The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-06-16
"a this abe becomes accustomed

| poor they probably live in small quart CTS. They have made sacrifices to let the daughter of the house have the higher education. Now they expect results. From calm the gtrl comes to noise and hustle. Perhaps she has
 not a room to herself: there is little time for reading or study. There are
 distasteful duties to perform-beds
 must be made, rooms swept and dishes
 washed. She misses the inspiration of
 the college atmosphere. She is pain
 fully conscious of the lack oE the
 things which have become necessary
 to her. and while she may Loyalty re-
 train from criticism. the homely sur-
 roundings. the signs of economy, the
 sordid and practical side of the struggle
 for a living. come upon her with a
 force that leaves her byeathless with
 disillusion.
 But she has her ideals and her
 theories to fall back upon. 90 she
 takes heart. She resolves to become the household fairy Her beneficient perity. She is perfectly sure that she
 can find lucrative and honorable posi- ton.
 She starts out. She writes letters
 and applies personally for work. But
 at last she realizes that he has come face to face with the world, which will judge her not for what she knows. hut
 for what she can do. She struggles Hong. and finally her beautiful theories
 fade. She accepts a humble position
 outside her chosen sphere or retires
 from the field beaten.
 Difficulties, too. lie in the path of the 9iri who has all that wealth can give.
 There is the gaiety. the whirl. the pull e. -N atafIR hAr is the young man who fills up so much of her thoughts; and suddenly she
 finds that the dreams of her college
 days, the ambitions of her thoughtful moments, have been submerged by the | material, the pleasant, the frivolous. She wonders if she is the same girl whu l planned to spend part of her time at some social settlement, or to make a name which should mean much more to the world than her fathers money.
 Perhaps both of these girls instead Of being the failure they seem are fulfill | ing greater destinies than they could have mapped out for themselves. The ! first girl, if she does her little work braveiy, may be trained into nobility of character which she lacked in her | impatient. strenuous days. The very | lowliness of her beginning may spur her to her greatest effort.
 The other girl may go from her social frivols into a home of her own. there to live life of gracious and gen. erous womanhood, controlling in- fuence in her family and in the com munity. ..}>. ->> .>.- .,-.- No girl should be discouraged if she does not at once md her niche. She must ctoose carefully and not allow herself to be blinded either by egotism or. optimism. Neither must she decide upon life work because of it's con- spicuousness. All women are not great nor fitted to startle the world.
 Ambition was ward rarely spelled in the life of women of the past. Any wish for fame or notoriety was con- sidered unworthy of a gentlewoman. In girlhood her ambition did not range beyond the arts of home keeping and housekeeping and of society. After marriage personal ambition was merged into ambition for her husband.
 Today however, nothing is withheld: women enter every field, and one is reminded of the little Jack Horner of nursery rhyme fame, who
 Put in his thmub and pulled out Plum And said: What a good boy am II" r So with our girls. They have pulled out their plums of opportunity, and, being remarkably pleased with them lselves. they make. a Twentieth Century statement. of the 4nurseryHryhme propo- | sition, and cry, Behold. are We not I wopderful!"
 But a girl should not feel that only great things are worthy of her; she should not despise the drudgery of hpusewoFk and office, for these, too, are worthy.
 l Mn deciding upon a life-work the first and main question should be: For what am fitted by temperament and | training?"
 | T shall be a teacher" announced one Siri when approached on the sub ject.
 Now, as a matter of fact, that girl | has no more magnetism than mum | my; her love for children is theoretical; | she is immensely bothered and bored | when her young brothers and sisters | want to be amused; she is intolerant of l childishness, and she has not true | love of nature. How she expects to l win the hearts and control the restless | bodies of her pupils IS mystery. IT | she does not fail utterly she will miss her vocation and the happiness which | comes to one who does that which is congenial. ..-.
 Says another "There is no calling so high as that of a trained nurse. l
 will give my life to the sick and suf- fering. My deep and intense nature Twin help me to enter into the feelings of my patients"
 This is indeed an excellent ambition, but something more than desire to | do good is necessary for the making of A nurse. On this matter hear the opinion of a thoughtful physician:
 Many of the girls who study nursing
 are no more fitted for the work than l
 am fitted to be admiral of fleet. The
 first reouisite in a good nurse Is calm
 ness: the next the ability to stand the
 awful strain on her eympathies. A
 nervous patient does not want any huttering display either of affection or of symnathy. The number of high strung, self-sacrificing American girls
 who wear themselves out in this pro- fession is pathetic. Good health and
 good temper may be uninteresting
 qualities. but they count for more than
 anything else"
 It is the choosing alright that is the
 important thing. The girl in the first instance would make good clerk and l excellent housekeeper or fill any posi-
 tion where mcthodical habits and a
 well-adjusted mind were needed. while
 the second girl could find many voca-
 tlons in which her fine mind and sym l pathetic nature would win her success. l There is much tragedy in the lives of | girls who believe themselves made for