The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1899-04-21
of heaven upon earth.

| the highest motives, anu iOItlcSt aSplla-
i tions can make themselves so intensely
,lisarrceahle that the work and the
worker get cordially disliked.
Some people think there is certain
bracing quality in being disagreeable.
Il always speak the truth, is phrase
we hear over and over again from the
best of womcn-the best. but not the
most tactful IL gave her 4 bit Of my
mind" but why should it always be
the most disagrccablc bit? Why should
not the truth be gently and kindly
spoken; why burted out into the face
of some shrinking woman recipient;
why not left unspokcn at times where
it can do no good and can but act as q
salve to the speakers conscience? Why
say for instance. without previous de-
liberation or thought. to some friend
engaged in a work that absorhs her
life: My dear Miss c.. You are taking
an immense deal of trouble about the
subject in which yon are interested.
but really it is very unimportant, and
it is a pity YOU should waste so much
time over it; do not think YOU know
how little Importance it bears just out
side Your own circle" Poor Miss C..
gives a shivcr. goes home to reflect
upon. not her own shortcomings, but
the usclcssncss of her object in life,
loses heart. works badly, and becomes
n failure: or she may give way to 4
burst of undigniiied passion that Is not
in keeping with the career she has
mapped out for herself On another
day Mrs s finds her very low and de-
jected, or hurt and revengeful, and
starts at the recollection of her own
words spoken in the pride and strength
of her own achievements. She has
ruined life, but she only spoke the
truth as she thought it should be
spoken.
Again, Miss b. is very anxious to
start some work on her own account;
she is just settling in a provincial town,
and believes that she will there find an
opening for the philanthropic effort
which she has at heart. She has made
her plans, and, full ofvigor and energy,
is about to begin, when an old resident
of the town (Mr. A.) calls upon her
and wishes to draw Miss B. attention
to the fact that the same kind of
scheme already exists in the town;
that the two would overlap, would i'm
poverish one another; that, in fact, the
newer scheme is hardly needed But
Miss b., "pride in her port, defiance in
her eye urges that her scheme must
be the better; it is more matured;
more up to date; has the benefit of her
own vast experience. Mr.. A. humbly
suggests cooperation, That is too
much for Miss b.! Assured of her
own powers and the splendor OF her
own scheme, she advises Mr. A. to let
the work, to which he has given
some Of the best years of his life, die a
natural death, as she will not give way
no. it would be against her principles,
against all that she has held and
taught for years. SO the older charity
goes to the wall Some may be deeply
wounded; others we'll nigh ruined in
the process. The little town is divided
by strife and contention; there are two
factions that will never he united.
Miss b. has won the day-but at what
cost! The amenities Of life are torn to
shrcds, and the very work itself must
| suffer
Here we might recall -E-ops fable,
in which we read how the traveller
wore his cloak in the wind and shed it
in the sunshine; in the same way, the
prcjudic.s that cling to men and women
in the face of opposition have trick
of melting before the sunshine of
genial manner; thus 4 point may be
gained by concession, or by an amiablc
way of disagreeing, when it would
never have been carried in heated argl-
ment or by determined resistance.
| Then there is the philanthropist who
is afraid of making herself too pleasant.
llonied words, kind glances, gentle
voice, may be all very well for those
who are lax in their morals and easy
in their lives, but the rigidly good and
the retormer must not give way to
luNuries in any shape or form. This
is we'll exempllicd in clever little
book that appeared some thirty years
ago, called ''The Owlet Of Owelstone
Edge" where Il clergyman's wifc-sig-
niticantly named Mrs Badger-is
credited with the following remark:
| tHbuShl tue oll man Wot,ll D' lnc
better for little wine for he seems
very weak and failing: so | seat him =
pint Of port putting a lump Of camphor
in it by way of prc:antion.
"Precaution, my lamh. cNclaims the
Mortified husband.
"Ycs, Mr.. B nobody will drink port
with pleasure that has canphof> in it."
When women first came to the fore
in public work, now some forty or fifty
years ago, it was their cndcavor to
look as busincss-likc rs possible, and
as totally different rs they could from
their more idle and elegant sisters
q III l. ~,