The Journals of Martha E. McMillan

Ohio. They were given the opportunity to interact with those who grew up in different areas of the country with different ideas. One of these individuals was Charles F. Wishart, who would go on to be the president of Wooster College in Ohio. Fred worked with Wishart on the editorial board of Ravelings ; surely the mingling of ideas occurred during the editorial process. As a result, Martha mentions her disillusionment with Fred’s work at Monmouth on July 2 nd , 1894: “This afternoon Fred told us all good bye and Mr. Mc took him to Springfield—he expects to go on the…train to Monmouth—to get ready for his ‘work.’” She has prepared him for his role at Monmouth, but she does not understand his work, nor does she seem enthusiastic about his departure. His identity at Monmouth clashed with her expectations for him as her son. On September 23 rd , 1894, Martha McMillan recalls these words from Reverend Morton’s sermon: “The home life after all is the true life. A man’s life at home always reveals his true character. We should walk wisely at home because of our influence and our responsibility, and because there are streams that flow from the home that will either bless or curse the earth. The seeds that are producing such a glorious harvest were cultivated in the home.” This passage reflects one of her goals, as established in her earlier journals. In addition to her duties as a wife and her individual preferences, she strove to be a good mother and raise her children with a knowledge of the Bible and a love for Christ through their attendance at church and their education at home. She recognizes her own influence in their lives, and Reverend Morton’s sermon echoes her own sentiments: the home is the origin of children who will either bless or curse the earth, depending on how they were raised and the habits they develop. This tension between loneliness and a feeling of success manifests itself through Fred’s education at Monmouth, where he finds a sense of personal identity through Ravelings and his interactions 112