The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-12-17
The Schoolgirl
Afraid of Mice
BY MARGARET E. sANesTER.

IEIHAT was that you said, Dorothy? /
w Am / sure that I heard you /
Alright? Are you really afraid Of /
a little gray mouse that you could hold |
in your hand, that scuttles away from |
you in terror and that. measured by
inches, is less formidable than a rabbit !
OF q squirrel?
Yes. YOU own it without a blush. !
You really are afraid OF a mouse. So |
are Frances, Jane and ever so many |
others OF your friends.
a marked aversion to the entire fam
lily of rodents is pronounced feature
OF most women whether they are little |
or large. The little woman OF 10
screams at the sight OF a mouse and so |
does her older sister. and very likely
her mother and her grandmother are
equally as alarmed at the appearance
or this small monster which is indeed
a beast Of prey, but such a wee bit
OF beast, not in the least like a lion
or a tiger. panther or a wolf. Prob
ably the dislike 10 mice is natural with
most OF us for the very good reason
lhaJ a mouse in the pantry makes dis
agreeable depredatiOns, and apart from
the toll he takes is anything but clean;
that a mouse in the bureau drawer
hoples gloves and eats buttons IL they
are covered with silk, and that a mouse
IN the bedroom anyway is not just the
companion one would choose at the
midnight hour.
Mice are pretty little things with
their gray coats and bead-Hke eyes.
but they belong TO the class Of Crea-
lures which for our own benefit We
must night. ! am not asking my girls
I" Ike them, but for PHYS sake Dor
o'hy, do overcome your terror at their
mention.
y mouse has never Yet been known
10 devour u school giH
/ wish / could persuade you not 10
be afraid Of anything great or small.
We must take certain precautions. To
walk up as some girls do TO a strange
cog, patting him on the head and try
ing TO be friends with him without
heinS sure that their acquaintance is
desired, is sometimes dangerous and
always risk. Dogs are the dearest
friends we have in the brute creation.
They are loyal TO their masters and
they sometimes seem endowed with
'N'AA+NT't AteAAietA4 AlAttitl6NliftF buL llEA
are very much like men and women.
They prefer 10 choose their friends,
and they may resent approaches from
people who have not been properly in
uoduced. Never feel or show appre-
hension when you meet a dog that is
quietly going about its own affairs,
hut do not be familiar with dog or cat
or other domestic animal until YOU
have a right 20 do so because you
have entered the circle of its friends.
\ slrl who Is afraid Of any animal.
from COW i'm the pasture 10 a mouse
IN the wall, carries about with her a
needless handicap. We should 90 about
the world bravely and fearlessIy.
have seen a lady in a drawing-room
make spectacle of herself in the pres
ence of a group Of very brilliant and
distinguished peope because she was
afraid of "A cat. In walked Muh, the
splendid angora, that was the pet of
the hostess, and up on sofa with a
shrek and scream and d clutchiug
and gathering Of her skirts. jumped
lady who should have known better
than TO behave in that fashion under
the roof OF a friend.
one rule We may as we'll as not lay
down for ourselves. girls. and that is a
rule of self-cOuUol. One may be a
little frightened inside. but she does
not need 70 proclaim it. Because we
happen TO dislike bats, beetles. June
hugs dragon flies, or any other mem
bers of the world of creeping and hv-
ing things that scurry out of space TO
disturb US. We need not communicate
our feeling TO others. If we choose we
may control all expression OF dislike.
dismay or dread. We may sometimes
feel afraid. but we may keep ourselves
from showing II.
Al. through our lives We should try
."t To be in bondage 10 any form Of
'2r, Some girls cannot bear pain.
tA"v distress themselves more I'm the
Fought Of what they may have to suf-
."r from slight operation or an in
r" than the pain itself would amount
''. ln other words. they suffer more
.."u fright than from reality. once in
f N'te one meets q girl almost grown
u7 who is afraid OF the dark. I hope
.-s is not the case with Dorothy or
.'N ut her friends. The fear OF the
I'I6 is a tyranny which assails chill
d~ea who have been wickedly alarmed
1- nurses or INSCRIPTIONS persons and
who fancy that dangers of every kind
.urE behind the friendly curtain of the
night. But our Heavenly Father sends
This kind darkness so that we may
sleep and rest. and there ~ nothing in
30 to give anyone the slightest fear.
The stars are its lamps and the moon
a the fun floods it with a glory as
great as that Of TIE sun. While we
sleep our God watches above us and
his angels are our guards.
Another thing almost . foolish as
the fear OF the mouse IS the fear some
people have OF taking different dis
cases. In case OF an epidemic such rs
diphtheria. typhoid fever or cholera,
too many precautions cannot be taken,
and If ones duty is not on the scene
of action Il is we'll to go to a safer
place.
BUT no one should be a coward. II
diseases are about there is no reason
to suppose that you who are in good
health will necessarily take them. To
Doe constantly distressed lest one day or
another YOU or I shall be menaced by
scarlet fever. or smallpox, is very need
less and quite units US for doing our
daily work.
This courage that I have been talk
ing about thus far is purely physical.
] would, not like any girl for whom I
cared 20 be afraid 20 cross the CONT
nent or the ocean because something
might happen on the rail or on the
sea The ship Is the captains business
ana the railway train is in charge Of
the conductor and engineer. You may
be reasonably sure that the average
man Will fulfill the requirements Of his
position and you a. a passenger have
nothing 10 do except 10 enjoy yourself
This. too. belongs largely 10 the realm
Of physical courage.
Now I want 20 speak about higher
kind Of courage. There are brave peo-
pie who never shrink from danger that
mcnaces the body. but who are moral
towards. They are afraid 10 speak the