The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1906-07-13
FRIENDS BIRTHDAY

OF linen or china before their Wedding
days, but see no reason why other
people may not have showers, too.
Yours to your friend who has a BIRTH
day may include plants, photographs.
flowers In bloom, books, bon bons or
ANYTHING else that you choose to
bring, and the greater the variety the
more pleasing the occasion will be.
"A girl l knew had birthday show
er given her and years after it, look
Ing over box Of souvenirs, she found
among other little things that had
been put away, a bit of cardboard with
a Latin motto worked in steel beads
and stitched carefully to a piece of
white satin ribbon. The girl who had
worked 1t for her was by that time
on the other side Of the globe and they
had not seen or heard from one an
other In a long time, but the motto
with Its quaint message of unchang-
ing love was precious to her who had
put 1t away in her box Of treasures,
while she was yet in her teens.
You will not think that am preach
ing, will you, If hint that each BIRTH
day should mark a definite advance in
wisdom and knowledge and find US
better, fitted to help one another than
we were year ago? Little things
make up the sum Of our lives. If we
are fretful and cross, easily disturbed
and quick to resent grievances, we
shall be hard to get on with, trouble
some to ourselves and disagreeable to
our friends.
There are girls who are charming
away from home, but very inconsider-
ate and irritable with those they love
best. Every birthday should enable
us to be more self-controlled and more
gentle and lovable than we used to
be. In a household know there are
three sisters; Louise is unsel1sh and
lovely; Betty is preoccupied with her
own affairs and sees everything from
her own point of view; Maria Is par
TALLY an invalid and Is what her
mother calls "fractious." The last ex-
preston means good deal to me. It
shows me that Maria's disposition is
to break the peace around her instead
of. preserving it as a perfect whole
Louise is the darling of this trio
Hannah More, writer very popular
in her day, but at present almost for
gotten. wrote a bit Of verse that fits
in to my birthday talk:
"Sfnce trifles make the sum of human
things,
And half our misery from our foibles
springs;
Since life's best joys consist in peace
and ease,
And though but few can serve, yet all
can please;
Oh, let the ungentle spirit learn from
hence,
A small unkindness is great offense. !"
Another bit of advice may be par
doned. have been in homes where
a great deal of attention was paid to
Susie's and Jenny's birthdays, but
nothing whatever made Of the birth
days of Tom and Dick. Boys care
just as much about love and happy
times at home as girls do, and sisters
should look out for their brothers and
make their birthdays red-letter days.
Then father and mother, who are
always thinking and planning for you
and making sacrifices that you may
be we'll educated, we'll dressed and
able to go here and there, for visits
and journeys, should be remembered
by their juniors. On fathers birthday,
see that there is an extra touch on
the table, flower beside his plate, and
a little gift from every one. AS for
mother, too much cannot be done for
her, since she is the good angel of
her children's lives. If there are old
people in the house, do something OK
ira for them on their birthdays. -
The sum- of the matter is this: a
birthday is, a golden opportunity to
make somebody happy and to take a
fresh start in unselflsh behavior on
your own part.
-t&-~-a