The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1889-08-16
GIRLS COMPANY
Care IN Choosing 1t of the Great
est Importance.

Dear girls, what kind of com panv do
you keep? We are. l suppose, all
more or less fond of thinking and
speaking of our individuality. Some
times it would almost seem as though
we thought we stood alone, an utterly
unique species of man or woman kind;
while the fact is we are, every one of
US. a cOnglomeration of ourselves and
every body we come in contact with.
There viii. undoubtedly, always re-
main 10 us some traits of character
and expressions Of features, some hab-
its Of motion and tricks Of movement.
that are individually and permanently
ours But even these are often
changed in a great degree by our sur
roundlngs and habits OF life and
thought, or, l should say, thought and
life, since life is 4 direct result OF
thought And TO what IS thought due?
Largely TO those among whom we
live and move and have our being
Now, girls, you viii see at once that
since lie Is the direct result Of
thought, and thought IS due largely TO
those among whom we move. that we
should be extremely careful about our
companions and associates.
Some one has wIttily and wisely re
marked that "A man is known by the
company he keeps-out of" You may
be placed in a position where you can
not secure good companions. but you
viii never be placed where you can not
be alone; and better. a thousand times, %
IS solitude and loneliness than unfit
CON r-Tas4r 4raT.r ~
tremely few people who can not get a
good book for a companion when they
Will.
The man or woman who iirts, and
tries to convince you that flirting is
right; who laughs at you when you
declare that you do not care TO tamper
with any pastime that even nlay do
harmi who assures you every one
must take care of himself" and you
need not be looking out for every
body who makes a sin seem like
something that perhaps is foolish,
but pleasantly foolish, not wrong, is
one whose company you should keep
out Of The companion who assures
you that you may daily with tempta-
ton and sin (and ! call all things sin
which blunt ones finer instincts and
make him more readily degraded),
that you may be something less than
pure, a little loss than white-hearted,
is one whose company you had better
dispense with.
Those who habitually use slang, or
take the fine edge of of language by
vulgarisms, are people with whom we
~
Those who are low in mind. habit or
expression, whether this lowness
shows itself in well-chosen language
or coarse words, should not be our
friends or companions.
Now it seems to me l hear
some of ''our girls say: why, the
sort Of people .of which you have
spoken could have no influence over
me! might be in the presence of one of
them every day for weeks, and be just
as much of a woman as am how.
We can not be harmed by those we
despiser'
Now, girls, wish could take each
one of you by the hand and look into
your eyes, while assure you that if
you take up that line of argument,
and conform to it in action, you are
very likely to die" that is, die to
much that is essential to your well be-
ing, "for want Of knowledge" The
fact is eUery one with whom you come
in contact has an influence, recognized
or unrecognized, over you.
l wish every school above the in
was obliged to teach ono
hi inrr fah L Il
namely, that two minds
can not come in contact without one
leaving an influence upon the other.
The law in this case is as certain, un-
varying and inevitable as the law of
gravitation. The fact that few peo-
pie, comparatively, understand that
such law exists, or the workings of
Il, does not make it less a fact. You
think you can not be influenced by one
whom you despise? The fact that
thousands of people are going down to
terrible depths every year, under the
influence of people they once despised,
but in whose company they dared to
inger, proves that people are in
iuenced by those for whom they can
never have respect
Again and again it is proved that
discretion is the better part of
galor" How often we hear remarks
ike this: II can not understand why
Miss So-and-so is so fascinated by such
a man or woman. She used to seem
ike such a nice girl" And the speak
ers can not understand, because they
do not understand the inevitable law
Of attraction. the power Of mind over