The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-13
INVESTED IN HERSELF

She was shiny-eyed and eager as she sat, day by day, on the big boat looking out upon the placid southern seas She looked as though she
 were sailing into the land of TO-
 uauce-to the haven of lovers arns. One ached to know her story and the color of a life that had brought her thus far on her Journey, not to mention the promised land to which her soud was turning.
 The secret, then, could not hide away forever. It was too big and beautiful a possession And one day 1t eked it's way out to the audience of an attentive pair of ears trained to listen and encourage at just the proper intervals
 For four years she had taught mu- sic 10 children in America-music in the public schools Had she liked that very much? We'll, she admitted, not so much that she could rave about it or wish to keep at the task for the rest of her natural life But all the while she was doing 1t she < had her goal in mEnd- Yes, she con- fessed. from the very day she started
 She was going abroad-to Italy to be exact-just as soon as she could place the pennies one upon an- other, enough to take her there and keep her for a year at least. There she would study voice culture and music from every angie Tnere she would learn to know musicians and composers There she would come to understand the meaning of music in it's deeper sense- There she would grow and develop as she could hardly do in her own country--and certainly never, in America, at the price which would keep her going ana give her all of these advantages n an Italian city
 She was bound for Rome, In fact, to settle down to live there for the entire winter. Every day she would pick up education and inspiration IT she only walked along the streets, for everything would be so different and so guaranteed to wake up her mind to the thinking point
 She said that some day she wished to be married, but not now-not at least until she had finished this self imposed task that seemed so tmpor- tant to her. She wasn't being small enough to lay any barriers in the way of attaining marriage when she was good and ready for it, but, In true American fashion she had her hand upon the helm of her own nfe's boat, and there she had every inten- 7 ton of allowing 1t to remain for 4 some little time to come.
 Now. 1t seemed to me quite won derfuI that this girl could achieve so much in so short time and tn so we'll defined and sure manner. l compared her with the Italian wife who sat at table next to her. The one-our own homegrown gtrl-was full of spirits and vivacity and , charm, while the other to my eyes I'm sure too, that she would have ! been thus to yours-was loggy and \ dull and lifeless. Our girl had the , purpose which the other one lacked and. at least for the time being, she Tad the upper hand for happiness this beyond the shadow of any doubt In Italy this girl could nye too Tor S,, a
 must add to this several hundred dollars, varying she said with what she decided to study. for educational advantages. She had set her limit at s2.ooo. To save this money she had set aside $500 each year for five years, and this gave her an ample supply with all travelling expenses added.
 Of course her life was worth while. ' Of course it would continue to be SO, for with a start of this sort she was < bound to go on to higher and bigger i and better things during the course < of her whole life No matter what ' circums mstances might@ confront her, f she had learned the one big secret of X the inspiration that comes from something to make the mind grow. K This girl told me this was her way {, of putting money in the bank. II in z vest it in myself.'' she said. "and in \ the increasing of my own capacity Ito earn and to enjoy Then l am as ! certain of the future as though l Mere to hoard away my fortune In l c0ld, hard dollars
 For the girl who has been denied Q !, college education and who, perhaps. feels the deprivation keenly, this ,@ girls life offers a fine suggestion 2 for the gaining of a cultural educa- {. tion all by her little lonesome. She ' may have to wait little longer but, [ from some points of view, she has ! in fhA end 4