The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-02-23
EVERY DAY.
One KNOW SuCn DOyI
Geo. Cooper. in Golden Days.

| OABs
| The Things That Seem Hardest for the
Young to Bear Often Prove Their Great
est Help in Later Years.
There comes time in every boys
and girls life when the duties required
of them seem irksome, unnecessary and
even cruel. They get out of all SYM
| pathy with their lives at home, and feel
themselves ill-used or unappreciated.
This feeling comes generally when
marbles, top and velocipede, dolls and
childs books and amusements, have
| lost all attractions. The father and
mother feel that it is quite time that at
least limited amount of work and re-
sponsibility take the place and time OF
the outgrown toys. Here and there we
find boy or girl who cheerfully &C
cepts the change, who puts on the new
duties and responsibilities as they would
the long dress in place of the short one,
or the long trousers in place of the
| knickerbockers; but the majority of
boys and girls feel themselves martyrs
| if they are compelled to do certain
things that min stcr to the family life
and comfort. They go to school every
day willingly, and perform their duties
there more or less faithfully. If they
were asked "Why?" they would be sur
prised at the question. "E lucation was
necessary. A man or woman could not
amount to any thing if they did not
have an education Of some sort. OF
course they would go to school. to pre-
pare for being men and women in the
worldm
The education out of school is some
times far more valuable for living than
any acquired in school. Mis- Alcott,
just before she died, wrote "Recollec-
tions of My Childhood" for the Youths
Companion. Many of you. no doubt,
have read it. She tells, in her own de-
lightful way, of the naughty pranbs OF
her childhood, the thoughts and feel
ings of her girlhood. In describing
the family life after the return to Bos-
ton, she says:
"Anna soon found little pupils, and
trudged away each morning to her
daily task, pausing mt the corner to
wave her hand to me in answer to my
salute with the buster. My father went
to his classes at his room down town,
mother to her all-absorbing poor. the
little girls to school, and l was left to
keep house, feeling like a Gagged sea-
gull as l washed dishes and cooked in
the basement kitchen. where my pros
pect was limited to q procession of
muddy boots"
Could any girl live life that caused
more self-sacrifice than this? With
Miss Alcotts intense love for all things
beautiful, love of the freedom of out
door life, every minute must have been
n trial. What does she say Of it? Good
drill, but very hard" 1t was that very
experience, no doubt, that enabled Miss
Alcott to write Polly" story that
has made little economies noble to hum
dreds OF girls. 1t is so hard for us to
learn that every day is just prepara-
ton for the day to follow, that we can
not separate our lives into pigeon
holes numbered from one to three hun
dred and siXty-fve, or into groups of
twelve, or separate years from each
other. Life is like ii building having
several parts but all under one roof,
and to be symmetrical, sound. beauti-
full, every part must bear its right re-
latiou to every other part.
Sometimes the things that seemed
hardest for us to bear will prove our
greatest help when we become men or
women.
The writer, when twelve years old,
wanted dress of a certain kind. The
woman who acted the part of mother to
her told her she could have it if she
would make it. Such proposition
staggered her, and all thought of the
dress was given up. During the week
she was sitting under tree making a
polonaise for her doll; she thought: "If
/ can make clothes for my doll that fit
and look pretty, why should not make
clothes for MYSELF" She ran into the
house at once and announced that she
would make the dress if she could have
the materials They were bought and
carried to her room, and there was
fought tremendous battle. The skirt
of the dress was sewed on and ripped
of thirteen times before it was pro
nounced right. During the week the
little girl cried oceans of tears, it
seemed to her, and she felt that all
kindness and goodness had gone out of
life. Years after, when she was @ wo-
man, it became necessary for her to
earn money, and the first money she
earned was for making u dress for g
rich, kind woman. If she had not
learned to work for herself, depend on
herself, she would have been helpless
| when necessity came. Like Miss Al