Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-20
BY BEATRICE FAIRFAX.

TIME man with a surplus Of wealth
and idle time. and the too-often
attending poverty Of heart.
brain and soul, awakens to manhood
with The discovery that he holds In
one hand a candle and in the other
hand matches, called Pride, Vanity.
Passion. Power and Self. with which
20 light &C.
The devil is generous with his
equipment, and never partial The
young man with the unllghted candle
looks around him and sees that many
other men are similarly equipped
They have lighted their candles and
are making merry with the moths
that ate attracted by the flame
They shout In triumph as moth aft
or moth circles too near the flame is
burned and drops to the floor And
the man with the greatest number Of
moths around his candle shouts the
louGest for il he not the greatest hero
among mlnkind2
Some day, perhaps, these candles
viii burn to their sockets. and before
they expire a tiny flame win shoot
forth from every candle. burning the
hanG of the man who holds a. But
that is "a long time away. and many
men are never burned, so why fret the
merry present with thoughts Of a
troubled future2
So all light their candles, and more
moths futter in-soft and white and
graceful. A snowflake falling from
Heaven seemed never sweeter
And the snowflake after II has fall
en- 90 the ground and become a part
of the mire Is "a symbol Of what hap
pens 10 the moth
Only Moths.
These silly moths see many things
in the flames that were never there.
They see love, warmth OF heart and
soul. Caresses, ease, luxury and fine
raiment and of an these little Gllur-
ing. binding dazzling lights shot out
from the flames none has as great
power 10 attract as the light that
promises fine raiment.
The moths are soft pretty, silly,
brainless things So brainless they
would s.ll their souls for fine clothes
and think they got the best Of the
bargain Every autter of their wings
that brings them nearer the tiames
tells Of this intention.
Poor little things! IF they sold only
their souls the price would be dear
enough. but this world has a way of
refusing 90 leave an punishment TO
the next and they sell more than
their souls They sell their peace
and happiness In this life as well as
all hope for the next
There is no garment so fine that it
is worth the price paid for II In the
moth and candle market. storm
tossed. draECIed. beaten, oppressed,
abandoned and dishonored, the soft
Eatiny raimeut with which the moth
has attired herself makes poor pro-
lection against the elements whose
wrath her vanity has invoked.
The satisfaction Of vanity is the
shortest lived of all sentiments. the
moth soon finds that attire can be
never So fine that happy, contented
heart beats under the scarlet letter Of
shame pinned on the breast.
No Concealment.
No Eirl ever enjoyed luxury that
was not won honestly that the world
die not find IL out No girl ever
picked fine raiment out Of the flames
OF a candle held out to her by a young
man that the world did not know IT,
81 was too young a poor girl viii
plead "to know / was doing wrong
NO girl replies the world, Us ever
go young that she is not old enough
10 know better
Il saw no soft, anuring lights IN the
flames. il saw only dishonor and deg
ra lstlon. II neither forgiNes nor for
gets the girl. II may condemn the
man but 90 never Furnishes him. Il is
always on the breast Of a woman that
the scarlet letter burns
il is always the woman who pays.