The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1909-02-13
LETTER
OF A HOPELESS
MAN.

! EsSHs.HESe..s2oeRxE
Or. William Lee Howard contrib.
utes a spirited article ON Helpless
Youth :tnd Useless Men" to the Amer
lean Magazine Ii is a severe ar
raignment of the custom of having
In the course of the article he intro
| duces the following letter which, he
says, was written by man twenty
six years old:
"Is there no possible way of she'd
ding this weakness, this miserable
weakness, SO that one will be able
to act with naturalness and self-pos-
session in the presence of others,
no matter where or when? Is there
no possible way by which l can meet
people and converse with them in
an easy and natural way without slut
tering and puttering about in aim
less confusion, causing me at times
to break out in a cold sweat and
make for the tall grass where no
one is about to watch me? l can
even walk down street in an easy.
natural mind-off-of-myself manner.
Not even in my home town. l know
all the people here, and am quite
positive, too, that they will not bite
or shy a brick at me from any tree.
l have such horrid habit of de-
probation. l have tried to reason
some of these things out Of my sys-
tenn, but it is a tough proposition
To cap the climax, ! guess | have
about as much confidence in myself
as a lion tanner has in bad lion.
Anything like real responsibility is
liable to cause panic and stampede
of what ability l might possess IN
the action it cailsl for.
II always hal women for teachers
when I was a boy. Later on tho
same conditions existed when ] went
to the high school. l was naturally
tinid, and saw ?o.n.ng Of the life l
needed: Of the ROACH schoa..,s l
should have had You know what the
male teachers in the high schools
are. Those who have not been femin-
lied only get parrot-like lot OF stun
out Of them; they never come under
virile Influences.
II never had licking. ,nd the cd
maid who was my principal teacher
held me up as a model bov.
IF there is anything that appeals
to me, it is good, vigorous type OF
real man. And just think Of it! l
might have been one if my father
had looked after my education and
should have beer
sent to a school where only men and |
boys were seen. Now l am fail |
ure. l was taught nothing at school
Of use to me, but did fall into hab
It's and a mental condition that keeps
me from obtaining any decent posi-
ton.
II have worked for about three
years in a dry-goods store, where
deal mostly with women which, /
am afraid, has been bad thing for +
ne in many ways. In the first place,
do not like the store at all, and
never did, but it was the only thing
could get to do after getting my
high school "education." Apparently
he only training l received was one
fitting me to wait upon the opposite
sex This has been harmful to me;
now realize that my disposition and
was not considered when
was a boy-otherwise I would have
,een made useful man. l find my
self Somewhat i'll at ease when in a
.rowd of men. not being able to act
md speak entirely naturally. The
anne old story-Fear of people; fear
4 what they say or think about Me
n anything I might have to say or
ell. Concentrated hell on earth for
fellow-hampers his ability. causes
lack of confidence in himself and
What not"