The Washington herald., 1913-08-08
~ FRANCES SHAVER.
Dor man.-it Is hard going.

Poor man!-it Is hard going.
You see, he is one Of the many I'M
sung wase-earners in the world whose
life consists in an unbroken round of
duties, earning anywhere from fair
to a good salary. but with weekly ex-
penses eating up every dollar.
Without rancor, but with a touch of
human WEAKNESS. he declares that 1t
takes a goodly bit OF plain courage to
20 on, week after week. month after
month, and year after year, always
hoping, but never catching up with
time when he can manage to withhold q
few dollars or so for the sake OF
dreamed-of luxury, or piled-up find
to use later on.
With a sturdy young family dependent
upon him. looking to him for the where
withal for every material need. he
plainly enough sees his duty and sees
it stretching ahead for many year.
But he wishes that some one. once in a
while, would tell him and the many other
plodders like him that there Is a trace
of the heroic in their unselfish labors.
From his viewpoint, 1t would not seem
quite so hopeless If. when payday came
around, these patient fathers of fam
lilies might slip out some Of their earn
ings and indulge cherished whims long.
long deferred. But for every payday
there are the regular expenses that SIM
ply will not down, and the little unlock
ed-for extras that have a hundred differ
ent names.
Poor paterfamilias! 1t does sort of
take the courage out Of a man-yes, and
a woman-to go on earning just enough
to keep sD's home-fires burning. But
the little shoes on busy feet will persist
in wearing out, little frocks and suits
will go to pieces, and there Is mighty
small leeway for dreams to come true.
But happy the fathers and the moth
ers, happy the homes, where the every
day duties and sacrifices are taken for
granted.
Measure Up to Duties.
And one believes that in the average
home, hard as it is to see every bit of
earnings go by for overcoming family
needs, wage-earners and those who dis
pense them rarely fail to measure their
duties, and measuring, to meet them with
strong hearts for their self-imposed
tasks.
Once in a while men and women will
follow an impulse without thinking
where the impulse may lead them. and
they will take upon themselves the
mighty duties and responsibilities of
home making, lacking the strength and
the heart to go on, unless all is roseate
and lovely. And things are not likely to
be all roseate and lovely forever. even
with plenty of money to make the going
as easy as may be-. And when 1t hap
pens, as it does with most of wage
earners that the poor little pay envelope
is greedily swallowed up by the necessi-
ties of living. it requires a sturdier back
ground than impulse.
For the same kind Of impulse that
leads some reckless folk into wedlock.
blindly and without long thoughts of the
future and Of their willingness to stand
up through the storm ana stress Of the
years. may prompt them to accept their
duties pretty lightly once they begin to
press fast and hard.
And il is then that the trouble begins.
1t is then. too, one wishes that some
how it might happen that fewer Of the
failures would find their way into print.
For reading all about the men and
women who fall down when the going
becomes rough and unattractive. some
times before that begins. it is easy
enough to forget the plodders who go
steadily along through all kinds OF
weather, without much thought Of di-
versions or of applause for the sacri-
fees they make.
The newspapers make much Of the