The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-05-03
Taking Stock OF
Y ourself Is
Important
By SOPHIE IRENE LOEB

By SOPHIE IRENE LOEB
In rumrnaeing through an old cup
board the other day / discovered a
great many things I had put away at
various times in the past few years, and
many of them / had actually forgotten
about--good things that l could have
made splendid use of; but had lost
track Of them and did not know ] had
them. atf
made little list of these things
and have placed 1t where ! can look
over it and know exactly what is in
the closet. This is matter of taking
stock just as in a business an inven-
tory is made at certain periods of all
that is in the enterprise so that man
may know exactly what he is worth at
given times.
This incident was recalled when a
young woman came to me with the
worry of what to do. since she was
suddenly confronted with the problem
of earning her livelihood and she did
not know for what she was fitted
SO we had to take stock of her. III
This particular girl loves children
and has had an excellent musical ed.
ucation, 50 she will probably take some
classes of little ones and teach music
to them, which is the work she loves
and which she can doubtless develop in
to means Of making her own way.
The case of the girl candy maker is
well known.
This girl waythe daughter of a well.
known Judge They were well to do
and it did not look as though the daugh-
ter would ever be called upon to take
care of herself as it was thought the
father would have ample with which
to provide her.
1t seems that when he died there was
nothing left. This girl, who had at
college learned how to make good candy
and did it for her friends. recalled that
she had sold her wares during holiday
times for charity, and her sweets were
very much in demand.
Since she knew this particular work
so well she used it in commercial way.
She started in humble, modest
establishment, got few customers at a
time and then opened a little shop in
her home town. To-day it is one of the
thriving enterprises of great city--s
name that most people know well.
So that il is good beyond measure to
take stock occasionally of ones self
There are many hidden faculties locked
away and not brought out until at
tention is drawn to them.
For instance, l know man who
would have made great builder OF
beautiful homes had he just stopped
doing the humdrum work in which he
was engaged, starved little if neces-
sary and developed his talent.
He always had the greatest desire to
do this thing which was uppermost in
his mind and heart. but necessity seemed
to make it urgent for him to stick to
that which he didn't care about; and
while he was successful in a monetary
way, he was unsuccessful in being un.
able to do that which. he liked most
He passed it by.
Had / taken stock of myself" this
man told me, when I was young and
before l had a family, / would have
had happier life because l would have
been engaged in the work which was
most appealing to me-
There is many person to-day work.
ing for just q livelihood but not for o
living. 1t in we'll to stop and consider
If you are doing just the thing you
would rather do than anything else
1t is better to get along on less and
build up for the joy of your soul than
to continue in work and worry with
something that is more Of a problem
than a pleasure.