The Washington herald., 1917-03-08
Folk We Touch in Passing
ny JULIA CHANDLER.
THE BEAUTIFUL GAME.

The lips that do the most signing along
life's way usually belong to the folk
who have too much time and occasion for
thought OF self.
A certain remarkable mother with
whom I sometimes rub elbows evolved
from her glimpse Of this beautiful truth
a game that began as q very little thing
but reached out little by little until 1t
gladdened many lives.
1t was started purely in the interest
Of The Girl.
1t difficult to avoid the development Of
were even no distant relatives to be con-
sidered. In fact they stood quito alone,
The Mother and her child.
The first warning signal was the ten
dency Of The Girl to ''the blues" For
no apparent reason q happy mood would
change to one OF melancholy, and when
The Mother tried to stir her daughter
from her depressing apathy she met with
no success whatever.
So the splendid woman, whose own
earnest, active life left small time for
any moment OF that self-pity which is
father-mother to mental depression, sat
down alone and thought the matter out.
To lecture or scold The Girl seemed to
her no part Of wisdom. To force the
confidence Of the~young creature who
lived so many years in her uncommuni-
Gated dreams was an impossibility. To
philosophize offered no greater oppor-
tunity
So The Mother was sore beset for a So
luton to her problem when one day her
mind was flooded with a veritable in
spiration.
Reversing the need she told The Girl
that abe MI har lnlD
you know" said The Mother, "when
ones interests are centered upon one
person, or object, narrowness of outlook
and selfshness of character are sure to
follow. OF late have come to realize
that you are the sum and substance of
my thought; Of my work: of my life.
THE other night as lay thinking for
hours after the lights were out I could
recall no single instance during that en-
tlre DAY that had served any human
being save myself. For I serve myself
in serving you.
So" went on The Mother tactfuIlv.
Il have decided to start a game which
cannot be played with any degree Of FUN
without competition. Let us see which
one of US can perform the most kind
nesses IN the course Of a week: which
of US can prevent any day from passing
without service to some one. At the
SiN VI SiIo "cch we III count I'D and the
one who loses must seek until she finds
some great, big service to render"
Catching the fire of The Mothers AM
thusiasm, The Girl agreed to The Came
Having cultivated in no measure ohser-
walton Of the needs of others II looked a.
first to The Girl that there wouJd he
small opportunity, and right laurhinsIv
she reported her first days alertness to
have brought her the chance only to serve
an absurd horse whose case she ha6
taken to the Humane Society. The next
day 1t was an old man whose totterin1
footsteps she had helped across the lev
street, and q wee kitten she had brought
into The house n a half frozen condition,
but before the frst week had ended The
Girl had become so alsft>Qfr .pslcsption;
so eager to alleviate suffering: so -
pansive in sympathy that Opportunities
opened around her until there wa. no
moment left for thought Of herself.
And The Mother. who watched The
Girl, was glad with an exceedinr great
Joy, for 1t was as she thought. The
Girl found The Game a beautiful. happy
one quite worth playing through all the
days Of her life. and It came about that
others whose lives were touched by her
ever widening circle Of love came into
The Game until 1t extended ana ex-
tended, like q rim in the lake made by
the casting Of a single pebble, until today
there IL no one who can measure its
glorious circumference.
Copyright lg7)