Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-08
CARE OF A BROTHER
MEN FREQUENTLY KNOWN By
THE SISTERS THEY HAVE.
Tact and Thoughtfulness in a Girl
Make Her a Treasure In
stead of Tiresome.
Written for The Star

The girl who has a brother has a heavier
| responsibility than she sometimes knows
resting upon her frail shoulders. She can
be either his good angel his evil genius.
Consciously or unconsciously, she erects
for him the standard by which he judges
the rest of young womankind.
In all ranks of life Ii is comparatively
easy to distinguish the men whose mothers
and sisters are of the gentle-hearted. broad
minded and ever-helpful type of woman
hood, for they reflect in their attitude to-
ward women generally the refining influ-
ence that has surrounded their home life. :
Good manners are not, as people are apt
| to Imagine, altogether matter OF birth
and education. Innate courtesy and gentle
ness are as often seen in the horny-handed'
| son of toll as in the man clothed in purple
| and fine linen-perhaps oftener. I
| So the girl who has a brother need not
go far from home to find her mission. for,
| 1t is waiting for her right under her own
| rooftree. True, II is not the kind of mis-
| sion that can be heralded by flaming post
| ers and a brass band. In fact, the less at
| tention is directed TO II the more success
| full 1t is likely to be. The girl who tact
| lessly talks about what she has done, Is
| doing or is going to do In this particular
| branch of mission work is not likely to
| be very keenly appreciated. either by her
J own brother or by somebody else.
/ The girl whose brother warmly avows 4
| that she is ''the finest sister a fellow ever |
| had is not one of the peevish, snappy sort
| of feminines. whose good behavior, like !
| her hair, spends most of its time In curl
| papers On the contrary, she shows all 1
| that is best and sweetest in her nature to !
| those whom she loves most dearly, the !
| members of her own home circle. Warm !
hearted, clear voiced and merry eyed, she 4
| is her brothers chum and confidante, and !
| she listens just as interestedly to his
| stories, some of which are really rather !
pointless. and laughs just as amusedly at
| his jokes. most of which she has heard be- !
| fore, as If he were the cleverest and wit !
| test Of raconteurs.
| Personal Interest in Socks
Then. too. she evinces a personal interest
| In the condition of his socks and the rolf
| call of his buttons that cannot fail to ap-
peal to any male creature with predilec-
| ton for comfort. Also, she has knack
| Of knowing the precise moment when a.
pocket begins to wear thin that is nothing
| short of marvellous. No danger Of losing
| small change a favorite pocket knife or
| an important key or any other Of the in
| dispensable furnishings of the masculine
pocket, with a sister like that around the
| house. I
| In other matters. too. this girl contrives
quite unostentatiously to spare her brother
little annoyances. She does not, for in
| stance send Bridget, the brawny maid of
| all work, alone into his den on cleaning
day to run riot with broom and scrubbing
brush and buster among his treasured lares
and penates. She sees that things generally ,
| are clean and neat, but she does not keep
| the place so painfully picked up that its
| owner feels. whenever he enters. as If he
had just moved into a strange boarding
house. She doesn't wear herself out
| Strengthening up the books and papers
and pipes and etceteras that he loves to see
In disorder, and then reproach him with
| ingratitude because he wishes audibly that
| she would leave his belongings alone. She
| doesnt-but there! The unpleasant things
that she doesn't do nearly numerous
| things
| may not be grammatical, but it is at least
| expressive.
| Selects Exclusive Goods.
| Another excellent quality of this girl who
/ has brother Is her remarkable facility for
| picking up wonderful bargains in the way
of shirts, ties and other articles or mems !
wear. Not cheap and hideous monstrosities, /
mind you. such no self-respecting man
| would want to be buried in, but higf-grade, !
| exclusive goods such as even the best stores
| sometimes have to dispose of below cost. /
| To be quite candid, the brothers own Sc
lect1ons are apt to be a little weird at
times. and SO the girl makes point of
| suggesting in the most tactful way that
| such and such a thing would admirably be- I
| come him. She does not make the mistake /
Of throwing her purchases at his head. so
| to speak; nor does she sarcasucally inti- !
| mate that. his tastes being akin to those OF
| the noble red man. she considers 1t an act
| of charity to take him in hand and make
| sister. wife nor mother can ever hope to
| educate a mans artistic sense by such
crude measures as these. I
The girl who has a brother may find It i
| necessary now and then to set him right !
concerning some point of social usage or
| solecism of speech. So that 1t be done
kindly and tactfully, when no one is by to
overhear, 1t is more ssterly to do this than |
| to let him betray his ignorance to persons
| who, though better informed, may not be
well bred enough to refrain from raising I
| a laugh at his expense behind his back )
Altogether, there are a good many things
| that girl can do for her brother. She can |
infuse sunshine into the atmosphere of 1
| home so that he will consider it mighty .
good place to be in. She can introduce him !
| to the nice, entertaining girls that she is
sure to know, and perhaps save him !
| from forming meretricious friendships in a
social sphere outside of his own. She can !
post him as to the new books that are
| worth reading and the new plays that are
worth seeing, and she can offer her sugges-
| lions SO cleverly that they will even seem
| like original ideas Of his own. And there
| you have the very acme of bright, re-
sourceful, tacrful womanhood. q
And with such a paragon for a sister,
what man would be content with an ordi-
nary woman for a wife?
The Tax on Art