Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-10-22
MAKING THE MOST OF NOW
AND HERE
8 y DOROTHY DIX
The Worlds Highest Paid Woman
Writer

MONG my acquaintances is a GER
"a tain weli-to-do elderly woman who
n is always dressed in garments OF
extensive material, but they are about
three years behind the fashion.
When other women are wearing
tight skirts. her skirts are four yards
around the bottom. When other wo-
men have boufant sleeves, her sleeves
fit her arm like sausage casing.
When other women's hats are I'M
trimmed, hers are loaded down with
ostrich feathers. and althogether she
Invariably looks like back number,
yet she spends as much money on her
wardrobe as ,many woman does who
presents a fashion plate appearance.
Now the reason that this lady re-
sembles something that has been
fished out Of the rag bag instead OF
q Daily Hint from Paris is because
when she gets a new dress and hat
she considers them too good to wear
when they are fresh, except on some
exceedingly resplendent occasion, and
as Respondent occasion occur but sell
dom in her quiet life she doesn't wear
them at all. She carefully wraps UP
in many coverings her fine new frock
and hat and puts them away in the
closet while she wears her year be.
fore last things, and by the time she
gets around to them they, to, are
ont of date, so she never catches up
with the styles.
In the same spirit she covers up
her new rugs with bits OF old car.
pet, and smothers her new furniture
in tides to protect it, and eats off
of knicked and broken china to avoid
cracking her new dishes, so that her
house is always shabby, although it
Is full OF good things that their
owner considers too good for use.
This woman never has the pleasure
or being well dressed or living in the.
midst of beautiful surroundings be-
cause she has never learned to make
the most of now and here. She puts
off using and enjoying her pretty
things until some future time, and
when the time comes the pleasure that
she might have had is gone. Her
frock that was once so smart has be-
come scarecrow, her rugs are soiled,
her furniture scratched, her china an
old pattern, and she's never had any
satisfaction out of them at all.
We can see easily enough this wo-
mans folly as, It manifests itself in
q material way, but do not most OF
us spiritually fall under the same con-
domination? We can see that IL we
are to get any good out of our clothes
and furniture we must do so in the
present, but do not most of US put off
enjoying the finer things of life I'M
til it is too late, and the Joy we might
have had is forever gone?
we see this pathetic mistake being
made So often in the domestic rela-i
tionship. A man and woman love each
other deeply and sincerely. A woman
appreciates to the full every fine and
noble quality of her husband. She
could weep with gratitude when she
thinks of how hard he toiled to keep
her soft and safe; OF how deep and
abiding is his patience with all of her
little weakness, or the generosity that
makes him offer himself up as daily
sacrifice on the family altar.
The man never looks at his wife
without feeling like going down on his
fypifies for him all that is good, and
pure. and loyal. and devoted, all the
qualities that lift humanity nearer to
the stars, and there isn't day when,
in his secret soul, he doesn't bless
God for having given her to him for
q wife.
systematically these people know
that theirs is one of the rare mar
riages in which man and woman
have really found their mates, and
sometimes they mean to enjoy this
precious cup of welded bliss that is
ut their lips-sometime they are going
to sip it drop by drop, tasting to the
fullest ifs flavor, sometime they are
going to takes long hours in reYei.
ing in a perfect comradship.
But not just now. They are too
busy in the present moment with bust
ness, with housekeeping, with parties
and clubs, and thousand foolish in |
terestss to even realize that they are
happy, or that their marriage is sue
cess. or to say word of thanks or ap-
preciation TO each other. And then one
of them dies, and the time when
they might have enjoyed themselves |
together is gone past all recall.
And every day you see people max
ing the same fatal mistake about their |
children. In the wide universe there |
is nothing else millionth part so ell
chanting, so interesting, such fun as
a little child whose mind is just begin |
ming TO unfold, whose eyes are OPEN
ing to the world of wonder, and whose !
little tongue is just beginning to bah.
bic queer comments on life. To feel !
the cling of tender little arms around
YOUR neck, and the cuddle OF a soft |
little body in the hollow OF your arms,
brings thrill TO the heart more poig- /
nant, syeeter, and more satisfying /
than any other that ever pierces the
human heart
Probably there is not one father and /
mother in a thousand who doesn't
know this, or who would sell child |
Tor a million dollars. Yet how few
,1arents do you ever see really enjoy
Inv their babies, or who realize that
they are eating their white bread Oh
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