Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-12-15
On the Art of Making Friendships.

On the Art of Making Friendships.
We are too apt to make friends only
of those whose ages. tastes and cir-
cumStances are similar to our own
which accounts for the number of men
and women who grow narrower as they
advance from youth to middle and old
age, for naturally, as you grow older.
your circle narrows and narroWs unless
you make constant efforts to widen it.
To begin with. this may be said to
the school girl: Make friends by all
means of your school fellows. You
closest friends will no doubt be those
whose tastes are like your own; if Won
are studious YOU will be naturally at
tracted to the working girls, if fond of
games to those who are keen on hockey
or tennis. but make friends as well with
the nice girls whose likings are the re-
verse of your oWn-if you are Il student
cultivate the out-of-doOr girls. and vice
yersa--it will be good for you both.
More important still Is it to make
friends Of people older than yourself.
The 'grown-up." of course, cannot he
stormed by the school girl-it is for them
to make the advances; but do not LET
shyness or an idea that groWn-ups are
not interesting, prevent YOU from re-
spending when the advances are made.
There will very likely be some shy
ness to get over on both sides. for many
women ma the ScQOOl Glfl quite fOrml0-
able at first sight But it is worth while
You will learn to see things from n
different standpoint, You will lose some
eff the narrOWneSs of school. and Won
may find the friendship of some woman.
who has left her youth behind her, one
Of the sweetest and most satisfying of
relationships.
Make friends of the old. too. Here
you may make the adyanceS-sWeetly,
gently, deferentially, it must be-but YOU
may make the advances yourself, for TIE
old are grateful for the ready attentions
Of the young; and if they are motif rs
1t is with narrow souls, the young bore
them-you viii find that out quickly
enough and can leave them,
Remember they were once as young as
YOU. To you their friendship may be Of
infinite value; they are coming to the end
of Il journey you are starting on; your
ways may differ in most particulars but
there will be something i'll common be
tween your road and theirs, and if they
VIII tell you Il little of what life has been
to them it will be of infinite assistance to
You.
Tie middle aged should cultivate
friendship with a chosen few from all
classes.
Find friends in the cottages. accept the
friendship of those whose position Is
above your own, if it is frankly offered.
Many people are quite willing To con-
descend to those beneath them, but are
too proud to take Overtures OF friendship
from above DO not let morbid dread
of patronage shut you out from larger
life.
Make friends of girls; if you keep only
70 friends of your own age. You VIII all
grow old together long before your time.
Bnt do not expect too much of the girls.
Nhere their youth gives them the adFab-
tagp be content that they should DE hfst
bf. 10
first place where it IS Your due. IL viii
fall upon you to make advances III tue
HrSt instance: you can soon ma OUT
whether or not they value them
Make friends Of the children. ms aa,
vice is for single women, or married
women who have no children
Those with children are rather inclined
10 err in the other direction-to give
themselves 10 their young people ana
their young peoples friends and neglect
their contemporaries, and 50 become
mere appendages to their own children.
gwen up to trivialities aud domesHe
50 the mother must not neglect her
HWu friends. and the chiIdless woman
must seek friends among the children
@l others; and if she has been faithful
70 the friends of her youth. she VIII bna
5Ar children Of her friends speclali}
ready to respond to, and feel honored 10y
aer affection.
ON the middle-aeed generally falls the
care OF the old, and it is ratlar hard for
AHen sometimes to maintain a keen sym
tatlF for their limitations gentle pa
LfHee with their sometimes unreasoh
Hat kindness shown to the old Is never
UlaWn away.
Don't neglect the old ladies among
your acquaintance; visit them often. fpi
fl4- goes slowly with them please then
"ifh q book or q flower, sit beside then
#'d get them to tell OF oId days, whe.
t,ey were young ana acliye and en
@ejlc and you viii gas your views q
..la corrected, YOU viii learn what thing.
+.r worth striving after and what ar