The Glasgow courier., 1917-05-04
HOW TO USE YOUR SPARE TINE

It may seem surperfluous to under
take to advise a girl who has only a
few hours out of the "a that are not
accounted for how to spend that time,
but it is judicious use of the spare
moments that is likely to bring the
full measure of success, instead of a
half portion. "Tell me-" some one
has said, chow you use your spare
time and I can make good guess
what your future is going to be-" The
hours that belong to your employer
and the time you must necessarily
spend in sleep are arranged for you-
but those few precious hours that are
yours to do with as you please in
them lies your great opportunity to
show what you are made of.
Now expect the majority of you
will instinctively infer that l mean
you must spend that time in some
tense endeavor to improve your mind,
but do not. Recreation, relaxation
are essentials to we'll being, and that
means they are essential to good
work, to efficiency. But recreation is
not necessarily counted in golf or ten
mis-, nor relaxation in sound sleep.
Most women find complete change
of occupation entirely satisfying, but
there is no gainsaying the effects of
true play when the forces of mind,
body and spirit all let down spontan-
eously and are most nearly in perfect
harmony.
So, say, take your healthful play
as you can get it. But, don't mistake
late suppers in crowded restaurants,
and all-night dances, for healthful
play. They leave you, as it will not
take you long to find out, tagged by
far than an extra amount of work
would have left: the one exhilirates,
the other wearies; the one, though it
may bring temporary fag, is recuper-
ative, the other tears down. By that
I mean to show you that it is import
ant you should choose your recrea-
tion carefully and be as conscientious
about it as you were in choosing your
oucupation and in performing the
duties it involved. "Work while you
work and play while you play, that Is
the way to be happy and gay" says
the oldtime copy books, and it is, only
don't overdo either the work or the
play.
Spend some portion of the day in
reading. Map out simple course for
yourself-say, along the lines of cur
rent events, so that you will be able
to converse intelligently. The art of
conversation is every nearly list one,
but that is the more reason why you
should cultivate it. Without being in
the least pedantic you will find after
a while that you can direct conversa-
tion even among the most fiippant of
your associates, although I trust you
are not choosing your associates from
amongst the flippant.
Spend as much time as you can
among the persons whose mental at
| tainments are such as to make them
valuable to you, and draw from them
all you can to supply your own men
tai needs.
Insist upon having some time to
yourself, even if it is no more than
half an hour, in which you can be
"at home" with yourself. You might
do bit of mending or other sewing
at the same time, for every woman
knows she can think better if her
hands are occupied in some way that
does not require conscious direction.
Nevertheless, l think it is the great
est mistake for girls to spend time in
bits of fancy work that are tax on
the eyesight and nerves. There are
other things more worth while and
more interesting. One very important
point in relation to this subject of
making time have reserved for the
last, for it is of all phases, or so it
seems to me, oftenest overlooked. You
hear people all around you say, II
haven't time, or if l had the time she
has, etc." one way or another max
ing lack of time an excuse for short
comings. Now just bear it in mind
that you have all the time there is.
There are no more hours in the day
for anyone than there are for you, and
it remains with you to make what
disposition of them you will. do
not believe, as some people do, in
crowding every moment full, for in
the long run that does not count for,
but against one-and besides it is not
only a good thing but interesting to
try to conserve both time and energy.
The first way is by being on time.
The society butterfly may argue that
there is a psychology in keeping peo-
pie waiting for her, but the woman
to whom moments count in the real
purpose of life knows that there is a
greater psychology meaning for her
in impressing people with the fact
that she is to be depended upon.
Some persons are habitually late,
and it is due to carelessness and
should not be tolerated, even by
friends- IF only such nersons could