The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-02-17
az ESTHER GRIFFIN WHITE.

who give advice.
| They may or may not be a member
of your own family.
All families, however, have the wise
ones who seek to regulate the affairs
of others.
They may be uncles. aunts, cousins,
brothers. mothers. fathers, grandsires
or whatnot. But we all know them.
They are always kind.
And tell you things for your own
good.
They never for moment want TO
| make you unhappy or uncomfortable
but. on the other hand, are seeking
your highest development. They de-
| sire to see you flower and blossom in
to that beautiful. perfect whole intend
ed by your Maker.
How sad it makes them to see you
| constantly doing the worst for your
self. II you would only take their
advice they are positive-they grandly
klDw-that you would attain to that
pinnacle upon which you deserve to
| rest both by nature and accomplish
ment-and which theV incidentally &C.
cupy.
You Opine there would hardly be
room on the pinnacle for both but
they say there is always room at the
top.
That, you say, is an old saw.
That old saws are merely the sops
the wary throw at the uncou.
This is one thing that grieves them
the disposition to make light of ev-
cry subject that is brought up. TO
turn serious discourse into a mOckery
and to jeer at your own immortal soul.
You will never accomplish the dear
est wish of your heart if you are not
more serious. if YOU do not corral
your wandering impulses, curb your
tendency to levity, trim your emotion
al sails and nail down your flighty
mental habits.
Yes" said the cynic. I've been a
victim all my life"
There's Maria. now" said the other
person. Maria always knows exactly
the proper thing to do. Also to wear.
The precise angle at which to pin your
hair, the hirsute spot to spear your
hat. Just what to say and at what
fractional part of ii second. What will
cure your indigestion and how to
please and entertain the men.
IF you remark that you don't care
whether you please the men or not.
and wouldn't take the trouble to be
entertaining to save your soul, she
at once launches into a long and elo-
quent diatribe on your duty. as a wom-
an, to society. and how it shows very
bad taste and leads to the suspicion
that you have not been center of
masculine attention to make these an
imadversions upon the men. Maria
drives me to drink" said the other
person.
mot half as bad" murmured the
cynic, las the man who tells you how
to run your business. He can figure
out your total profits on a piece of pa
per three inches long. He adds, sub
tracts. multiplies. divides by four and
there you are-your gross receipts at
the bottom, your net on the other side
OF the sheet. All you have to do is to
take his advice and you will be in
vesting in diamonds. real estate. auto
mobiles and European trips before the
sun rises.
I'm the meantime says the cynic
airily blowing cigarette rings, he
gets sixty dollars month writing in
surance policies.
Then there are those people who
want to save your SOUL" said the 9th
err person.
YES" said the cynic. they harry
ho ifs, 0f ahnnt tho Trinity
free will, the atonement and santifi-
cation.
'If you tell them that your soul isn't
bOthering you as much as your hnan-
ces and that you don't care whether
you are saved by blood. fire or water.
that all creeds look alike to you and,
If you had your way. you'd throw EN-
all on the rubbish-heap and start over
again with the Golden Rule as a basis
they howl atheist. intiled. unbeliever
and warn people against you as enter
tanning unsafe and heretical views
that you are. indeed. a worthless. un-
godly and dangerous person and not
At to associate with"
Its just as impertinent to ask you
If your soul is saved" said the other
person. las it is to ask If you rouge
And that makes me think Of Maria"
she went on. Maria rOuges. But she
thinks nobody knows it. They never
do. Some day when Maria begins one
Of her my dear girl disquisitions, I'm
going to turn on her and tell her she
looks like an Indian on the warpath."
NO you won't" said the cynic plac-
idly you never do. Nobody does. You
rage and fume and foam at the mouth
and build up delightful comedies in
which you enact the cutting. sarcastic.
biting role-make the aptest and most
skillful retorts from which you issue
triumphantly and leave your advisor
crushed and bleeding-but it never
happens.
Instead" grinned the cynic, you
agree and apologize and back-pedal
and say you believe they're right and
that they don't say SO and that YOU
never knew it looked that way and so
glad to have had your attention called
to the fact and that you never dream
ed people thought that and that you're
SO glad you have such a kind. disinter-
ested friend and hope some day to be
able to do a like service-which is