Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-11-13
Life Problems
Are Discussed
nv >,RS vuSON wOODROW

BY MRS. WILSON WOODROW
was shopping the other day with
my sister. I'll only be gone ten min
utes," she said, leaving me seated in
the taxi; and she did not return for
half an hour. There was nothing for
me to do but watch the passing snow.
But my attention soon wandered
from the general to the particular
from the mass to the individual.
Near me stood a shabby. timid
little woman apologetically onerlns
a tray of wares. She looked pinched
and starved-starved of affectlon.
happiness, even of food. People hur-
ried by her without giving her a
glance. She was the kind one likes TO
forget-if one can. Threads, safety
pins. needles, tape and pins. She Of
fered them with sort of disparlng
apathy which brought pity some
times and impatience always.
1 thought of another street vendor
I had seen only a day or two before
n leathe -lunged, masculine tramp
who was selling children's DOCKS
bright-colored, gay and tempting.
Take 'em home to the kluules'
Make the little ones happy he
bawled. thrusting them impudently,
insistently into the faces of the pass
erby. And several people laughlngly
accented the challenge and stoppeu
to purchase.
Her Story Like That of Hundreds
Something, a sense or curiosity l
suppose, made me step out Oh lhe
taxi, go over to the woman, and ouy
q paper of pins.
her a favor. and then as l asked
ber n question or two, she told me
her story, similar to hundreds oil
others. ,,o+,,
She was a widow; there was noun
ing else TO which she could turn her
hand. and she wasn't making any
thing at this. l said something oi
this sort: ....,,o
WHY don't you lift up your voice!
Stop customers. Make them puE'
People need pins and needleS an AM
thread. If you'd stand here and yell,
Here's YOUR thread and needles
Patch your pants, mend your mehd
ing sew up your rents in mlnd, pouy
and estate! A stitch in time saves
nine. If you can't sew, PIN! rake
safety to do it! Here are your pms
needles, tape and thread! Take tnem
home to your wife. Teach your chll-
dren how to sew!
Don't shrink back" / went on
stand out where people can see you
And then when you have their at
tention. look them in the eyes, ana
say sweetly and imperalvely' ! am
sure YOU need some pins. Pms are so
necessary. And these are really
bargain.
She smiled in a reluctant, wintry
way. and said, "Oh, couldn't 90
ANYTHING like that. wasn't brought
up to this. My father and my nus
band were both well-to-do. Why, II
they knew what I'd come to'-Ihen
she began to cry.
The Old Cry-"I Wasn't Brought Up
to Work"
. oh, dear! oh, dear! What an awful
I'D it has on the feminine mind
this idiotic old cry, Il wasn't
brought up to work." and the air OF
injury. of resentment, that cruel cir
cumstances have made it a neces-
sity.
Work of one kind or another is the
only thing that justifies our existence
on this planet. Instead of being a
curse, it is our divinest blessing. And
the old excuse of not being brought
up to it" doesn't go to-day. when
women who have been reared in the
greatest luxury are gladly accepting
the heaviest, the hardest, the most
menial labor in the hospitals on the
other side. and doing it often under
fire.
Work. no matter what form it
takes. is the expression of our in