The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1895-05-10
CONCERNING SELFISHNESS.

Someu here in one of his short stories
Jerome X. jerome affirms that selstih-
ness is the root of ambition. In our
reading books at school we were charg-
ed to s'fling away ambition;' since
those halcyon days of youth, our ears
have grown accustomed to ambition
is the root Of all evil . And now
Jerome comes forward and explains
why.
Leaving this bright young man out
Of the question, selfishness is an un-
misieat d sin. VIII n woman elbows
her way through crowd at the station
to insure her getting the best seat on
the train, the old first law Of nature,
preservation, ought to assert itself
in the elbows OF every one in the crowd
and serve as an etfec ual barrier to
keep her in the rear | don't known
! that woman SINS more than her brother
in this way for selfshness is IA vice
that is confined to neither the brave
nor the fair.
There are so many ways in which it
is shown. Who is selfish if not the
wait-a-minute kind of Il man: Wait
the breakfast because turned over for
Just one more wink of sleep Make
The stenosrapher wait for her letters
till $50 and then lis ideas being we'll
collected. die ate half dozen for her to
finish before 6p m. lie owes the doctor
a littl- bill. also his tailor, but they
can wait little: he has a way of in
VISITING that money. His wife watts the
dinner while he butonholes Jones on the
corner for a half hours discussion OF
the way those lawmakers at Washing
ton diily-dailv over their work. lie
was deaf to Jones hint of an enga re-
ment to dinner. This wait-a-mlnute
man was the origin Of that old joke
where the best man told the minister
to wait the ceremony till the groom
arrived. and the poor divine actual y
had to set his watch back 10 minutes
on the wedding day Tue raj way
Officials, however, had not been fore-
warned, hence the brid Il couple MISS
ed the train causing tears, a perma-
lure quarrel and much amusement to
the wait-a-minu' man. friends.
Now Mollie is qui'e as bad. Wouldn't
dare tell you how many m nu'es she
kept Frank walking his clipped horse
up aud down in front Of the house the
other day. while she fastened her vail
in most bewithing style before she
went on her sleighride. Her mo, hers
remonstrinc IS were met with a CHEEKY
laugh and so. Frank used to wait
ing for me; he don mind. | thought
never mind what | thought; what
do YOU think? And don't suppose
Mollie would be selfish about anything
for the world.
It was another Mollie who made a
business appointment wi h lawyer
and carelessly allowed him to wait a
quarter Of an hour for her. She lost
a lucrative position thereby; and |
should like to be able to add after the
fashion of the morals in the stories of
othel days, 'She was never behind
time again" This | cannot do.
There's that thorn in the side, the
borrowing person-if he were not
selfish would he borrow: Don't you
feel like running down a side street
to escape him? Why shou d he be
continually hard up more than you:
His salary is quite us good, and if he
spends it in riotons living. why should
you help him pay his landlady or buy
his children shoes: Perhaps he doesn t
borrow money, but rather your dress
suit, your white satin tie, your overcoat
or cherry-colored kid gloves. If you
lend these furnishings, don't expect
them return d in good condition. No
borrower is careful of other people s
property.
Sometimes borrowing girl does not
return the book, stationery, postage
stamps, crackers, cooking utensils
tablescarf. even Undertaking that is
lent her. She is deserving Of the name
of thief, though | think she is really
only selfish and careless. Perhaps you
think some of these articles are never
borrowed or lent. | will ask you to
sp7nd six months as student in a
woman's college to find what things
would come under that head; nei her
your Bible mol your bed spring would
come in the list. Possibly your tooth
brush might, though were we speak
ing of certain college student it
would no.. Not long since a little
Wellesley girl apologized for her lack
Of sofa pillows, explaining that she
had lent two TO a -classmate who was
having a spread and the girl across the
corridor borrowed Jheot her in October
and hadn't returned it. sShe borrow.
ed my hairbrnsh this morning." she
added, with a faint grimace.
Emerson, the serene age, had some-
thing to say of this borrowing. at is
best to pay scot and lot as we &C
along. The borrower runs in his own
debt. He may soon come to see thai
he had better have broken his own
bones than to have ridden in his
neighbours coach, and that the high
est price he can pay for thing is to
ask for it. For every benefit we re-
ceive tax is levied
And there is that selfish person who
10 di ways lOlStttlllS hlililS dii ltuN :
ing them behind. 1t is bit of a
nuisance to have to 90 about the house
gathering up your visitors belongings
and send them following her by ex-
press. When she was with you some
one was continually running back for
her handkerchief, gloves or fan. This
kind of a girl is APT to lose her things
and ca her relatives aud friends 10
end of time and DO her hunting up
the missing tickets, keys, chicks,
capes, umbrellas, parcels aud pocket
books she scatters abroad so promis-
cuously She is the most generous
person in the world at heart but
when think of this habit Of hers | m
tempted to call her also the most
selfish.
All. me. let us beware, Let us live
with more care and more thought for
the rights of others and the value OF
tIma For uac II tboca oara1acc