Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-19
WINNING FRIENDS

for one whole week, and are pre-
= sumably so interested in the many
new subjects to which your attention
is called, that affairs of every day
life seem quite beneath your notice.
The boys and girls of the high school
classes will feel this way particularly.
1 hope, however, that every one of my
boys and girls will remember that no
matter how important the acquiring
of an education, the acquiring of
friends, tact and kindliness of spirit is
of far greater value.
mean now, the sort of friends who
are to be won by thoughtful deeds,
kind words and gentle actions. or
course you all know many boys and
girls who will like to become your
friends if you have a brilliant standing
in your classes, if you dress very
well and if mayhap you drive to school
each morning in an automobile.
But these are not the friends who
are of value to any one, either boys or
girls, men or women. The friendship
which takes form so easily will be as
easily dissipated, and the girl who
counts her popularity assured because
she had a large following today, must
hold sway over her circle by force of
the best of womanly qualities, other
wise she is liable to lose popularity
with her little coterie when some
brighter, more affable or better dressed
girl comes along.
l speak these words with the hope
that some of my young readers will
find in them a hint of the path to
happy. lovely school life. OF course
this does not mean that the prepara-
tion of lessons and school work is not
an highly important feature of school
life, but it does mean that mere book
ishness is not all of life, and since
cne must transact nearly all the
incidents of daily existence in conjunc-
ton with ones fellow men, it is well
to understand them and make them
understand you.
The topic for the writer's contest
this week suggested all this little
talk, for it suggests many ideas along
THESE llHtS. w llCll luGA Nelo dSeliiiGS
me-" many men and boys will not hesi-
tate to attribute any failure, either big
or little to this circumstance. Il could
do nothing in the face of such luck"
they will say. But is it luck or some
lack of preparation, foresight or wis
dom upon their part? think that
most of us make our own luck to a
great extent, and that to submit idly
with the understanding that defeat
was inevitable is to show the white
feather.
OF course there are thousands of
times when circumstances take such
shape, that something one has set out
to accomplish is for the time impossi-
BILE of attainment, and these are the
stories which 1 expect will be told to
me this week. do hope, however, that
wherever possible there will be
sturdy spirit of determination shown
which will let me understand that my
boys and girls are not weaklings, to
be discouraged by the first hindrance.
The boys and girls who will grow to
will persevore through all discomforts
and dsapointments and determine to
win the particular place or friend or
class standing which is their specially
desired goal .
1 want to speak today, too, of the
charmingly manly qualities of some of
the boys who accompanied the last
party of Herald Junior prize winners
to Redondo Beach. These boys-there
were four of them-were all affable.
polite fellows. but one of them de-
lighted me particularly when on the
homeward trip he rose and offered his
seat in the crowded car to an elderly
lady, who was standing in the aisle,
standing himself more than half way
home. Such examples of politeness
made me proud and happy over each
one of you dear boys and girls who
gather in the growing circle about
Your affectionate