to bind all th« members of the household with the- silken cord of love. —Three Things Which Must be Absent. — 1. Alcohol, for often where it has been introduced into the home it has caused, vfc to shake, to totter, and to fall into ruins. 2. Dust must not find a resting place smfwhere in the home, for it is not creditable, and is the foundation of many ills. 3. A purse with holes must not be there, for money, if not taken proper care of, soon takes to itself wings and flies away. —Three Things to Have if Possible.— 1. A mirror, beautiful and true-, which if you look at yourselves carefully in it causes you to scan others less critically. 2. A jug, always -ull of the milk of lovingkindness, to give the travellers, weary with, •battling against the driving Tain, the chil'ing blast. .3. A oasket- containing three gems — Love, God's blessing to man ; Health,' man's best possession; Contentment, bis most precious, treasure. AUNTY NED. —There Must be Present.— 1. A working out of the first and greatest commandment, inculcating '.ove to God, 1 and. unselfishness and thoughtfulness for others. 2. -*. contented spirit, able to be happy in the- home life. I 3. A hearty .uterest and determination on i the part of each one to make and keep the home an ideal one. • — There Must be Absent.— 1. An uncontrolled temper. 2. A bitter or nagging tongue. 3. Any attempt at living quite up to, or beyond, the income. — Things Desirable.— 1. The gift^pf humour. 2. A sufficiency of the comforts of life. 3. A bobby, for preference an outdoor one, especially for the female members of the family. ) STARLIGHT. —Three Things That Must be Present.— __ 1. Cheerfulness. 2. Systematic management. 3. Uncomplaining patience. —Three Things That Must, be Absent.— 1. Fault-finding. 2. Idleness. 3. Extravagance. — Tbxee Things to Have if Possible.— 1. Sufficient means for household require* ments, and a little over. 2. Sympathetic assistance of other members of the household. 8. Good health, and strength to meet adversity. JEWEI/. ■ r Ko. XV.— Three reasons why CHURCHGOING is a duty, even though it nifty not be truly a. pleasure. 1. We ought to go for God's sake, because He tells us by the mouth of th« Apostle Paul not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. 2. For our neighbour's sake, to set a good example. 3. For our own 6ake, for the habit of going to church is good, and once there it is most probable that we shall derive some good from the service, CANTAB. 1. Church-going is a duty because God in His word commands us to attend His house. (Hebrews x, 25: "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together"). 2. It is a duty we owe to our minister. He prepares his sermon to aid us; he gives of his best that we may be helped. The least we can do is to 'be in our places at church and give him the encouragement of our presence. 3. It is a duty we owe to others. Practice is better than precept, and we should set the example of regular oh'urch attendance. It may be followed by more than we know, and at least the habit will have a good influence on the members of our own household and those intimately acquainted, with us. RUNANGA. 1. We should attend church to unite in prayer and thanksgiving to God, and to receive spiritual benefit. 2. We should attend in order to uphold the minister or other leader by our presence and sympathy— like the old Scotch women who, on being asked one day by a stranger outside Dr Chalmers's church «rhat place it was, replied: "Ou, there's a man cad Chalmers preaches here, and I whiles gang :n and hear him, just to encourage him, -poor body." 3. We should go that we may help and stimulate one another in Christian living, and may invite strangers also. RACHEL. 1. Because it is a good example to the young, who by being absent from church would lose many opportunities of benefit. 2. because >by our presence in church we encourage the minister in his labour for God. and by our offertories we help both him and also the many good works and charities performed through the church. 3. Because by benefiting others we benefit ourselves, and the development of our higher nature is sure to result, and is a duty we owe to God and ourselves. NAN. 1. From the earliest times until now Ihe lives of people who have attended church in the spirit of our forefathers, to honour God 1 , to take their offerings, and for true religion's