The family in the community CHAPTER V THE FAMILY In It was pointed out in the first chapter that the community in the West was settled by families, and grew up to be a city of homes. There are communities in our land in which a large part of the population is without homes in the true sense of the word. In the far West there are mining towns, and in the North lumber camps, composed almost entirely of men without families. In such communities life is rough, some of the best features of civilized life are lacking, and the community is likely to be lawless. cities there are thousands of people who live in dwelling places with very little that we usually associate with home life. Many, indeed, have not even regular dwelling places, as in the case of tramps. There are thousands of unfortunate, homeless children adrift in our great cities. It is largely in the drifting, homeless population that the disorderly and criminal classes are found. The family and the home are of the greatest importance to a community, first because of what they do for the individual citizen in helping him to satisfy the desires of life, and second because of the services they render to the community as a whole. What the family does for its members can best be understood if we first study the life of a pioneer family, cast The pioneer almost entirely upon its own resources in a new family country. Tempted by stories of the rich lands in the West and the greater opportunities of gaining a liveli hood and accumulating wealth, this family had packed its household goods and, with a team of horses and a wagon, had undertaken the journey of six weeks or more into the wilderness. It selected a spot in an open space in the forest, not far from the banks of a stream, where the conditions of the land gave promise of making a new home safe, pleasant, and productive of good results. The family then was miles from any other human abode. There were no roads connecting it with civilization except the rough "trace" by which it found its way into the forest. The family was face to face with the great wilderness, whose conquest was for the present its chief task. The husband and father immediately began to make a home. With the help of his son, he cut down trees from the forest and built a log house. He became Providing a woodcutter, carpenter, and builder. They made shelter some simple furniture, and built a great fireplace of clay and sticks, with an oven. Fuel was found in abundance in the forest. The open space in the forest around the house was enlarged by clearing away the trees, the ground was plowed, and grain and vegetables were planted. Providing The grain was cut and threshed by hand, and food ground into meal in a home-made stone mill. For fresh meat they had to depend chiefly upon game from the forest. Some necessities, such as salt and powder, and a few luxuries, such as coffee, had to be brought with Exchange great difficulty from the nearest settlement many of goods miles away. In exchange for these things they gave their surplus farm products and a few furs from animals trapped during the winter. Money was almost never seen in this Western country. The man built a forge. Under the stress of necessity, of the father and the mother and aided by some little experience gained in the East, he Occupations was able to repair his tools, and even to make new ones, to shoe his horses, and to do many other things necessary on the farm. He experimented in making moccasins and even shoes. He began the raising of sheep and cultivated flax. A spinning wheel and a hand loom were set up in the house, and coarse but serviceable clothing was made by the mother's hand. violence and Little was to be feared, in those early days, from thieves and marauders, although there were occasional rumors Protection of threatened Indian attacks. Against possible against dangers of this kind the father was a watchful disease protector. Another enemy more difficult to cope with was sickness, due to the presence of a swamp near at hand. The medicine chest, supplemented by roots and herbs from the forest, was a valuable part of the family equipment. The mother proved herself a sympathetic and resourceful physician and nurse. She also saw to it that the cause of disease was reduced as much as possible by keeping the premises clean. Education and art The education of the children had to be looked after. The son was taught the duties of the farm and the use of tools of all kinds. He became a skillful woodsman. The older girl learned the duties of the household, how to spin and weave, and many other things to fit her for the life she had to lead. The mother taught the youngest child to read, and instructed all in ideas of right living. She planted a little flower garden in the dooryard, and trained vines over the house. With the crude materials at hand, she used her taste to the utmost in beautifying the children's clothes. The parents were religious people in accordance with their early training. The family Bible occupied a promi nent place in the household, and from it every day the father read to the family group. There was no Religion church for miles around. Social life There was little companionship for the members of this family outside of the family group; but within the group there was the closest association. The children interested themselves in the work of the parents, and the parents entered sympathetically into the pastimes They read and sang together. The chilsports in fields and woods, appropriate For want of other companions they made pets of all the domestic animals. An occasional traveler was welcomed in the home with the freest hospitality. of the children. dren had their to the seasons. The occupations of the day were carried on in regular order; each had his special duties to perform at certain times. The children rendered obedience to their Governparents. The father was the recognized head of ment the family. His word was law. Yet he constantly had the best interests of the family at heart, and was kind and thoughtful with all his sternness. Such was the life of the pioneer family. It was crude and imperfect; but you see that all the kinds of desires that men have were provided for more or less completely within the family itself. It looked after the protection of life and health, the production of wealth, the education, the religious training, and the social life of its members. relieved by zation of a the organilarger In the course of time other families came into the neighborhood. Then an organization into a larger The family community began. The settlers rendered aid to each other in building houses and gathering crops. Many of the occupations formerly carried on in the family were now transferred to members of the community who made these occupations their community business. A school was organized to provide a better education than could be offered in the home, and a church was built at the crossroads. A government also was organized. The responsibility of the family Although, as a community grows, various means arise to help the family to provide for the wants of its members, the family must always bear an important part of the responsibility for the welfare of its members. No matter how good the doctors, the health of the people in any community depends more on the family than on anything else. No matter how efficient the schools, a great responsibility rests on the family for the proper education of the children. No matter how many social organizations there may be in the community, the social life of the home is the most important of all and the most far-reaching in its results. No matter how excellent the government of a community may be, it can have little good result if the government in the home is lacking. The surest way to secure good government in the community is through careful government in the homes that make up the community. No matter how large the community, or how completely it is organized, the family remains one of the most important means to provide for the wants of the citizens. FOR INVESTIGATION 1. Find out what you can about family life in the pioneer days of your own community: the kind of dwellings; where the food supply came from; how health was cared for; the occupations in the household; what was done to beautify the home; the social amusements. 2. Show to what extent the needs of a farmer's family in your own neighborhood are satisfied by its own efforts. 3. Observe whether your own family is chiefly dependent on itself for its needs, or depends on arrangements supplied by the community. |