The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-06-20

And thereby gave Billy an opportunity to Haunt some more of his cynicisms in your face" said The Major
 He began it by making his mean lit- tie speech about women," was the reply. and so was trying to justify her in her worldly wisdom according to the way he thinks?,
 And by trying to do it." said The Ma jor. you lost forever the opportunity to make Billy Bunting see that you your self have ideals-that every woman cher ishes the dream of an ideal man. Why, you might have said"
 "A thousand things" The Spinster re- piled, but Billy isn't the man to say them to, with his head stuffed full of ideals and dream women and goddesses that all other women must live up to-"
 But Mss Lucretia," interposed The Major, "havnt you ever had tucked away in your heart an Ideal man-type that spells perfection in the way of a sweet heart?''
 Perhaps that's why I'm a Spinster to- day" said the lady dolefully, but even so. l wouldn't let Billy Bunting know 1t for $l.OOo. .0O0
 You are very foolish" said The Major. "The reason the world is so sordid and cynical today is because of the fact that so many women try to hide their ideal deep within them and veil all their real feelings with flippant words and worldly wisdom, which isn't wisdom at all"
 You really think, then, that everybody ought to have ideals?" asked The Spin ster
 Everybody who is worth while" an- swered The Major An ideal is sort of a pattern by which we shape our lives and fit ourselves to measures of perfection that we'd never attain otherwise. Don't tro, Of nFxrte where the little shop girl who lived in garret room, kept picture on her bureau of Lord Kitchener? She made B a week and in describing her and her sisterhood the author said
 Its pretty hard for girl to fight the world, the flesh and the devil on 8 a week
 "But this girl did it. She was putting up a good fight and the one who was leading her on to victory was General Kitchener. True. 1t was only cheap pie ture of him in cheaper frame, but there he hung on the wall-always big and hand some and strong and fine. A man who wouldn't stoop-who couldn't stoop-to do anything but the big thing, the right thing
 Every day" The Major went on telling the story. ''the little girl came back to the cheerless room, and every day saw that picture of the great General, and she felt that he approved of the fight she was making Time passed on and one day the girl, hungrier and more lonely than ever, was approached by the floor walker of the store in which she worked, and he asked her out to dinner. She &C., cepted and rushed home to don her best clothes for the great event. While she was dressing she happened to glance up at the picture on the wall, and she couldn't look General Kitchener in the face She knew what he would think of her going out with such man. Sud- denly she caught her breath; she couldn't stand it; she couldn't brave the disap- proval of that grand man, so she called out to her landlady downstairs and told her if a gentleman came and asked for her. please to say to him that she had a headache and couldn't see him"
 And how did 1t end?" asked Miss Lu- eretia. greatly interested. Did the General step fro mthe picture frame and escort her to his automobile and take her out to dine?''
 "No; he stayed in the cheap little frame. I think" said The Major, and the poor little girl probably lost her place in the store. But one thing Is sure-she kept her Ideals, and after all that is the main thing In life'
 "The main thing in life?" repeated The spinster
 "Yes," said The Major. When man or woman gets to the place where they can not look their ideal in the face-lke the little girl--its a pretty sad state of af- l fairs, for when you come to think of 1t l our ideals are generally but reflected im- ages of ourselves-what we might be- | what we CAN be-if we keep on realizing that we are truly the captains of our souls, that we may be anything, and all the things to which we aspire, If we but stay faithful to the end"