Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1919-04-03
GirlhOOd.


To be girl is to be the happiest
state possible to humanity; but girls
do not know it They are always
looking forward to something, want
ing something's diamond or beau,
fiattery or new gowns. They rather
envy women a little ahead of them,
who have more self possession, and
are sometimes jealous of some mar
ried woman who firts and makes, a
dash I'm only a young girl" we
heard one say. Only young girl!
Oh, be glad of it; delight in it,!
Thank heaven every morning that
you are still young girl! We can
not stop time. The years will slip
through your fingers ike the beads
from broken necklace after a
while; but now they linger while you
are still girl-a girl in the home of
parents, yet in the prime of life, with
young brothers and sisters for com
panions. There will never be any
thing better than this in all the
world. There are no skeletons in
your closet, no ghosts in your rev.
cries Your future is full of hope.
| You can fill in the distance as you
like. You can fancy lover coming
to you who is perfect in all things;
and every young man is interesting;
because he may possibly be the other
half of your soul. And every new
girl may be the lifelong friend and
confidante all girls hope for. AS for
beauty, the idea Of girl of seven
teen thinking herself plain, as some
do In few years she will look in
the glass and see those fine horizon
tai lines on her forhead, on which
Time scores down our troubles, and
at the corner of her eyebrows three
little pencil marks, and little fall
in her cheek, and a mouth that does
not smile as readily as it once did;
not an old face yet, but not girl;
and then she will realize what is
was to have a girls face! Oh, how
few the years arei How they whirl
away! Girlhood is gone So soonl
But, while you have it, envy no wo-
man her diamonds and laces, her car
riage or her palace, her fortune or
her admirers. While one is in ones
teens, nothing else is necessary ex-
cept to realize the fact and thank
heaven for it.
Would it be a good plan for the
girls in country neighborhoods to
form classes and get competent, ex-
perienced dressmaker to teach them
the principles of dressmaking. 1t is a
satisfaction to war we'll fitting, styl-
ish dresses, though they need not be
and if homemade, would not be, ex-
pensive ones. A perfect fitting waist
pattern once secured-and this the
tacher should be able to give them
endless variety may be made by di-
weren't materials and modes of trim
ming. When their course of instruc-
ton was finished, the class might
subscribe for two or three of the best
fashion monthlies and then keep ur
with the best new modes. They colhd
and should be able to help one an
otherin the parts of fitting that one
cannot well do for herself, and be
gaining at the same time an art use.
full to them all their lives.
It is folly-and nothing less thar
folly that characterizes the con
duct of far too many parents in re-
1 gard to their children, and especially
their daughters, who, in some weak
moment have behaved indiscreetly
and possibly shamefully. A child is
child, and no act of parent car
make it otherwise. Disinheritance
anger, unkindness and abuse only az.
gravate such matters, and that what
might have been kept a private fam
lily sorrow, becomes a public scandal
SO curshing the helpless victim thai
not even whole life of remorse anc
repentance can succeed in WASHING
out the blot on her reputation.