Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1891-11-19
AN OBJECT IN LIFE.
A Little Talk with Girls on This Im-
portant Subject.


him, during his school and college life
the trade or profession which he ex-
poets to practice in his manhood.
While yet very young, the boy talks
about what he is going to be, and the
boys father begins to plan and save
and order his own business that he
may give his boy a good start, when
the junior is still in knee pants, orplay-
ing ball on the sidewalk with the
neighbors' boys The result is, that
manliness is developed in the growing
boy at a very early period in his
career, and he feels the pulsations
of the future before the first faint
shadow of a mustache dawns on
the sturdy upper lip, which is to
brace itself by and by to meet the ups
and downs of fortune. The boy shares
his fathers anxieties and enters into
his fathers ambitions; and the boys
companions. preceptors, and everybody
else who has to do with him, assume
that he is in the busy world with pur-
pose; that he must be energetic,
thorough and equipped at all points
for the struggle of life.
| MS Is Tie ldhnlOH Ol anu
talking, when boys are in question.
How is it with you, dear girls2 l am
afraid that you are less impressed with
| the idea that you too are to take your
place, and bear your share, and lend
hand in the work that is going on. !
don't feel very much inclined TO blame
You, If this is the case, for everybody
in your home and in your neighbor-
hood, until very lately, has behaved as
if you had nothing higher to hope in
life than to be an ornament; as if you
were to be petted and indulged and
made of as little practical use as pos
sible
If ! were girl to-day, would set
before myself an object in life, and
would give my father and mother no
rest until they should consent to let
me fit myself seriously and thoroughly
for this end. Simply that you may
make the most Of yourself, and gain
noble womanly character, 1t is impor-
tant that you should have the independ-
ence that comes of being able to do
something which the world wants, and
will pay for. Now, every girl, and
every girls mother, too, knows that the
weak point in our sex is in our quick
ness. We have an almost fatal facility
in catching the general idea of thing.
and, because of this, we are tempted to
be superficial. John plods away labor
iously, while Jenny snatches a thing at
a glance. 1t is the old fable of the hare
and the tortoise over again, and In the
r., 49,
youth and middle age, the tortoise is
the winner.
There are so many paying occupa-
tions open to the girl of this period that
it is worth her while to select one. and
study it from the alphabet to that stage
in which she may practice it with ease
and skill, going onward thence TO the
ever-receding ideal of perfection. For
instance, l can count on the fingers of
one hand the names of those women
who are able to command the highest |
prices as illustrators of books; and this
in the face of the fact that the publish
ers are on the alert to discover and pay
the best artists and that the public |
clamoEs for pictures in its papers and |
books. Yet there are literally thou
sands of girls studying art in one
branch or another 1t is very discour-
aging to present a clever girl friend to
the man who manages the art bust
ness of a great firm, asking him
whether there is any chance for
her work fin his department, and
then, after the pause of grave,
kind. critical scrutiny is over. to see
him shake his head, with the remark:
THE drawing shows promise. but the
young lady needs to study long while
yet" 1t is the exceptional girl who is
not hurt at this rebuff, and who willing
ly settles down to the long, severe study
which is the condition of success But
that girl, by and by, will succeed. and
be in the enviable position of the per
son who has more to do than he can
undertake.
Since the typewriter was introduced
many girls have learned its mysteries.
and have found themselves in great de-
nand- But business men paw these
Toung women, as yet, no higher COM
oliment than to say of one: "She works
ike man. She does clean work She
lsks no favors." Every girl ought to
10 such thorough work that people
hould reverse this order of speech and
ay: 'She works like woman"
Even the little girl, still in the COM
non school may prepare herself for her I
uture vocation, by being diligent,
lrompt ar rlf-rel'- in her regular I
ehool We he DALI tasks of SPELL {
ng, Of 6 .4.Ic-. of writing, of COM :
'osition will ali help you forward. il
gu never slight them. il you do your e
est every time, so t'nt you may be de-
ended upon. All things considered. 1
ntieipate that the girl will be a better y
ousekeeper and homemaker when she :
rows up, if she be at the top and not a
{ the bottom of her classes in school.
idelitv neatuexs and diena4.h *a11 n