Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-12-06

Elegant Leisure? With a steady hand
and observant eyes she guided her boat
down life's stream; when she saw a
derelict, or an exhausted swimmer, she
lent a hand, or took them in her own
boat until they were ready to help
themselves. Circumstances relieved her
of the necessity of all that. She saw
a fair haven, she was weary of toll and
responsibility and turned her boat out
of the course it had been going.
why should she not rest?' she
asked. The day was beginning to wane
and she had just put out her last pas
senger. This haven had plenty of other
boats and they showed by their bright
trimmings and we'll set sails that the
harbor was prosperous and eminently
respectable Sounds of life and ANNA
ton filled the air and she meant to try
it anyway.
The harbor master, the quarantine
doctor and all officialdom welcomed her,
for was she not valuable addition to
all of them?
did 1 leave the impression that it
was a safe harbor? She thought so
and was astonished to find that there
are hidden rocks and frequent land
breezes that bear all sorts of Irritating
pests, creatures that sting and buzz,
that poison and annoy one; the land
breezes bear them; and the rocks are
called envy and spite and jealousy with
an occasional monster to lie in wait for
the unwary. Our Lady of Elegant Leis-
ure has found all this out and is not
as serene as she appears. She says,
One must keep bnes eyes open any
where
The truth of the whole matter is
that she mas let her muscles get soft.
Her arms could not send boat as far in
a day as she once did. In this fair
haven she has learned that she must
flatter and listen to flattery, it is the
current coin of that haven She has
mad to put aside the thought that the
secret of cheerfulness is kindness;
that the Golden Rule does not work out
problems of blame and greed; that no.
body can be consistently kind and make
remarks about the absent She is dis
contented but declares that such is
life The poison there is as insidious
as malaria. Do you know what it is?
IL is the fact that nobody there is real
ly striving, honestly denying themselves
for any other person. Out of their
abundance they give and not only the
left hand but the neighbors, know of
the gift.
Don't think for an instant that all
the narDOrS are ike LnaI. Inc real
bane of this haven is the preponder-
ance, the superabundance of the idle
rich, In many harbors are rich people
who work as hard as the poorest.
have in my mind one such haven that
has more of the busy rich than of the
idlers and it's a happy haven for just
such as you and 1.
Keep on with your latest endeavor.
don't let old age find you with nothing
to do and mind filled with bitter mem
cries. Busy people haven't time for
mean thoughts; there is too much at
stake. Keep on and when your sum-
mons comes, when you reach the end of
your journey you will be surprised at
the number that you have helped by
actual deed, by example and by words
of cheer"
So the Business Woman again took
heart, and when she again assumed her
new responsibility she did so with a
song on her lips and praise in her
heart.
Who was the Business Woman? What
was her new responsibility? Perhaps
merely a new position in an office, per-
chance TO fill a dead mothers place in
a home, maybe to manage a farm 1t
does not matter let the thought that