Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1895-01-03

that her heart is made of wood. 1t does
not matter how many cases of unhappy
marriages she refers to and rejoices
that she has escaped a similar lot In
her souls secret chamber lies the slow
ly dying dream Of happy married life
Every girl is born into the world with
this dream in her breast, and when it
dies there is a grave in her heart. In
stead Of putting thorns on that grave,
why not seek to cover it with roses of
thoughtful deeds and protecting kind
ness? ELLA WHEELER WILCOX.
SIDE TALKS WITH GIRLS.
Aunt Polly Discusses the Advantages Of
Country and City Life.
A country girl wrote to Aunt Polly
the other day and asserted that she
could no longer stand the humdrum life
of the farm. She wanted more life and
more money. She had saved hundred
dollars from her egg and chicken money,
and she was coming to the city to learn
typewriting Aunt Polly couldn't help
thinking how many girls there are like
this one, bright ambitious. willing to
work hard, but with such mistaken
ideas of city life and opportunities.
And she would like to say to these
others as she said to this one-be very
sure you can do better in the city before
you give up the country home, with its
abundance of good, wholesome food and
fresh air, its unlimited quantities of
blue sky and green fields and flowers
and trees. These are all such COM
mon blessings that the girl in the coun-
try never sees them, but to the country
girl in the city they become most pre-
cious because they are almost unattaina-
BILE
Of course the city gives greater oppor-
tunities for intellectual culture. There
are free libraries and concerts and art
museums and lectures on almost every
subject worth knowing about that are
free or nearly so. There are always in
cidental expenses to affect these advan-
tages, however, and it seems to Aunt
Polly in these days of university extern
sion lectures, magazine clubs and cheap
books that moderately small town Of
fers comparatively greater opportunities.
If the country girl will spend as much
on books and magazines and lectures in
the nearest town as she will in car fare
in New York, for instance, she will find
herself a very well informed young
woman.
1t will be long time before she can
safely claim dozen friends or acquaint-
ances in the city. In the country she
knows everybody. Why shouldn't she
organize magazine club? Each mem
Der of the club you know subscribes for
a different periodical. When you have
read yours, you give it to the person
next in the circle and receive one from
some one else. The exchange is kept up
until each periodical has been in the
hands of each member. At the end of
the year the magazines may be auctioned
off and the money used to buy books as
nucleus for a circulating library
Reading circles are also among the pos
sibilities for the country girl if she will
use little of her surplus energy.
Aunt Polly wonld like to say to the
girls who want to come to the city,
don TT but they wouldn't heed the
advice, of course. Girls who have been
in the city only on the occasional excur-
sion, when they see only its pleasant
side, know nothing Of the real state of
affairs. They reason that where so
much business is done there must be
many opportunities for employment
It's only question of visiting large
enough number of places. They leave
out of their reckoning the larger num-
Der of people looking for work. Some
times they have remarkably distorted
ideas of the ease with which work is OBJ
tanned in the city Aunt Polly heard a
little story the other day that illustrates
this. Everybody knows about Miss Rich
and her efforts to help working women.
The other morning bright looking girl
called ON her She had come down ON
the early train from Herkimer, she said.
She had heard how good Miss Rich was
to girls who worked, and she would be
much obliged if Miss Rich would get
her job by tomorrow morning. though
she would prefer to have it this after
noonl Miss Herkimer seemed to have an
idea that all Miss Rich had to do was to
touch button. and number of jobs
would come walking in and say: Here
we are. Take your choice. F" And that's
a true story
AS a matter Of fact, the good positions
are not given to strangers. They are
not to be found in answer to advertise
ments. There are always half dozen
people waiting anxious to step into q
really good position. The country girl
who comes a stranger will find difficult
ty in getting into the very lowest place.
What puzzles Aunt Polly most, how
ever, is why the ambitious country girl
doesn't try to make something out Of
the material at hand. If she can save a
hundred dollars from the sale Of eggs
and chickens, why can't she make more
by improving her henhouses and the
breed of her chickens and encourage
them to lay by studying up their needs
and reading up ON the subject? Why, if
the men folks are raising big crops,
shouldn't she have the sunny e--posure
near the house and expend that hundred
uOlldis Ill GLASS 1IdAutss uAuCA WAAOA
she can raise early garden sass?" And
why not exercise the energy and enter
prise she shows in her determination to
come to the city in disposing of her
wares? Why shouldn't she have her
market wagon, as neat and tidy as her
self, and drum up route Of customers
by calling with samples of her produce?
She will get her hands dirty, of
course, and this may not sound genteel
Soap, hot water and lemon juice will
remedy the former. Nobody thinks
about the gentility Of an avocation now
adays, at least no one known to
AUNT POLLY.
1t is pointed to as an instance of what
women can do without suffrage that the
women Of Kentucky defeated Breckin-
ridge. Yes. but if they had had votes
they could have done it with quarter