The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-04-01
EU ening Chat

BY RUTH CAMERON.

Does it pay, in a material way 1
mean, in dollars and cents and mate
rial advantage, to be honest and
square?
How often one hears people answer
that in the negative, with the cheap
cyniciSm which thinks it's clever to
see no good in human nature.
We all know that it pays in some
thing bigger and more real than even
dollars and cents. But take the mate
rial side of the proposition. I'm not
so sure that it doesn't pay in the long
run. Are you?
We were speaking the other day
of buying piece of furniture. Some
one mentioned having seen some
good-looking piecesc at a certain store.
Yes said the buyr doubtfully. but
l think I'll go to ks. We may have
to pay little more, but they're so
square, they stand back of anything
they sell. I'd feel safer there"
Did it pay that shop to stand back
of what it sold or not?
Judging from that and similar tes-
timony that 1 have heard, 1 should
say it did.
And 1 think it pays individuals just
as surely to have their names stand
for square dealing.
1 once had dealings with woman
who handled a real estate business
with an intelligence office on the side.
I applied to her for a maid telling
her just the number in the family
and what l could pay. The three
maids she sent me had all been told
by her that 1 would pay more and
that there was a smaller number in
the family. 1t was plainly her policy
to do anything to get the business.
Later l was asked by a friend what
agent she had best employ in buying
a house. I thought of this woman,
but, remembering my experience with
hal 7
mend her. 1 did not feel that she
would be dependable. So my friend
went elsewhere and what the woman
gained by placing a maid was as moth
ing to what the sale of the house my
friend ultimately bought would have
netted her.
A woman told me this experience
once: i've just had something hap
pen to me that has made me feel that
it's worth while to try to be square.
There was a time when 1 was on the
verge of doubling it. I've always
paid my bills and been ultra scrupu-
| lous about obligations of any Sort and
sometimes when I've seen people who
didn't, and found how well they got
along, l wondered --. But yesterday
1 had a letter from a woman, telling
me that she had suggested my name
to a friend of hers as one who might
like to join in a cooperative house
keeping plan. It is just the kind OF
/ thing I've always wanted TO Go and
| it would help me out this winter, but
what pleased me most was what she
said in the letter. Here ii is: I told
Mrs. R that 1 couldn't promise
that you'd get along together. but one
thing 1 could promise, and that was
that you would be absolutely scrupu-
| lous about all financial obligations.
This thing couldn't have come my way
! if she hadn't known L was square 1t
makes me feel that after all people
do notice and care"
1t is a pleasant feeling, isn't it, the
kind that makes your heart grow
warmer within you and the sunshine
| look brighter.
Things like this do not very often
come to the surface, but I think there
are more of them under the surface
than most of US realize.
Courage, comrade, you who are
bravely trying to keep your bills paid
and all your dealings square-you
cannot fail to win respect and that re-
spect may even now be bearing fruit
that shall be valuable to you.-(Pro-
tected by The Adams Newspaper Serv-
a ice.)