Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1914-05-31
FRIENDSHIP.
By Juliet Cranberry Galloway
 Essayist Class "A
 Pine Bluff High School

been defined as the bank of credlt OH which we can draw supplies of con fidence. council sympathy, help, and love: the link in life's long chain that bears the greatest strain; JeWel who's lustre the strong acids of poverty and misfortunes cannot dim. A friend is the first person that comes iii when the whole world has gone out; one that is trurer to us, than We are to ourselves. Friendship is the only thing il the world con- corning the usefulness of which all mankind are agero.
 Nothing is more conducial to real happiness than genuine friendship. It supports and strengthens the mind, alleviates the pains of life, and renders more comfortable present conditions. Buy being communicated sorrows grow less and joys greater. It has been truly said that, Sorrow like stream loses itself in many channels, while joy like ray of the sun reflects with greater ardore and quickness, when it rebounds upon a man from the breast of his friend"
 Friendship is devine in it's origin, and has been experienced by count less thousands since the time of Abraham, "who was friend of God"
 Many noble incidents of true friendship are found. such as that of David and Johnathan, which persist ed in spite of the wrath of Saul against David, and which led Johna- than to seek David in the wilderness, and to comfort him saying Fear not, for the hand of Saul, my father, shall not find thee, and thou shall be king over Israel, and I will be next unto thee"
 Another celebrated instance is that of Ruth and Naomi, in which the former is willing to turn her back up- on her people and her gods, and in pleading accents to say: "Entreat me not to leave thee, or to retire from following after thee, for whither thou goist, I will go, and where thou lodgest, will lodge, thy people shall be my people, they God my God, where thou diest will l die, and there will I be buried, the LoHh do so to me and more also, if augnv but death part thee and me-"
 portrayal of constant friendship is that which existed between the two illustrious characters Damon and Pythias, in which Pythias voluntarily staked his life for that of his friend.
 Ia the hour of distress and misery, does not the heart of every mortal turn to friendship for solace? In the hour of gladness and conviviality what is our goal? It is friendship! When the heart overflows with grati- tude, or with any other sweet and sacred sentiment, where shall it find an outlet? In the bosom of friend l! . "A friend loveth at all times and is born as a brother for .adversity." |" Friendship is far more than pleasant companionship in bright sunny hours. It is entirely unselfish. It loves not for what 1t may receive but for what it may give. Its aim, is not to be min- 6tered unto but to minister. The formation of friendships, therefore, is sacred thing, and should be only entered Into thoughtfully, wisely and prayerfully.
 Friendship has certain essential characteristics, without which, it is unworthy of the name. The basis of true friendship is self sacrifice dis nterestedness, truth, virtue and consta1cy. Because it is the perfec- tion of earthly bliss, the world has ever been flooded with base counter fe1ts. many so thickly coated that nothing but time can detect their baseness. Deception is propensity deeply rooted in human nature, the hobby horse on which some ride their llfe Caution has ben termed the parent of safety. yet it has often been baffled by Judas hiss; the most cautious have been the dupes and victims of the basest decievers. Often the pure motives of friendship are replaced by those of palbry gain and personal interest.
 Behold the toiling miser with his lllgot and worthless coin, his soul is never moved by the hallowed boon of friendshi. The ambitious man also seeks to gain the applause of others, and by an unholy usage of the sacred rights of friendship. usurps for him. self a seal of e-eminence.
 All men are fond of praise, and many resort to dishones tmeans in obtaining it. Hence, it is often hard to distinguish between true and false friendship. :;
 i]Se COlu0 diu we TCdllZC fully the personal benefits of friend ship. When languishing under disease, how grateful is the solace of our friends. When Heaven has taken from us some object of our love. how sweet it is to have bosom where on to recline our heads and upon which to pour the torrents of our tears. But friendship is precious not only in the shade, but in the sun shine of life, and thanks to wise and benevolent providence the greater part of life is sunshine. {
 Then classmates, cultivate those friendships of your youth, for. as Washington says '.True friendship is plant of slow growth and must undergo and withstand the shocks of diversity before it is entitled to the appallation." How different are the intimaces of after years, how much weaker the grasp of your own right hand, after it has squeezed and drop- ped a thousand equally careless palms, in twenty years of commerce As the tongue is seldom fashioned to