Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1892-08-19
SOWING TARES.

Keep Your Mind Filled with Good and
Helpful Thoughts, Dear Girls.
Mature abhors vacuum" is so trite
a saying that we sometimes miss its
meaning. Now every wide-awake girls
head is sure to be filled with thoughts
and plans of some kind. Did you ever
look over a company of girls in the
school-room and wonder of what they
all were thinking? And do you sup
pose that if magical slide could in
some way be thrown back and disclose
the subjects that are occupying each
girls mind, that either thinker or in
vestigator would be surprised at the
revelation?
A few weeks ago it was said of pref
ty young Lena Sothern that she had
run away and married Jack Halford
the handsome, dissipated son of the
richest man in town. Everyone said:
"Why a pity! Lena has only her pref
tv face. Jack is idle and thriftless, and
with all his money can not make a good
husband"
Lena knew all about Jacks habits
What led her to make such terrible
mistake and bring upon herself almost
| certain unhappiness?
Now, as a rule, girls mistakes come
| from one of two causes-cither she has
| disregarded her good mothers advice
| and selfiShly followed her own inclina-
ton, or else she has had no good mother
| to guide her and SO has stumbled into
| misfortune. In this case, though
Lena had plenty of good advice and
plenty of inducements TO do right
from teachers and friends outside,
yet her mother was one of those
sweet, amiable women who believe in
giving children happy time by allow
ing them to do exactly as they please.
81 will not force Lena to work out of
school hours, and she need not study il
1t makes her head ache" said the
mother.
| "Ny mother doesn't ask me to make
beds or dust the rooms She says that
will have care enough when ] get
older" boasted the daughter to girl
friend who could not accept her invita-
ton for a promenade because of house
hold tasks, on Saturday morning.
And the friend went home in dis
contented frame of mind because she
must be shut up in the house this bright
May day and perform tasks which she
hated, while Lena Sothcrn was out en-.
| joying herself in the bright sunshine.
Now, Lena's mind was naturally
quick and her disposition active. She
had keen eye for the beautiful, and
deft fingers She had also voice OF
unusual sweetness and a natural fond
ness for reading. But no one insisted
that she should improve her oppor
tunities by taking pains with her music
in school, by reading good books, OIL
cultivating the sweet graces of charity
and because no one insisted, and be
cause with most of us the tendency is
to adopt the easiest and most conven'
lent occupation for our leisure hours
rather than the most improving, Lena
began to spend her time in making
pretty dresses and hats, and grew
fonder of being called the most stylish
girl in town. Novels of no literary
merit, utterly frivolous and useless in
tone, in which the heroine was always
young and beautiful and had impossi-
BILE adventures, became her delight. Oh
course school duties grew distasteful
and almost ignored.
And so 1t happened that just because
| tJ,o J,,r rr;,.l'c ,,,inl hoA not hoaD RllaI
up with healthful thoughts, and kept
from dangerous idleness, and because
she had never tried to cultivate an &C
complishment or anything beside her
own foolish fancies, and because, not
being restrained at home, she dis
regarded the counsels of her guardians
outside the home circle, poor Lena
Sothern lost, with her change of name
the prospect of happiness for many a
year, if not for life.
II is not hardship for a girl TO be
called upon to assist regularly in home
| ly household duties so necessary to the
comfort of the family, and espe
cially valuable because they bege,
a habit of performing regular
useful service for others Honest liv
ing makes honest thinking. A field that
is not sown with grain of some othel
useful product, has very aggravatinl
way of giving place to a luxuriant croI
of weeds, useless and unsightly. AnC
heart acts in precisely the same way
Sow in it plenty of good seeds, ant
keep the ground in good condition, anC
its possibilities are almost innumera BILE
But neglect it, let the tares or the stral
seeds of uselesa or frivolous thoughts
get Judgement, and your harvest maj
bring lifelong regret.-Helen Mar