The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-05-13

womanhood that young man can
form in his impressionable days will
prove none too high for him in his
years of maturity. To be true to the
best that is within man means. above
all, to be an earnest believer in the very
best qualities of womanhoOd. Let him
take by inference that there are two
types of women, the good and the bad.
But he will be wiser and happier if he
associate only with the former. There
are hundreds of good women in this
world to every one of the contrasting
element. No young man has, there
fore, a valid excuse for seeking the
| latter.
A broad view of life means the cul-
tivation of mind that can take in
every part of the horizon of the truest
living; that can see good in everything;
that accepts the good and rejects, not
investigates, the bad. Leave that to
some one else to do The outlook from
the wheel house of an ocean steamer is
far better than it is from the stoke
hole. Curiosity may lead some people
to 60 down and look into the stoke.
holes of life, but take my word for it,
you will find the atmosphere purer and
the vision clearer If you stay in the
wheel-house. TO see ''the wheels 90
round" is very instructive thing to
do in directions where the motive is a
good one, prompted by lofty ideas.
But some ''wheels'' are far better un-
seen. Satisfy a healthy curiosity al
ways, but shun the other kind. There
is no satisfaction to be had, and man
whose curiosity overcOmeS him is al
ways disgusted with the poor return he
receives for his trouble.
The young man who reaches man.
hood without a knowledge of the dark
and vicious side of human nature is far
better off than the one who has seen it.
He will lose nothing by not having
seen it; not an ounce less of respect
will be meted out to him. But he will
feel prouder himself, and men will re-
spect him infinitely more for the
strength of his will-power.
The great trouble with young men
nowadays is that their ideas are alto
gether too much influenced by a few
unfortunate examples of apparent sue
cess which are prOminent-tOo promi-
nent, alas-in American life today.
These examples-for the most part rep
resenting politicians regarded in
the eyes of the world as successful
That is, they are talked about inces.
sanity; interviewed by reporters; they
buy lavish diamonds for their wives
and build costly houses-aIl duly re.
ported in the newspapers-and young
men read these things and ask them
selves, eff he can, why not I?" Then
they begin to look around for some
''short cut to success" as one young
fellow expressed it to me not long since.
And it is precisely through this method
of "cutting across lots" in business that
scores of young men find themselves,
after while, completely baffled. How
often we see some young man in busi-
ness, representative of the very quail.
ties that should win success. Every
one agrees that he is brilliant "He is
clever" is the general verdict. He i'm
presses one well in his manner, he is
thoroughly businesslike, is energetic,
and yet, somehow or other, he never
seems to get into a place and stick
there. People wonder at it, and excuse
it on the ground that he hasn't quite
found his right place. But some day
the secret is explained. eyes, he is
clever" says some old business man,
"but do you know he isn't-well, he
isn't just safew "Just safe!' How
much that expresses; how clearly that
defines hundreds and hundreds of the
smartest young men in business today
He is everything else-but he isn't
"quite safe!' He is not dishonest in
any way, but he is, what is equally as
} bad, not quite reliable. To attain sue.
cess he has, in other words, tried to
"cut across lots" And rainbow chas.
ing is really very cOmmendable bust.
ness in comparison to young mans