Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-01-11
DEBTS WE ALL
HAVE TO PAY
Nothing For Nothing, Natures
Inexcusable Rule Says
Beatrice Fairfax
BY BEATRICE FAIRFAX.

Nothing for nothing" is not a cruel
law of selfish individuals; 1t is natures
own rule.
"If only had some one influential
world. w lay says sty Ellen. esn' FFhe F only p person
whose is going to take eliza
without anw backsliding or sde-traclk-
ing or unpleasant tumbles, is Ellen's
own.
For all that we get in life we pay
That is natures own law of balance
But just what the price is going to
Nature does not ticket things with
price tags. She simply. exacts COM
pensation = and generally on partic..
ular terms that human beings would
have chosen to avoid.
Suppose Lucy meets an influential
man in business. She is heavily In:
ask no favors for herself from ths
great man, it occurs to her that IL
would be well to Introduce Jane and
qualntance. Why should Lucy be SUR
prised If the great man is clever enough
to figure out her mental process and
to expect her to repay him for any
favor he does Jane?
The Books Balanced
The books of life are balanced but
according to a system of double entry
none of us can forecast. -
Suppose, you go. out on a rainy day
with neither rubbers nor umbrella:
U
catch cold. In fact. as you proudly
boast, your constitution is so good
that you never have to take precau-
tions against the weather" Perhaps
not.
But nature marks down aga INST you
debt for which some day she is. going
weakened constitution piles up a series
of debts and one day you find yourself
down with pneumonia" or perhaps
ly lowered and you become an easy
prey to some epidemic which passes by
the people who have obeyed Nature's
laws and who owe no debt of lessened
vitality.
Not only in matters of health. but in
matters Of moral stamina, all of us
Just one cocktail" - and there is
created the knowledge of how cock
tail tastes, the awareness of the stim-
ing. of superiority to any craving foI
that form of dissipation Perhaps a
habit is formed - in any event an in
hibition is broken down.
The point of view becomes, Having
taken one cocktail with no evil results,
may risk another" and so reckless
social glass" and in due time Nature
demands compensation for the weaken
ed will and broken down body.
Deny yourself sleep for while:
perhaps you may manage very we'll on
five hours of slumber a night, but in
the end you find yourself either falling
aStSNP ofSA yOuI yOu
to take one night off and sleep the
clock around" or an absolute physical
breakdown occurs.
Nature eXactS her price but she
not you, names that price.
So for every tampering with or i'm
fingement of Natures laws! The stout
woman diets strenously and cut of
certain food values to which she Is
accustomed. She loses flesh-which is
her purpose; but she loses also nervous
energy, which is Natures way of ball
ancing intake and output
Why, then, is ii surprising that hui
man beings should conduct themselves
on an absolutely natural principIef
When man does you favor and ex.
acts one in return, you have absolute
ly no cause to be surpriced; nor have
you a right to be agitated IL the favor
asked OF you reresents the particular
thing you do not want to do.
The man you call exacting and selfish
or old-bloodedly mercsnary is simply
conducting himself in accordance with
Nature. He is balancing accounts.
Nature insists on equity. She keeps
an absolute balance. Demand certain
things of her and you pay for them in
terms of health and nervous vitality
Remember that the next time Won
are tempted to ask a favor of an in
tluential friend. In the natural course
of events you will have to pay-and
will probably not like the price,
The only safe way to get on in the
world Is to play the game of life for
yourself, asking no aid of individuals
and demanding no overdraughts OF vie
tality from Nature.