Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1889-05-30
GIRLS COMPANY.
Care in Choosing It of the Great
est Importance.

Dear girls, what kind OF company do
you keep We are, l suppose, all
moro 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 will, undoubtedly, always re-
main TO 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 great degree by our sur
roundlngs and habits OF life and
thought, or, should say, thought and
life, since life is 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 will see at once that
since life 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 wlttily and wisely re-
marked that IA 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
will never be placed where you can not
be alone; and better, thousand times,
is solitude and loneliness than unfit
companionship. And there are ex-
tremely few people who can not get a
good book for companion when they
will.
The man or woman who flirts, 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 may do
harm; who assures you ''every one
must take care of himself" and you
''need not be looking out for every
body;" who makes sin seem like
something that perhaps is foolish,
but pleasantly foolish, net 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, little less than white-hearted,
is one whose company you had better
dispense with.
Those who habitualy use slang, or
take the fine edge off OF language by
vulgarisms, are people with whom we
should converse as little as possible.
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! l might be in the presence of one Of
them every day for weeks, and be just
as much of woman as / am how.
We can not be harmed by those We
despiselh
Now, girls, l wish l could take each
one of you by the hand and look into
your eyes, while l assure you that i
you take up that line of argument
and conform TO it in action, you are
very likely to die" that is, die tt
much that is essential to your well be
ing, 'for want of knowledge" Tn,
fact is eUery one with whom you com,
in contact has an influence, recognized
or unrecognized. over you.
/ wish every school above the in
termediate was obliged to teach one
thing which comes under the head o
metaphysics; namely, that two mind'
can not come in contact without ont
leaving an influence upon the other
The law in this case is as certain, un
varying and inevitable as the law o
crayitation. The fact that few PEG
pie. comparatively, understand tina
such a law exists. or the workings o
II. does not make it less fact 1o'
think you can not be Influenced by on'
whom you despise? The fact tina
thousands of people are going down t
terrible depths every year, under tbs
influence Of people they once despised
but in whose company they dared Z
linger. proves that people ave in
flueneed by those for whom they Cal
never have respect