The Washington herald., 1909-08-01

the smartest luncheon OF the season. and
the girl who was waiting to see II some
thing better would not turn up was e4-
ceedlng wroth But she needed the les
son. Despite its smartness. the hostess
herself was not pleased with the aIiar'
and at an afternoon tea a fortnight later
conhded to me her chagrin.
What is the present generation coming
to- Mr. ArbiterlSsshe began. aDpealingly
7 hate 20 confess II, but I am ashamed
OF my kind Do you know, the day after
/ gave that luncheon I saw number or
the girls who were there at Mrs LAon-
hunters musicale, and not one OF them
came up 10 speak 20 me, and some OF
them hardly took the trouble to bow and
as for making their visits-I was taught
that visit OF digestion for luncheon or
dinner should be made within the weok-
Il is Just two weeks since my luncheon.
and only one Of the girls has called
There is modern courtesy for you. What
am I going TO do? / am never going TO
invite those insufferable little snobs 70
my house again.
And she won't. for she is a woman Of
her word
Believe me- those ill-bred girls are not
to blame for their III breeding. for their
false standards The blame attaches 20
their parents, to those who brought them
up. and are responsible for their outlook
on life. and this Is what said to a class
mate of mine. who. unlike most Of US in
the class OF 1S- Of that dear old alma
mater. has made his millions. He writes
10 me:
Dear ArbiteT. When / sent Jack to our
alma mater last September, / remembered
/ that times had changed since our day,
when $1,000 a year was enough TO pay our
/ tuition board. and club dues. so 1 paid
! everything there was 10 pay and pre-
sented the boy with bank book and told
/ him his credit was good for $500. Tias l
thought would last until Thanksgiving, az
least, but at the end Of the first week that
/ boy had the assurance to come TO me and
/ say that he was broke I smOthered my
/ feelings, remembered he had probably had
a great many unusual expenses the first
week. and gave him another $500 Now
Jack, my boy. I said make that go as
far as possible. for you have already had
as much as 1 spent any year l was in
| college Did he make Il go 'as far as pos
sible? You may Judge II another week
/ he came to me again broke This time
was laundering mad, and he knew f.: but
i still hoped he would get down in the
! traces and so / fOrked over another S50O
II was ten days before l heard from him
again, and had begun % think that tho
/ boy had really settled down, when I re-
ceived a telegrom asking for moro money.
Mind, he had had 81 800 In less than a
| month. and this last straw was too much
for the camels back. so ordered him
home, and we had it out. In reply to
my reproaches and upbraidings. ne said
no did not know that I expected him
70 alter his life just because he had gone
10 college. That at home he had always
had all and more than he wanted. and he
did rot see why he should be expected
to do with less at college, especially as
he had never been told what was ex-
pected OF him there. Well. he went into
II rather thoroughly. and must confess
that ne had the best Of the argument
but the incident opened my eyes 10 the
awful extravaganza I had carelessly and
unthinkingly aided and abetted and so
l kept him home, put him IN the count
/ ing house. and made him live on an al
lowance. He kept inside his income,
has proved a valuable man IN the Office,
so valuable that I don't see how I can
do without him, and now he wants 70
80 10 college again. indeed. the rascal
tells me that. beside doing his work. he
has kept up with his class What shall
I do2 Let him go back 20 the extrava-
gances and temptations OF college life, or
keep him with me and make a man OF
him? You judge things from practical
standpoint. SO tell me what to do"
There was, obviously, only one answer
to that letter. and the boy went back TO
college. a wiser lad and at least one
father in the world knows that n his
son was needless and eXtravagant, ne
was 70 blame as much as the boy him
self. II is ike fathers and mothers. too,
for that matter, 70 allow their children
20 grow up 10 a certain point having
their own sweet way in everything. 20
teach them extravaganza and self-indul-
gence. and then when they become un-
bearable. TO demand that they shall sud
denly reform "As the twig is bent" Is
Is an old law that American fathers and
mothers have evidently forgotten else
they would not be surprised when thei.
spoiled and petted boys and girls grow
into selfish. egotistcal. snobbish men
and women.