South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-03-06
Chums That are too
Chumny
BY Ada Patterson.

IneE pass my NlIluOW every Qds-
The maid who dusts my books says:
Them two girls are CRATE friends,
mum. Crate friends. You never see
the one without the other"
am glad to hear it. Friendship
is a beautiful thing. But l wonder
if those bright faced girls who pass
my window every day are not over
emphasizing that Crate friend
ship" a bit. Many of life's discords
and errors are due TO over en-
phasis.
Emphasize a word too much and
you throw a sentence out of balance.
You convey a meaning you had not
intended. over emphasize a color IN
the trimming of your new fall gown
and you will make the gown dis
propOrtionate. You viii mar its
beauty for you will disturb its bal
ance. Place too much emphasis upon
your praise of someone and you will
embarrass him and stir in him a
question of your sincerity. over en-
phasize your assertions and the lis
tener becomes antagonistic. He
wants TO say Il don't believe it" Or
shut up"
The girls are passing my window
now, slim, trig. tailored, wearing the
little black velvet hats that are TO-
days word in smartness- Yes, they
are over emphasizing their friend
ship. If the taller one should pass
with the girl in the long cloak and
the broad brimmed hat, and the
shorter one should occasionally
hurry past with the girl in the strip
ped silk cap TO the yawning mouth
of the subway, it might be much
better.
Life is varied. If it has not enough
of variety one becomes insane. Re-
member the farmers wives in the
asylumS for unbalanced minds.
Lamb said we must have books,
music pictures, whimwhams. Our
food must vary or we will become
i'll. And so of our friendships.
a friendship that has stood the
stress of life and the strain of time
is something to be venerated. 1t is
strong and holy. But even so great
a friendship is not enough for any
one.
Our friendships are a bouquet Of
different kinds of flowers. That
friend of whom we say She is al
ways the same" is a sturdy flower. A
marigold or an aston or one of the
many colored straw flowers. She has
abundant hair, a natural complex
ion and wide, strong shoulders. She
wears a durable skirt and jacket and
stout, common sense shoes. and a
hat that the weather won't spoil. Her
name is Mary. We say You can
depend upon Mary" But fine and
dependable as Mary is one can have
too much of her.
Camouhage it as much as you will
in these moments when you stand
face to face with truth you know
that she is a little stolid. You know
that she is tiresomely unimaginative.
You have moods when Mary's mat
ter of factness pals.
At these times don't snub Mary.
Don't hurt her by a hint that she is
getting on your nerves. Put on your
hat and go over and have a cup of
tea with your orchid friend. Beauti-
full. scentless, exquisite and perish
able, is the orchid friend. She feeds
the sense OF beauty. She is the tri-
umph of artifice. She is proof of how
much art may do to embellish ma
ture. She is as delicate as a chiffon
veil. but as alluring. Put her in your
bouquet of friendship besides the
marigOld.
We tire of the Haunting facts of
life. Strident folk jar our nerves.
Assertive folk irritate us. In these
moods we long for our violet friends.
| Gentle. unobtrusive, softly lovely,
creatures of the quiet ways of life.
they are.
Sometimes we tire of the glare and
glitter OF life. We are sick of it's vain
show. Our feet, struggling and
weary, crush something. What is
that sweetly strong fragrance q?
Mignonette. lowly and pungent. of
/ homely beauty. Now gladly we
gather sprays of it for our bouquet
That inpretentious home woman"
who orders well her household. who
I knows not the brilliant actress. nor
| the efficient business woman, nor the
dreaming poetess. she is the mignon-
/ cite of our bouquet of friendship.
/ Pluck her by all means How incom-
plete would be our bouquet of
, friendship without her!
That green. trailing vine with its
4 shining leaves. makes no claim %
! fIowers-like beauty. But what a
| background it is for the glowing
/ flowers we mass against il. 1t, too,
! has its place in the bouquet of
/ friendship. It is the commonplace
person. of commonplace virtues, the
= wholesome friend. unoriginal but
over green. Let US have her too,
for her friendship for us may sur
f.. vive when all the others have faded.
Prize such flower ror its peculiar
beauty. Esteem each friend for his
or her special worth. But gather
a bouquet that your moods and your
views and your life be not small and