The Home Mission

In Short

This instructional collection of moral domestic fiction explores the everyday trials, tempers, and triumphs of nineteenth-century American home life. Through a series of interconnected narrative sketches, the book examines courtship, early marriage, parenting, and household economy. Characters confront the consequences of impetuous youth, vanity, pride, and hasty tempers, demonstrating how domestic harmony relies on unselfish affection, forbearance, and quiet moral principle. T. S. Arthur crafts a guide for personal conduct, showing that society’s broader health depends entirely on the spiritual and moral integrity cultivated within the humble walls of the family home.

The Story

The narrative unfolds through an array of domestic vignettes, beginning with a vision of grief and solace that sets a reflective, spiritual tone. Early episodes center on the choice of a partner and the heavy responsibilities of family creation. In one strand, the thoughtful Agnes Green contemplates marrying Mr. Arnold, a widower with untended children. Recognizing that a mother's role shapes a child's eternal destiny, she hesitates until she is certain she possesses the requisite patience, wisdom, and self-denial to cultivate their neglected hearts.

Other stories trace the perils of hasty unions and undisciplined tempers. Young Margaret Percival marries James Canning despite warnings from her Aunt Hannah to "bear and forbear." When James forbids her from attending an assembly with acquaintances, Margaret defiantly goes anyway. She instantly regrets her willful disobedience, but upon returning home, she finds her husband gone and the house dark. Their mutual pride and inability to yield bring deep sorrow, illustrating how easily domestic peace is shattered when affection gives way to self-assertion. Similarly, young Kate Lee alienates her husband Frederick by criticizing his untidy habits in moments of irritation, learning too late that blunt fault-finding destroys marital trust.

Financial stress and social pretense also test family life. Mrs. Smith's impatience and fretfulness drive away her reliable domestic servant, leaving her to struggle with an inexperienced replacement and causing a severe illness. Elsewhere, a money-lender named Mr. Edgar experiences a sudden transformation when a small, unselfish act of financial leniency allows a poor mechanic's family to buy needed comforts; the family's simple gratitude returns a ray of genuine sunshine into his own cold life.

As the sketches progress, the perils of early engagements and mercenary matches become clear. Anna Elliott suffers under the brutal emotional abuse and abandonment of her husband Thomas, who married her hastily when she was far too young. Yet amid these warnings, tender reconciliations and quiet triumphs occur. Brotherly affection saves young Henry Armour from moral ruin at a corrupt club when the memory of his sister Blanche's pure kiss stays his hand. Finally, Edith Ravensworth, dreading an arranged match with a unknown man named Hamden, discovers that her suitor is actually Evelyn—the very man she had independently met and loved—bringing the collection to a harmonious close.

How It Unfolds

A mother's true calling Agnes Green weighs a marriage proposal from Mr. Arnold, refusing to offer shallow flattery about his wild, motherless children. She insists that accepting the role of step-mother means undertaking the solemn duty of shaping their souls for both earth and heaven.

The hazard of willful pride Ignoring her aunt's counsel to practice forbearance, Margaret Canning defies her husband James's explicit command and attends a public assembly. Though she repents almost immediately, she returns to find her husband missing and their quiet home plunged into bitter darkness.

A lesson in generosity Mr. Edgar, a hard-hearted money-lender, waives an exorbitant fee for a struggling mechanic, enabling the poor family to buy essential provisions. The family's overflowing gratitude deeply moves Mr. Edgar, bringing an unaccustomed warmth and peace to his own domestic hearth.

The tragedy of a hasty match Sixteen-year-old Anna finds herself bound to Thomas Elliott, a cold and callous husband who reviles her tears and demands she return to her father when financial help fails. Anna gathers her infant in her arms and silently walks out into the cold world.

Saved by a sister's kiss Troubled young Henry Armour joins his wild companions at a local club, but when a crude toast slandering women is proposed, he refuses to drink. The fresh memory of his sister Blanche's affectionate, pure good-night kiss shields him from falling into vice.

Love revealed in secret Edith Ravensworth tremblingly prepares to meet Hamden, the man her parents betrothed her to in childhood without her consent. Upon entering the room, she discovers that Hamden is none other than Evelyn, the young man who had already won her heart in secret.

The People

• Agnes Green: A conscientious, reflective woman considering marriage to a widower; she wants to perform her duty faithfully, resists shallow surface charm, and insists on viewing step-motherhood as a solemn moral trust.
• Margaret Percival Canning: A spirited young bride who wants a joyous, romantic life; her willful nature and refusal to yield to her husband James lead to immediate regret and marital estrangement.
• James Canning: A proud, impatient young lawyer with strict integrity; he resists dictation, demands respect from his young wife, and reacts sharply when his authority is defied.
• Mr. Edgar: A solitary money-lender initially driven by financial gain; a single act of kindness toward a poor debtor opens his eyes to the quiet joy of selfless benevolence.
• Anna Elliott: A gentle, long-suffering woman married at sixteen to the brutal Thomas; she desires a loving home but is forced to endure her husband's heartless abandonment.
• Henry Armour: A vulnerable young man tempted by the coarse pleasures of a local club; his deep reverence for his sister Blanche shields his moral character.
• Edith Ravensworth: A sensitive young woman who dreads an arranged marriage; her heart lightens when she discovers her destined fiance is the very man she loves.

In Its Own Voice

"If the garden is not cultivated, and every weed carefully removed, how quickly is it overrun with things noxious, and how feeble becomes the growth of all things good and beautiful!"

On the supreme duty of guiding young minds, Agnes Green reminds Mr. Arnold that neglect rapidly breeds harmful habits.

"A good member of a family cannot be a bad member of the commonwealth, for he that is faithful in what is least, will also be faithful in what is greater."

Discussing the broader social order, the author asserts that public virtue rests entirely upon private domestic integrity.

"They have put aside the wine-cup, and abstained from stronger potations, because they would not profane with their fumes the holy kiss, with which they were accustomed to bid their sisters good-night."

In depicting family ties, the narrator highlights how the quiet influence of a sister's love shields young men from vice.

What It's Really About

Underneath its dramatic domestic conflicts, the book argues that home is the fundamental engine of human society and spiritual development. It rejects the romantic notion that affection alone sustains a marriage, presenting true happiness as a disciplined practice requiring forbearance, humility, and moral vigilance. The vignettes demonstrate that small, unremembered acts—a harsh word, a selfish refusal, or a gentle kiss—exert an eternal leverage upon character. By examining how petty vices like peevishness, vanity, and pride erode domestic peace, the work asserts that civil order does not begin in public institutions, but in the quiet choices made within the family circle.

Why Read It Today

This collection offers a fascinating window into mid-nineteenth-century American cultural ideals regarding family, marriage, and moral duty. Readers who enjoy period domestic fiction, conduct literature, or early social commentary will appreciate its earnestness and clear prose.

The book moves at a brisk pace through varied narrative portraits, making it easy to read in distinct sittings. However, modern readers should prepare for its overtly didactic tone and rigid nineteenth-century social framework. The characters often serve as moral exemplars or cautionary figures rather than complex psychological studies, and the text explicitly favors traditional domestic roles and Swedenborgian spiritual concepts regarding the afterlife and marriage.

Yet despite its preachy style, the book retains a quiet power. Its sharp observations on human nature—how small irritations destroy intimacy, how easily pride overrides affection, and how simple kindness redeems a hardened heart—remain remarkably perceptive. It stays with you as a gentle, earnest reminder of the delicate patience required to make a home truly happy.