San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1886-09-30
Talks with Girls.
BY AUNT PATIENCE.

20, mirth and innocence D, milk and
water!
Ye happy mixtures of more happy daysl'
So September comes again, with its mel
lowed sunshine and lovely harvest moon.
With its return Sweet Sixteen goes of to
to boarding-school. Dear little bright-eyed
Sixteen my heart yearns over you with
anxious sympathies. You are going to be
so homesick, the first two weeks. After
that, you will settle down to few days of
hard study, until you find bosom friend
who will keep you supplied with taffy and
apples, and lead you into all manner of
prauks. Then, fear, you will study less
and less, but "have good time" gener-
ally. All, girls, have good time while
you can, is Aunt Patience's doctrine. Life
has but one May, and though its summer
follows, it is full of noontide cares and vex-
ations. And yet let me whisper in your
ear the old maxim, that the most priced Joy
is that most dearly bought, and no "good
times" will seem half 80 good as those
earned by tho patient fulfllment of some
previous duty. Does it ever occur to you,
happy, care-free. thoughtless girls, TINT
Just as the butterfly bursts from his prison
web, you will wake up some bright June
morning and find yourselves, diploma in
hand, women emancipated from the
chrysalis condition of the schoolgirl. and
supposed to be all equipped for the battle of
life. "What is the battle of life ?" you
turn and ASK with laughing eyes shining be-
meath your bangs and frizzes. "What is it,
that il should be SO serious thing to wake
up some morning, freed from all the mis-
cries of school life, and the monotonous
routine of endless tasks" Only this-that
you then enter upon the arena of for more
difficult tasks, compared to which these are
as nothing.
Let me entreat you to commence the du-
ties OF the new scholastic year with some
distinct purpose to excel, to fit yourselves
by thorough culture of mind, body and
heart, for the greater tasks of life that will
surely overtake you. ifyou live long enough.
Dear girls don't think Aunt Patience prosy
no one is so dear to her heart
as Sweet Sixteen. One must always regret
that law which renders IL necessary that kit
tens should spoil into cats and bright, joyous
schoolgirls develop into the crystalized be-
ings denominated young ladies' but since
this must be, would fain send you forth
to the fray With sword a1d shield.
Ann tp study with some object in view
besides The coveted sheepskin, my Sweet
sixteen--a high object, the best prepara-
ton Of yourself for that mysterious and un-
developed future that awaits you Such
as will make you "perfect wo-
men, nobly planned -, does not necessarily |
require you to avoid all schoolgirl fun snd
froIc. On the contrary, honest work must /
be followed by honest play, II We Tonid OBJ
ain the most satisfactory results. What
soever thy hand fndeth TO do. do Il with
by might, whether il be work OF play.
Scorn TO render in bad lessons and slipshod /
not only ont Of compassion for
Tour long-sufering teachers, but for the /
axe Of your own seif-respeot; remembering
hat your single purpOss AZ school j. 10 ff
yourselves to become. in the noblsst sense,
Tonen- Then. honest work having been pa
iently performed, have al the fun you can.
nd eni-y every gholesone sweet which
au Be glssned upon hfe's way. /,
''Y0z are gathering. Just nov, iifs'sko1ey,
ny bee. u
Let ne III Jon. THE sweetest you ever
wil see-
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