Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-28

thyng' is a good motto for most of us. The
Jellyby children were falling down stairs
and crying for bread, their father and their
eldest sister were at their wits end, while
Mrs Jellyby remained absorbed in her sew
eral schemes of benevolence.
She was person who had no sense of
proportion.
Helen, who used to be my neighbor so
worshiped truth-telling that it was difficult
to carry on an ordinary conversation If she
were in the company. She utterly refused
20 be accurate or definite about anything
lest by chance she should say what was not
literally true. You could never bring her to
a positive statement. She always hedged
with Il think, Il fancy or 1T is my inn
preston" And more times than | can tell
you she came back after a call TO correct
what she feared might have been too highly
colored. Having no agina ton herself, she
could not make allowances for it in her
friends. The worst of 1t was that Helen's
truth-telling laid a burden not on herself
alone, but on the rest of u.s. If any one re-
lated an incident in her hearing and varied
the telling in some trifiing detail, Helen was
/ on the alert TO set the narrator right and
rectify the mistake. 1t was maddening to
have her rush in when you mentioned that
you had gone to town on Friday at noon
with the correction, ut was IL o'clock
auntie dear. not u, when you took the
train" We must tell the truth, girls. &C.
cording to the highest Standard of ethics
and we must never deliberately stain our
souls with falsehood. but martinez like
Helen mistakes the husk for the kernel and
Is likely to be personan non grata in society
to the end of her days.
Equally unfortunate is Marcia, who is so
resolved on saying nothing unkind about
anybody that she at times preserves 81
lence which can be easily misunderstood,
and which is much more hurtful to her
neighbors than an occasional criticism
would be. Our temperaments are diverse
Some of us are impulsive, emotional and
inpetuous. Some of us speak before we
think; some of US have looked so long at
one good thing in life and conduct that
we can see nothing else. Good manners
and decorum, SAVIOR faire and the grace
full carriage that comes from mtngling with
high-bred people are very charming. Yet
it is possible to set too high value on
these and to overlook real worth In some
one who is shy and awkward and who has
not had the advantage OF much social
training Robert Burns has the true ring
in his famous lyric, familiar to every reader
of the English tongue:
THE rank is but the guinea's stamp.
The mans the gold for a that.
u
We need sense of proportion In our
friendships I think L ought to put the
emphasis of this talk just here. for moth
ing is more harmful to girls than exclusive
friendship In which two of them are so
absorbed in each other that they have no
room for another thought in the world.
I have seen Amy so devoted to Phyllis
that she was wretched when Phyllis went
away to school. actually pining and being
Ill as If she could take no more interest in
life. This kind of friendship acts very
badly on all concerned. The girl who clings
as the vine clings to the tree Is parasite
She chokes out the wholesome life of the
one to whom she clings, and she gets no
good herself
Whatever you do. dear girls. beg OF
YOU TO avoid friendships that use up your