The Washington herald., 1918-01-07
TAKING STOCK.
BY DOROTHY DIX.
The Worlds Highest Paid Woman Writer

At the beginning Of q new year the
good merchant takes stock. He
counts up his gains and losses for the
past year. He estimates the value OF
the goods on his shelves, writes on so
much for bad debts, so much for mis-
takes. SO much for the wear and tear
OF the plant and finds out where he
Stands.
TO deceive himself. He does not try
, 10 make himself think that he is bet
ter OF than he is. that his business
has been more prosperous, or that his
chances of success are better than
they really are. He looks the facts
squarely in the face, and II he has
any intelligence at all he profits by
the knowledge thus gained. He
strengthens the weak spots in his
! business. He enlarges in what has
showed itself to be a favorable direc-
tion so that when the next new years
stocktaking takes place there is a big
ger balance on the right side of the
I ledger.
What a pity that we do not all at
low the merchants example and.
| casting vanity and personal affection
/ aside. take stock of ourselves and OF
our families and try TO see how We
! stand. what goods We carry on our
shelves, whether We have gained or
I lost during the past twelve months,
and SO determine whether We are
J headed for prosperity or ruin,
Suppose a wife should take stock
| of herself. She would say:
Il am A. years old. 1 am not young
or beautiful any more. My hair is
turning grizzled and I do not take
! as much care as L used to in dressing
| it becomingly. l am getting fat. /
weigh ten pounds more than l did last
January. ! am getting lazy and ]
! find it too much of a bother to dress
up of an evening when there is going
to be nobody at home but the family.
When l take stock of my physical ap-
| pearance j perceive, although l had
not noticed it before. that II has de-
preciated at least 2j per cent in the
: last year.
''As ! look them over ! perceive that
am not carrying an attractive line
of mental goods. either. I've got an
oversupply of nerves, too much pick
led tongue, and that my conversa-
tional reserve is dull and heavy and
runs mostly to complaints of the serv-
ants. spats with the children. de-
mands for money, and fretful whining
because I can't have everything that
rich women have.
III were a tired man coming home
at night 10 a wife who had only that
sort of mental pabulum to offer me.
l think I'd shop little farther, and
when l counted up what II cost me to
support that sort OF a family 1 would
think that / had bought an awful
gold brick.
"On the other hand ! perceive that
my stock of household accomplish
ments is of the very best grade. My
cooking, thrift and management DIRE
strictly A No. /. Ditto sock darning
and buttons, and seeing to my hus-
bands personal comfort, and while
my devotion may not have any frills
about it, or be put up in fancy pack
age, it is the genuine article and OF
the brand he has tried for years and
found reliable.
"In balancing my accounts, there
! fore. I perceive that 1 am keeping
an old-fashioned domestic store which
! has come to a crisis in its history. 1t
is now at a standstill. but it must
inevitably go backward under the old
management and land in bankruptcy,
or else / must hustle around and
bring it up to date if expect to make
it prosper.
so it's up to me to give every
thing a coat of new red and white
paint, dress it up and throw away
about thirty pounds of superfiuous
old goods and put some pep and
ginger into the management. More
over. as 1 realize that / am depend
ent for my very life itself on one
customer 1T is my cue to consider
his tastes and whims and jolly him
along so that he will not be tempt
cd to even glance in at the show
window of the pretty new shop next
Oor."
md the husband might take stock
of himself and say: HIM, / don't
know but what I've let my lot of
physical attractions run pretty low.
HIM. Here's one bald head, one bay
window. three ohins. . lot Of fat.