The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1886-10-27
What Can SIlo Do.
By Il. Il.

IL seeuS llIIlo SIFAuSc IuaL RlrlS
will talk more freely and express
their real thoughts and aspirations
more frankly TO friend than to their
parents. The mature woman, who
has the confidence Of her girl neigh.
bors, has a wonderful Influence either
for good or evil. Not long ago,
jolly sort of girl, with no symptoms
of serious thought, in rambling let.
ter to me said:
. My dear friend, ! am not at all
satisfied with myself and what am
doing. Here am, nearly a woman,
and I know little and have little in.
fluence, and when 1 look out towards
the tscenties, which will soon be here,
l feel like was just no account. To
make life worth living, / am sure I
will have to be throughly alive to all
the social and other influences of my
neighborhood, but then 1 feel so
cramped-there is 80 little for me to
do-that l almost give up sometimes
and make up uy mind just to drift
with every tide. What shall do ?
What can I do p
Now this is spoken with frank.
ness that this girl would hardly use
towards her mother. for that is q way
these girls have. The mother looks
on her forward, eightecn.year old
girl as careless sort Of child and
does not give her credit for her full
worth. No one is quicker to perceive
that than the girl, and then a sort of
off shncss springs up and the girl
either ponders her secret thoughts
and hopes in her heart, or else she
runs to some friend Of the same age
and pours out her woes and her
wants. Now and then she wisely
goes to an elderly woman who has
raised girls and has not forgotten her
own childhood. But going back to
the questions Of my friend it will
require one of more experience and
wisdom than myself to advise her
what to do. If she expects, however,
to be entirely satisfied with herself
and her work, she will find herself
mistaken. Those who are satisfied,
have little thought and no ambition.
This young friend evidently has
both. If her lot should place her in
a log cabin when the tauenties arc
reached, she will strive to make it
the most attractive cabin in the neigh.
hnrhond, Unless her spirit is broken
and subdued, she will make a good
leader one of these days if she does
not get spoiled. That is one of the
dangers that young women have to
meet-that of being spoiled. 1t comes
about in various ways. Too much
book education and two little knowl-
edge of the world often puffs one up
and gives an air Of superiority. BE.
ing the only girl in family, or being
educated apart from the neighbors,
is not the best way to develop all
that is good in one. Knowing a lit.
tie more than the other children, or
neighbors Of the same age, will spoil
some people, 1t is unfortunate for
girl to be an oracle in her own fam.
lily or neighborhood. You see she
has no one to correct her mistakes
and her self:assured ways soon be.
come unbearable. She has nothing
to learn, as she already knows it all.
If this young friend can keep from
being spoiled, she may be able to
make some headway in the right
direction.
Then she has an earnest desire to
have good influence. Now no one
ever does that without settled opin.
ions and these come only from
clear and continuous thought. The
thoughtless have no opinions; they
have only ways, and they are gen.
orally bad ways. Then this thing
of influence comes from character
more than from deeds. Yet both
should be united. 1t should be un.
conscious. True worth is always
modest, and the good woman is
humble. She never boasts and
never repines and grumbles at
things that cannot be helped. Sup.
pose our friend lives out in somo
country home with few neighbors
here and there. She must not sit
down and say: "Well, if l was in a
town. I could do something, and
people would find out what is in me.n
That is where she makes a mistake.
The grown up girl is expected to
take charge Of the home decorations
and the flower yard. During the
leisure hours Of the day, she might
select choice paragraphs from papers
and books to amuse and instruct
the younger children. Then little
missionary work in the cooks cabin
would not be amiss. The tenants
houses could be visited and the
women taught how to make the old
dirt.stained walls look really nice.
Then on Sunday good work could be
done in the Sunday School and the
little children might be called to.