Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1909-02-19


Take Iesson from the bird;
As God giveth C1u to say, strive to charm
the gloom away,
Whether Eeeded OF unheard.
God hath singers, many one. that can
praise Him in the sun,
As the happy cherubim;
Blu ] think the songs they raise who are
toiers in dark ways
Arc sweeter sound to Him.
Not by outer joy and sweetness does He
Judge of life's com )leteness,
But by surer test of worth;
II may be He gives tn grace of His hcav-
ems highest place
TO Tic lowest of the Garth
Carl Spencer.
-o-.o~
Unjusti6able Self
Suficiency in the American
1t is a serious national defect that the
native is SO prone to imagine the mere
fact of his being an American enables
him to blithely attain all things, with
out going through the drudgery of prep
aration, such as other peoples, notably
the Germans, force themselves to under
go. The American manufacturer, for eX-
ample, to the despair of our consuls, de-
ceives himself into believing that foreign
trade will come his way, even though in
spite of warnings, he continues to pack
his shipments in such a SlOyenly manner
as results in the importatiOns arriving in
demoralized condition; besides which, he
refuses to yield to his foreign customer
prejudices as to the size, color, or fas-
Jennings of his wares matters about
which the foreigner has superstitiOns or
prejudices. In his lofty way, the Amer
lean assumes that he knows instinctiyely
how the potential foreign purchaser
should be treated. The impotence of
deferring to and being guided by ex-
pert advice, and otherwise aided by it,.
has very ugly manifestations and tragic
results with the thousands of girls, un-
sheltered by homes, who crowd into
cities in pursuit of the eXcitements
of urban lii e and the opportunities for
money earning that it presents. They
run all manner of risks, and in spite of
the calamities that often overtake their
girl associates, the constantly reiterated
affirmation is. Il can take care of my
SELF - the foolish, inexperienced crea-
lures. What makes the girls pose of be-
ing adequately self-protective especially
pathetic IS that she is really persuaded
she can daily along the danger line of
pleasure, with lmpunity. and she is only
undeceived if grievous harm befalls her
A little wholesome distrust of self
would save many a girl from n life of
degradation, and proper training in the
art of self-support, to the end that she
become an efficient worker. would give
her higher aims and better taste in the
selection of methods of recreation, so
that the cheap and tawdry dance hall
and kindred low grade attractions. which
now allure thousands upon thousands of
her class, would call in vain. The ma
u0nal defect shows likewise in much
phllanthrOpic work, especially that clas
sified as anti-cruelty-to both children
and animals-where trained workers are
the exception to the detriment of the
fl.,N Il
In many women's clubs there is large
futility of effort and resultant barren
hess of result, because of this American
notion that we are so aDnormally clever
as a people that we can jump the grind
of training and the adoption of pains
taking systems of operation, and arrive
Notwithstanding these vital omissions
first at any kind of a goal in races
where all the world completes.
Among the influences which tend to
perpetuate and strengthen this excessive
Selt-eSteem, are our public schools, in
which the children are veneered with
compound of a smattering of many
subjects. many too academic to be of
any service to the majority of children
even were they well taught, and of
course, worse than useless when Jumped
with many another and merely skinned
Our wholly indefensible practice of let
ting loose swarms of inexperienced girl
graduates to teach in the schOols-a
defect recently made the subject of
criticism by President Eliot of Harvard
unlversity-also encourages contempt for
the discipline of proper preparation. Our
lack of thOroughness is noticeable in me-
chanicSl and artisans and even American
artists, taken as class, are noted rather
for color than for distinction in form or
composition. The establishment of the
merit system of public service was. of
course, the first great effort made to
correct our over-contidence in our ability
10 whip all creation at any game, and
other encoura ging signs are the senti-
ment, ever growing stronger, in favor OF
trade schools for both girls and boys,
the establishment of household science
courses in college, and the rapidly grow
ing desire on the part of citizens to
eliminate politics from the adminiStra-
ton of municipal affairs.
Each individual can help along the
good work of replacing, on a national
scale. baseless self-confidence with eff
fciency. if he viii make it point Of
honor to do well his part.-Nogue.
80
When Marriage Proves a Failure.
If. as the old proverb so confidently as
SureS us, marriages are made in beay-
en-, the celestial combinations must be
sadly shaken apart and otherwise fear
fully mixed during the descent to earth
One continually meets couples the cause
Of whose pairing is q conuudrum to all
their acquaintance-somet 10 them
selves. Few people marry their first
loves, and of those few some wish they
had waited and taken sober second
thought
Venus marries Vulcan and finds her
girdle grow furnished and dingy in the
smoke Of his forge; Jupiter weds Juno
every inch a queen, yet, withal TOO
stately for every day, and wears her
state Thus the world goes, since pre-
historic ages. and none need borrow. a
lantern to discover i!-assorted couples
hear at hand.
W tLa.lr. l.alIG