Phillips County herald., 1924-07-17

STEPHENS ROOM
By THOMAS ARKLE CLARK
Dean Of Men, University of
Illinois.
THERn was a note from steph...

THERH was note from Stephens
= In the morning mall asking ma
to come to his room for a few ntp-
utes; he was Ill, and he wanted to sea.
me. l was not intimately acQuaintedl
with Stephens. He had worked In NY
onice for year or so. l had known
that ne lived in rather remote place.
that ne went out little. that he got mo-
help from home, but had given him,
little serious consideration. He vasE
always Immediately clean, his clothes
were carefully kept, though he never
mad anything new. He had never
seemed to me particularly remarkahlal
or especially interesting.
i got new Idea of him when II
entered his room. He was seated by,
table little pale from his Illness.
and he rose as l came in.
I'm ashamed to have taken SO much
of your time" he said, but I've al
ways wanted you to see my room.~
1t was cheap little room In the
commonest house; 1t was heated by
soft coal stove, and lighted by ker-
osene lamp; 1t was in every way old
fashioned and unmodern, but 1t had
distinction and 1t told me more in
moment of Stephens tastes and char
acter than l had previously learned
during all the months that / had
known him.
Everywhere there was order and
everywhere from the books on the
table and the cheap Prints ON the
walls TO the woven coverlet on the
bed-it was one his mother had made
MS girl Stephens told me-and the
braided rugs on the floor, there was
refinement and simple good taste.
had not thought before that room
could reveal 80 much of man.
He paid but four dollars month
for this room and he had no money
to waste on decorations, but he had
put himself into it, he had gloritied Il.
he had surrounded himself with the
most beautiful things he had or could
afford and these things gave him pleas.
ure. they added to his self-respect. and
they gave pleasure and satisfaction TO
all who came to visit him.
AS l sat looking around at the sim.
pie, cheap, but satisfying appointments
of Stephens room, my mind reverted
instinctively to Mrs. Clayton. She is
an impressive snowy woman who
dresses elegantly and almost tasteful.
ly aud who lives In n pretentious
house. When one talks to her she re-
veals the external signs of education
and cultivation She has Travelled.
best people in town. II is only when
one enters her house that one sees
how vulgar and commonplace her
| tastes are. Everywhere the fact u
I shrieked In ones eur from the ornate
ugly furniture TO the silly tawdry pic
lures ON the wall; from the expensive
glaring rugs on the floor TO the cfpt-
ter of bizarre brlc.a-brac huddled to-
gether on every available table and
mantel-plece. Everything In the Ut.
tie room In which stephens lived cost
less than one-half as much as the
smallest OF Mrs. Clayton's ugly ru&s;
he had no money. but he had taste,
Perhaps We should hesitate, many
OF us. to have our characters read or
our tastes determined by look into
our closets or our bureau drawers. or
visit 20 the houses or the rooms In
which we live. but all OF these tnipgf
like stephens room tell vivid ghp
ping tale OF our ideals. our tastes,
and our real characters.
60. 1884. Western Newspaper uuion-l