The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1861-08-17
From the N. Y. Independent.
WHAT WILL FOLKS THINK!

WHAT WILL FOLKS THINK!
How often is this vital % question asked!
In pallor and kitchen, in the city and coun-
try-everyw where. everywhere, old and young,
rich and poor, Gods people and the world s
people, seem to defer more to the opinions
of others than to their own judgment OF
what is best and right. s. The speech OF
people" is the greatest bugbear in Christen-
dom. One would suppose it to be much
easier to do as We please, as we find it con
venient or judgeit right to do. promptly AMI
independently. than to stop and turn round
to find out who is looking on and what they
will think or say, and then to square our
own conclusions according to other peo-
pies estimates. So it would be-hut we
don't always do tie easiest thing. We Of
ten work harder to eircumVent difficulty,
meeting great many more in our rounda-
bout progress, than we should if we walked
with bold face straight up to the first one
and conquered it. And then the unpleas-
ant feelings we have to endure, the regrets
and accusations we inflict upon ourselves,
when we happen to have done something
not exactly Understood BY those ever
watchiul, critical sEfOlks" we desire SO much
to pl-ase-who can calculate them
So meditated as listened to a talk be-
tween Lille Robinson and her mother, the
ether day.
Lille says, "You know Jennie Sampson,
mother 90
.a sob, yes''
You know she was at Julia Hathaway IS
birthday party"
Yes ....
"You know Julia only had two or three
little girls there. and l wore my merino
dress and long sleeved white apron"
80 Eyes, remember"
"WelI, Jennie Sampson had on beauti-
full silk dress. 1t had every color in it
oh, it was such beauty And what do
you think she said to Julia %
II couldn't possibly TELL" said the
mother.
"Why, she said, Shouldn't you think
Lille Robinson's mother would dress her
better than that, when she goes to party?"
'.Who told you she said SO 90 .--.
"Why, Julia told ms herself, this after
noon.''
.'Well. you don't care, do you dear %
= Eyes. mamma. I'm sure l do. Il makes
me feel real bad
''Why. Jennie didn't blame you; she
blamed your mother"
Lille was silenced for moment, and her
mother went on /:
''Now. to be sure. a good little girl ought
to feel just as bally to have her mother
found fault with as to be found fault with
herself" 'f
well I did, mamma
''But then, good little girl ought to be
so sure that her mother had done right that
she wouldn't be troubled at all by what a
little girl like Jennie might think of it. We
mustn't regard what others say about US.
when we do what we know to be right.
Mrs. Hathaway, like a sensible woman,
gave very proper entertainment to julia.
sending for few little girls to come in the
afternoon and have good play; and your
mother, like sensible woman, too, as 1
think. dressed you for the occasion. When
sixty or a hundred children are invited to a
great party, where they can do nothing but
stand up round the room to be looked at
and get very tired, why then suppose it
is right enough that they should be dressed
up like dolls, and try which will look the
prettiest. But when they are sent for as
you were, to play and have good time,
why then they must be dressed in clothes
they can play in. Don't you think SO %
''Yes'm."
"Then your mother did perfectly right"
F''Yes'm."
''Weli. then. why do you care what a
little girl like Jennie should think about it !?
You never need mind what other people
think or say about you. my dear. il you are
only sure that you do right. and act in a
proper, sensible manner. If they are only
good themselves, they viii understand and
approve what YOU do, and that, of course,
will be very gratifying. But if they are so
weak and silly as u laugh at your conduct,
you needn't fear or worry about it.
Mrs. Robinson was right. Blessed be
independence. thought I. Why. must we
trim and scud and tack about to catch the
wind OF popular favor, when the honor
which cometh from God, aud the appro6a-
ton of conscience void of offense" are
80 much more gratifying? Ii We have got
to go all the way through life with Julia
HathaEays at our elbow. 70 whisper what
this enc thinks and that one says of US,
striving then TO cut and coatriVe and ad-
just 10 suit all the Jenny Simpsons around.
We may we'll exclaim,
81 am weary. / am weary,
OF the eares and tolls of life :"
for surely life is bereft at once of all COM
fort. Blessed De independence aud moral
courage. said 10 myself again. drawing q
good long breath. Let me get above .:foiEs. -
where l can breathe pure atmosphere and
exist. The idea o. suffocating, literally
choking to death. down in the close, yitiat-
ed atmosphere of meddlesome and gossip
ing world. Is to nay thinking not a. all
agreeable = IL. E B.