The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-04-17
WORLD

but to send her boys to college and
/ give her girls a debut party. But you
! dare not refuse to toll for the lazy,
and idle. and shiftless. because OF your
reputation as a philanthropist.
A funny phase of this subject is that
after once you acquire reputation for
doing a thing, you never get any credit
for any virtue in doing it, People
! seem to think that you have NOR
bid fondness for work and self-sacri-
flee, and that you enjoy it, and they
actually give themselves credit for af-
| fording you an opportunity of crafty
ing your peculiar taste. / once knew
d maiden lady Of moderate fortune
and refined taste who was suddenly
afflicted with the burden Of six or
phan nieces and nephews. The in
comes that had been sufficient to sup
ply her with the comforts and luxuries
Of life was, of course, a very ptttance
when divided amongst seven. There
were no more pretty frocks for her no
more jaunts abroad, but she braVely
| took up her burden, denying herself
everything possible in order that the
children might be educated and given
a start in life and not one of them
ever manifested the slightest appreci-
alton of all she did for them, but they
would go into fits of gratitude when
another aunt who lived in a distant
city would send one of the girls one
of her old party frocks or a pair OF
gloves. "Oh! Aunt Anna wouldn't be
happy unless she is sacrificing her
self, they would say airily, and that
was all the martyr ever got for her
reputation for goodness
Just the same things happen all
! through life. If youehave a reputation
for being kind to the sick you may
go and sit up with a person at night
|
drop, or you may stand over the stove
making broths and jellies until you
are burnt to a cinden and everybody
takes 1t as a matter of course. but
let some woman who never sacrifices
herself for anybody or anything come
by, and leave a card with kind in
quiries" penciled on it and the inva-
lid will talk of it for a month. $50
kind of her!' How thoughtful!" But
grateful to you? Not bit of it. She
thinks you have been having the time
of your life, and that sick nursing is
your favorite form of diversion: for
you see you have that sort of repu-
tation.
Who hasn't had experiences of this
sort? Who hasn't had some guest they
! didn't want come and stay months
with them without manifesting the
slightest appreciation of the hospitali-
ty shown them and then see them go
into ecstacies OF delight because some
| other friend or relative-on whom they
had precisely the same claim-invited
| them to lunch? Who hasn't paid for
the fuel for some poor family during
an entire winter without getting one
word of thanks, and then heard them
overload somebody else with gratitude
because of a present of a measly
| chicken? OF course we ought not ito
| care for these things, but we do. We
| don't want anybody to go before us
sounding our praises on a brazen trum-
pet but we do like to feel that our
sacrifices are appreciated.
After all, 1t comes back to the same
point: The necessity of living up to
your blue china. If you once get
reputation for doing things exception
ally well, you have got to keep on
striving to live up to the standard you
have set, and the only safe and COM
Portable way, is not to establish any
| precedent. There is no fame, but great
peace and happiness in mediocrity.
Dorothy Dix,