Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-09

M Like modest violets we
wv camped about the roots Of
some great. sturdy oak that
lifted its branches high above US: and
there in the deep, deep shade we tucked
our heads down under the green leaves
and kept very still.
..Hush-sh-sh,' whispered the breeze
of public opinion blowing all about US,
..sh-sh
And If by any chance one of us shrink
ing little violets showed a disposition
not to hush to just the right degree Of
.hushiness'' demanded by the occasion,
the breeze used to warm right UP into
something painfully like ut of temper
and whisk all around on the breath of it
till it tore us UP, most likely by the
roots. and threw us out into the storm.
Observation-Disclosures the big, sturdy
oak we blossomed under signing at us
explosively through its leaves.
"Sh-silencc" the tree would sibliate
at us NO violet that ever grew ought
to stand up straight and look at things
as they are. il is the business or VloletS
TO look at things as we tell them they
are And as for tins disposition that l
have noted among YOU lately 10 claim
that many of you are not violets at all.
hut have on the contrary, been mixed
IN with the yiolets entirely by mistake
and should be growing right out IN the
sunshine. it is all an idea in your heads
Hush. Just an idea in your heads. no"
hush
And we got so used to being told to
hush right UP and that our duty lay eX-
clusively in the shade; we became SO &C
customed to being informed that sun
shine. while excessively good for the
man folks, would have most deleterlous
effect upon us that it WASH any partlcu-
lar wonder if We really believed II. II
uofId have been most amazing II we
hadn't. Everybody else on earth did.
"A shrinking modesty. said father, IS
the only attribute which | can contenl-
plate with any pleasure in my daughter.
ANYTHING else is highly undesirable In
Young lady Of the high standing am
able TO bestow upon the members of my
family. I dislike extremely" says father,
ANYTHING that looks like Haunting bold
ness. ,..
you stay n home commands broth
az II am not going to have my sister
Haunting about the streets. can ten you;
my sister, and brother goes out ana
has a perfectly lovely time haunting
himself. thus taking up as much space
as possible so that If by any chance
sister should dare to think about Haunt
ing herself against his express com
mand she wouldn't nave Huch room,
ANYWAY to carry out her reheillous ana
Mr. Youngman. looking down protecting
~ ;nto n persons eyes. must be sweet,
retiring thing, seeking by preference the
seclusion Of her own home. Caesar >
wife" sezzee looking as much like ne
thinks Caesar ought to look as $. nature
Will LET him, must be beyond the sus-
n;cion Of any desire to Haunt
This being SO universally the case. and
ENTHUSIASTICALLY as she would begin TO
aat a hi older-setting her face as flint
against anything in the nature OF haunt-
inc in the female members of her family.
!. ;s not to be wondered at that we
aschewed Haunting entirely. regarding II.
aycent in members of the sterner sex and
the nobility. as forbidden thing. 1t is
NOT to be wondered at that We tucked
our heads down till we got crook-necked
IN our meek endeavor to keep as far out
Of the limelight, the sunlight. or the or
binary light of day as was simultaneous
Nv demanded by father, brother and Nj.
Youngman, to say nothing of the rabid
utterances on the subject by almost any
mother you happened to come across.
II was a busy place. too. down there
in the shade. out Of the sunshine, where
everybody Oh earth demanded Ne should