Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-09-13
LUe's Problems
Are Discussed

DusiheSs organization, or or any enter
prise where people are associated to-
gether depends largely upon the ability
OF each one concerned in it to mind his
own business.
If we wish to lev happy and sue
cessful lives - and who does not? -
we nave to learn to attend strictly to
our own knitting. To gain real free
uom OF thought and action, we must
be as ready to gran it as to take it.
A woman L had never seen before
dropped into a chair beside me on n
summer porch and began a conversa-
ton. She was full of her own affairs,
and after few preliminaries she be-
gan to talk about them.
"Oh, hat a luxury it Is" she said,
| TO be able to do as you choose once
| IN while to arrange your time and
| your affairs as seems best to you and
| without interference. l have taken
a months freedom" she settled down
comfortably into her chair, and L am
going to do what l please in the way
please and when L please. l never
can do that at home, and so | ran
| away for a while.
| You see,'' she went on to explain
| my slster-in-law makes her home with
us She is really the kindest soul in
! the world, and 1 am very fond of her I;
other peoples affairs. She is always
trying to live other peoples lives for
| them.
She will begin the day by thinking
how good it would be for my busy
! neighbor to have a drive In the middle
OF the morning, or how nice it would
be to take the little child across the
street on an excursion, and then she
turns her attention to me and decides
| that i need q nj IN,
She is masterful person, and our
| neighbor is forced to leave everything
| and take that drive poor woman, she
looks worried and is plainly thinking
| ali the time of the things she has left
! undone at home. The child who is
snatched from its play to go on the ex-
cursion cries all the time it is away.
And l have to abandon my own wisheS
and follow her plans or else 1 get no
peace all day.
It's mania with some people," she
declared pensively. ",rhey want to
play the part of a ruling providence to
every one with whom they are associ-
ated. And" she shrugged her shoul-
ders hopelessly, what is one going to
do about it?"
why, the very day l came away,
she burst out again, when l had a
dozen things to attend to, trying to ar
A"h6S oO Is'i COulu LOT everything
to go smoothly during my absence and
packing my trunk and so on, she ap-
peared late in the afternoon and told
me that she had invited guests in to
dinner
Then when I expressed my surprise
and told her how inconvenient it was
under the circumstances, she said that
she thought L was very wrong to feel
that way about it, that she had done
n frtN -.
to freshen me up for my journey.
There was nothing to do, so l just had
to make the best of it,"
My chance acquaintance did not ask
for my opinion, and consequently l did
not give it; but l had one, neverthe-
less.
1t struck me that if she had run away
from home to gain a Scant month of
liberty, 1t was her own fault; if tears
and prayers couldn't make sister-in-
law mind her own business, there were
other methods of teaching her to do so
Give her dose of her own medicine
Let her feel the consequences of
her own acts. If she invited guests
at an inconvenient season and without
consulting the mistress of the house.
the mistress of the house could have
made both her and the guests uncom-
Portable by refusing to appear.
Reprisals are the only things GER
tain natures can understand. Occasion
ally we have to fight the devil with
fire.
The best mother 1 ever knew kept
upon the walls of her chldren's room
an illuminated text:
BE kind to others and considerate
in all your dealings with them. and
lcok out for yourself. You have your
own duties; attend to them strictly.
Never mind what others are doing
that is not your business"
A great many people have the idea
that self-sacrifice is the noblest and
most beautiful trait in human nature
and so it is in supreme emergencies.
But useless self-sacrifice is a futile and
unnecessary waste and denotes weak
ness of character.
1t is your business to develop your
abilities to the fullest extent and to
rejoice in this beautiful and wonder
full world.