The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-08-07
Self.Dependence.

"You ought to look out for me
Why dom you take Care of me?"
1t was an amusing sight, in spite OF
the quivering chin and the tears
streaming down the baby face. Edith
was three years old before she learned
to walk-tirst, because of weakness,
but afterwards because she had made
up her small mind that it was much
pleasanter to be carried. When her
father saw what was the trouble he
made up his mind too, and every
morning spent an hour in giving
walking lesson. Standing Edith firm
ly on her feet on the broad flat stones
in grandma's pleasant yard, he would
60 few steps away and tell her to
come. At first the only result was
that she would fall helplessly down.
There would be another black-and-
blue mark on her poor little head, and
the comical wall would be heard =
"You ought to look out for me-"
"She will have to learn" said the
father, gently, to the plying mother
"the doctor says she is strong enough,
and we must not let this habit of de-
pendence grow"
Then Edith would be left to her own
resources and when finally she saw
that nothing was to be gained by tears
or protests she made up her mind to
stand up herself. That accomplished,
the rest followed easily.
But how many there are who have
this small girls feeling, even If they
are too worldly wise to give expression
to it! It is so easy and so natural tol
blame other people for our own mis-
takes. So soothing to think that our
falls and hurts and failures are the
result of other peoples lack rather
than our own.
"Uncle Tom might send me to COL
lege if he only would-he would never
miss it," whines young man who isl
in full possession of health, and has
no one depending upon him. "Father
might let me finish my music-hel
knows how my heart is set upon it"
complains young woman who al
ready has had enough money spent
on her musical education to enable
her to earn, for herself, the rest of the
course she 80 much desires. eff there
had only been some one to get me upl
in business" walls a shiftless man
when he hears of the so-called good
that falls to the lot of some young son
of rich father. He forgets, does the
shiftless one, that the rich father was
not himself set up in businessmen by
any means; also, that the highest
type of success does not always crown
the business enterprises that are 'sset
up' for inefficient sons by over-fond
fathers.
What the world needs is young men
who have the backbone and the perl
severepance to take themselves
through college; young men who can
set themselves up in business grow Il
young men who are 80 necessary to-
tteir profession that the profession is
glad to make room for them within
its exclusive walls.
The world needs young women, too,
for positions of usefulness and rel
sponsibility everywhere-not the sort
who must be excused from any "extra
work." but those who have shown by
their faithfulness to duty that they
are ready for advancement. Never
we're there so many fields open to
bright girls as at the present. The
question is to get the girls to fill &C
ceptably the positions waiting for the
right persons.
A certain business man in a large
Western city found it impossible tol
leave his office one Summer for need |
ed rest, because of the twelve young 81
women who do his office work not one
had shown herself sufficiently trust |
worth and accurate to be left in chargeI
of his enormous mail for that time.
They all had to be "looked out for"
to see that they made no mistakes. /
The world has an honorable place
for you if you can stand on your feet.
1t will teach you self-reliance, perl
haps by hard knocks if you can be
taught that way-and if you can't,
why, it will still have place for you,
with the rest ofits incompetents. Butt
do you want it?