The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-09-17

hold who bears the heaviest burden,
and wears the shabbiest clothes, and
works the longest hours and receives
the least appreciation.
And so the poor young girl, with her
pretty face. and the avid desires of her
youth for pleasure, stands at the cross
roads, and asks herself which way she
shall go, and if it pays to be good?
Take the right turn of the road lit
tie sister. Look a little closer at what
is called the primrose path, and you
will see that it is nothing but one of
| those treacherous boys, covered with
! flowers that look bright and beautiful
| to the eye, but into which the travel
Ter, who tries to cross, sinks into the
slime and perishes. If you could see I'M
der the blooms you would find that
every crimson flower has it's roots in
the dead heart of some poor foolish
young girl like you. That is why it's
, flowers are always blood red.
Believe me, what is called the east
est way" is the hardest way on earth
for woman. No other road is so stony
or so cuts and bruises the feet of wom-
en- who tread it.
And it's such a short road, too, lit
tie sister. Rarely more than seven long
years from start to finish, the finish
! that ends in the grave.
Did you ever stop to think why the
painted women daub their faces with
rogue, and put belladonna in their
eyes? They paint roses on their wan
cheeks because disease has robbed
them of the ones that nature planted
there. They put belladonna in their
eyes to give them back the brightness
! that tears have washed out of them
And have you wondered why such
, women invariably take to drink or
drugs? 1t is to forget.
1t is to throttle memor% and dull
thought, so that they may forget for
an hour what they once We're, and the
sort of creature they are doomed to
become.
1t is sadly true that there is nothing
else in the world so little gay as what
is termed the gay life. Listen to its
laughter. 1t is mere noise, the crack
, ling Of thOrns under a pot, with no
/ ring of merriment in it. The women
who lead il never smile, for there is
no happiness there. You will see on
their faces fear and bitter mOckery.
and bold insolence. and jealousy and
rage, and every evil passion that can
tear the human heart, but you will
never see that look of calm peace and
content that shows that woman has
| got her souls desire, and that all is
we'll with her.
If you take the primrose path, little
| sister, you may get few fine clothes,
q little rich food, q little luxury. but do
not forget that you will get otter
things also, You will get a tortured
II,
you will get fear always with you lest
your beauty fade and your tenuous
hold upon some man be broken. And
you shall know cruelty and abuse as
no other woman ever knows il. for il
is the way of men TO break their toys
when they have wearied of them. And
/ you shall have a brief life span. for
that is the motto of the primrose
! path, "a short life and a merry one"
And if the primrose path is not so
alluring at short range as il appears
, at a distance. neither is the straight
and narrow path so hard and barren
| in reality as il looks in prospect The
woman who treads il may wear home
| spun, but no other woman draws her
skirts away from her as if she was a
( leper. She has the respect and admir-
| alton OF those about her and believe
| me. little sister. these are better gar
ment in which to be clothed than the
! silks and satins that a woman has
| bought at the price OF her soul.
Above all, she has her own self
respect, and that is the one thing
that is absolutely necessary to any
real happiness. AS long as We can look
ourselves in the face with a clean con-
/ science none OF us can be utterly mis-
/ cradle
The girl who chooses the better
way may look forward TO the supreme
happiness of life that OF being mar
/ ried to a good man who loves and hon
ors her, and TO having little children
into whose clear eyes she is not afraid
10 look. and to establishing a home