Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1912-10-10
The Home Circle
Thoughts from the Editorial Pen

Sne appears before me now, IN
thought, in the bright light of youth.
She is young and beautiful-so beau
tiful, indeed, that one is filled with a
sense of Joy that anything SO lovely
walks the earth,
The pansy has loaned some of its
purplish depth of color to her large,
dark-lashed0 eyes. No rich, red rose
was ever sweeter than her lips and
cheeks. Her brow and throat have
the lily's whiteness, her hair is soft
ly, darkly, glossily brown, and her
beauty is topped off with dimple
in her chin, which gives complete
ness to her loveliness.
She is bright, too, and possesses
unusual charm of manner. But-the
marble has flaw. With all her love
illness, when she could so well afford
to be tender, she is hard-hard in
her judgment of people, unyielding
in her hatred of those who offend.
1t is the cold judgment of youth.
She has an ideal, and she has neither
pity nor sympathy for those who fall
below her standard. Her ideals are
lofty and fine, which is as it should
be. But one who has failed to at
tain their height once, is not given
second trial So far as this lovely
creature is concerned, they are wiped
off the slate They have been weigh
ed in the balance and found wanting.
Therefore, the burial service has
been read for them, and they have
been laid away, with not even a
flower of regret.
But she is young-in the very
blossoming of her youth and fresh
ness an dimpeccable purity. There
is the chance that the years that try
may also soften her. There is the
hope, that when she lays her youth
away in corner of the closet of life,
wrapped in tissue paper, dampened
with her tears, she may substitute,
in its place-charity.
She is so young, so sweet, so
abounding in promise, that it must
be so. Suerly the guardian angel
that watches over her destiny will
whisper thoughts of love to her, so
that her charity will reach out and
envelop everyone who comes within
the radius of her thought-those in
need of it-especially, those in need
of it!
And this is the reason for the wish.
l have in mind another woman, who
sits in the shadow of evening This
one is not beautiful. Love has not
painted depth to her eyes, nor given
sweetness to brow and lips.
She is an old, old woman, though
her years alone do not justify her
wrinkles. Yet they say, those who
know, that she was exceedingly fair
and good to look upon-once.
They say that her eyes were bright
and her cheeks pink and her hail
glossy and abundant; that her brow
was white and her throat round anC
fair. But SHE was hard, too, witt
the hard judgment. of youth. Ant
she did not get over it. The hard
, ness of youth became the hardness
of age.
She never broke herself of the hab
it of judging people. She neve
formed the habit of loving. Sh'
never laid away her youth in daint,
wrappings, in the closet of life
dampened with her tears.
Instead, she grasped it tight, ant
tried to hold it by force. So, in
= stead of sweet package of memor
, les, fragrant with lavender and rose
it withered in her grasp, and drie
up, and became as dust to her-an
she had nothing. She was empty
4 handed-for youth was gone-ye
she had not charity in its place!
And today, look at her, poor, ole
haggard, ugly, wretched woman
< Upon her painted cheeks are furrow
!. of hatred, around her mouth ar
I lines of bitterness. She loves nc
body, and nobody loves her. Sh
sits all alone. She is lonely, wit
the most pitiable kind of Loneliness
e for it is of her own creating.
r And so | would have the swee
lovely young thing l have described
should this meet her eye, give pause
| would have her learn to love.
/ would have her seek out and fin
S the good in every one. would hav
, her cease saying, 81 can forgive, br
l cannot forget"-for if she has nc
e forgotten, she has not forgiven.
e l would have her try to put he
g self in the position of the one she
: Judging. | would remind her uhs
- there is One who admonishes u
e Judge not"
|. L would have her form the hab
s of loving Then, indeed, might sh
:, laugh at the years and say, Com
on. You cannot harm me or rob. m
II of one good thing, nor will yor
r touch Danish my beauty, for | hay
e found a precious secret which make
! me immune from harm of any sort!