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

4 NhE man Win a surplus or 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 candle and in the other
hand matches, called Pride, Vanity,
Passion. Power and Self with which
10 light II,
The devil is generous with his
equipment, and never partial The
young man with the unlighted 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 are attracted by the flame
They shout IN triumph as moth aft
er 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
loudest for is he not the greatest hero
among mankind2
Some day, perhaps, these candles
viii burn 10 their sockets, and before
they expire a tiny flame VIII shoot
forth from every candle burning the
hand of the man who holds 1t. but
that rs a long time away. and many
men are never burned, so why fret the
merry present with thoughts OF
troubled future2
So an light their candles. and more
moths futter iu-soft and white ana
graceful A snowflake falling from
heaven seemed never sweeter
And the snowflake after IL has fall
en- 20 the ground and become a part
OF the mire is a symbol Of what hap
pens 90 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
raimeut. and OF all these little allur-
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 sell their souls for fine clothes
and think they got the best OF the
bargain Every fiutter OF their wings
that brings them nearer the flames
tells of this intention.
Poor little things, II they sold only
their souls. the price would be dear
enough. but this world has way OF
refusing TO leave all 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 1t
is worth the price paid for II in the
moth-and candle market storm
tossed, draggled beaten, oppressed,
abandoned and dishonored, the soft,
Eatiny raiment 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 an sentiments, the
moth soon finds that attire can be
never SO fine that q happy Contented
heart beats under the scarlet letter Of
shame pinned on the breast
No Concealment.
No girl ever enjoyed a luxury that
was not won honestly that the world
did not find IL out. No girl ever
picked fine raimeut 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.
mo girl replies the world. as ever
50 young that she is not old enough
TO know better"
! cav no soft, alluring lights in the
flames. it saw only dishonor and deg
radiation. II neither forgives nor for
gets the girl Il may condemn the
man but IL never Furnishes him. Il is
always on the breast of a woman that
the scarlet letter burns
It is always the woman who pays