Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1905-12-15
MODERN PHILOSOPHY

hoh at Inc llSHI llHne anu IL depends
+ upon given amount of discrimination
and average good looks"
No one of her three auditors, COM
Portable in the shade of Henrietta y
wide back porch, ventured either to
contest or to indorse this abstract
declaration. SO Jane proceeded.
None of you are what one would
call rights" Gretchen glanced up
from the lemonade she was mixing
near the window and smoothed her
hair before her dim reflection "All of
us, | should say, may claim a fair de-
gree of good taste in matters of con
duct and association" Leah looked
subtly appreciative at the handkerchief
kimona which was progressing in her
efhclent hands.) You understand.
each individual, from ones array Of
masculine friends, must meet the I'M
mediate demand for more education. %
Henrietta. who was yicarously inter-
ested in settlement work. because she
knew good-lOohing young man VINO
was a settlement worker, turned pre-
occupied gaze upon Jane over the page
OF her magazine article on Democracy
and Communism" Leah said: GO on,
but cut out the big words
My object is entirely altruistic,'
said Jane. Il merely desire to pass on
a good thing. The theory is simple, as
all great things are simple. I'll be spe-
cific. One really must, you know.
There was Edwin, whom you all
gave up in turn as hopelessly uninter-
esting. You wonder now why | let him
write to me. I'll tell you |, too, lis
tened in despair to his stupid remarks
when | first knew him. And | will ad-
NIT that it was only his supreme un-
consciousness of my snubs that saved
me from your common mistake and led
me in self-defense to look for his par
ticular excuse for living. Most people
have one in this day of specialties.
We'll, Edwin's five years in Paris
left him well in command of French
that is not to be ignored. | need to
know French SO l taught Edwin to
be useful We adopted the practical
method and talked about whatever we
happened to be near At dinner |
learned to say. 'C'est une table. lie
chaise est noir.' On the lake | learned
lie batteau est sur leau.' And from his
letters | am making such progress that
can pronounce a whole dinner card
by Christmas
Then there is Jim, whom you. Leah.
discarded as tiresome dilettante. No
body ever played my accompaniment
as Jim did. 1t was his nsistence that
rerved me to try for the Amateur Mu-
sic club and you know what that's
meant in my evolution
without Bob | should never have
known Ibsen and D'Annunzio. | should
never have experienced the aestheti-
cism of literary sympathy. Dear old
Bob"
You're growing sentimental"
warned Leah. Wasn't this to be an en-
tirely dispassionate treatise?"
From DR.. Robbins" Jane continued.
Il learned the fine art of ordering a
dinner l learned from him also when
emotion is becoming and when TO look
non-committal. In short, it is he who
is responsible for the sophisticat'on
which you see"
The trouble is" Leah protested.
that | always fall in love. And each
affair is so serious that there is ut
terly no cure-eXcept another affair
It's kind of endless chain"
THE endless chain idea is sound
enough You see each of your self-ap-
pointed tutors stands for stage in
your development. If you can dis
cipline yourself to regard them as
nothing more, you are able to count
each link with a calm resignation. 1t
is fascinating. You have a sort of ma
ternal JOY in effectively watching your
own growth"
Il think it's positively unscrupu-
lous," remarked Gretchen, who has
convictions in ethical amtters. TITS
nothing more than deliberate trifing
III tell you now that Ted Marcy won't
stand for it,"
Yes, it being summer Ted Marcy
might be regarded as the present link,
reflected Jane, with admirable poise.
Through the stimulus of Ted's young
enthusiasm I have learned TO swim
half way TO the crib and back and to
overcome, to some extent. my former
horrid work on the links Hush.
Gretchen, don't you see that | am the |
KINDLY helper of mankind? It's be- |
cause I'm safe. If it weren't | who !
have their well-being at heart, it might !
be some loyesick girl who would be |
trying to marry them-like Hazel Kel- |
Ter for instance, whose 'womanly I'M |
selfishness' Ted Marcy's sister is al |
ways talking about. A man doesn't |
always know until it's too late that he |
ought not to get married try to see |
my male friends through the dangerous /
pass BY the time Ted's out of law
school. he'll thank me-even suppos- .
ing that he wants tO-that newell .
besides, marriage from a woman's /