The weekly Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1872-1887, 1875-05-08
rHG E1REs1DE.
To the Girls Entering their Teens.

You are no longer children, no indeed
but getting ready to be young ladies
BY this time you arc quite through arith
metic and geography, and arc studying
history and natural philosophy, trying
perhaps, to write poetry now and then
and thinking what sort of woman vor
will be six or seven years from now. That
is very goud Thing To think about; and
while you arc thinking what y0u will bG
and do when you arc Is and 10 and 90
let your minds run forward and try 10
think what you will I've and do ut 30 and
35., "Nhy, then we shall be old married
women" ynu say. "and bcginI.to think
about wearing spcc.lclca." Very truc,
doubtless, III many cases. il you arc alive
but what kind of "old married women" do
you intend to bc1 Girls tlIatar pretty
at 10 and 20-prctty and nothing more
by the time they arc 30 and 80 are usually
not pretty at all, but faded, disappointed
and unhappy. There's nothing that wears
through the years aad doesn't wear out,
but grows brighter and better the longer
1t lasts, like sweetness Of temper and in
tellectual culture. II will be Il great
thing for you, girls, by and by, that
you arc perfect now in Algebra, in
History, in Philosophy, and Of course in
reading and spelling and arithmetic; per-
feet i'll all your studies. "At thirty-four,"
writes n mother, ~ find myself unable TO
help my children in their studies and suf-
fer. painfully at times from early disad-
vantagcs." Her May time was cloudcd
with rain and chilled by frost, and you
all know how hard it is To plant seed in
,lnIN and tru N N SYnn1 -
in tnct most people find that il can't hc
done. This is your May time, it will
sometime be July and August and No
vembcr with you. What kind of women
will you be thcnl Old, wrinklcd, ugly.
tedious, unintercstingl Mrs. Summcrville
was beautiful To extreme old ngc, because
she was so intclligent-bccauSe her May
and June were so diligently employed III
planting i'll her mind the seeds of all
knowledge. Mrs. Ba:bauih, Miss Milford,
Mrs. Joanna Bnillic, Mrs. Montague were
as interesting in their ago as in their
youth. Though they grew in years .hry
grew in knnwlc,lgc and favor becaiIsr Tie
seed time If THEN lives was Scdulously i'm
proved. That's Il big word, hut look ii
out i'll the dictionary; hunt out all the
words you don't know the meanings Of;
hunt mp all the places in the geography
whose location you are uncertain of, and
if you have n biographical dictionary,
read up all the characters spo:tcn Of in
your school or reading books.
OF course you will play and sew and
hel your mothers about the houscwork,
learning how to do everything; but when
you go to school, dom. waste yOur time 4;
when you study don't dawdc over your
book, but study in earnest aud with =
purpose 10 learn.
In few years from now, when you are
grown, there will be intelligent men look
ing for intelligent wives. You all know
that women who arc both nmiablc and
cultivated, even il their faces arc plain,
needn't be old muids unless they choose
to bc. One word is enough here. You
know, too, that bright, gifted, intellectual
men and women are rarely descended
from stupid, ignorant, unaspiring parents.
Now, girls, try and sec how much and
how thoroughly you will learn your les
SONS and what excellent little women you
will be. Write to us and let lis know how
you are getting along in your studies nud
otherwise. Perhaps VIC can help you over
the hard placcs.-N. y. Tribune.