The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-02-21
Pick Friends
. CareIeSSIy
and Suffer
BY MARTHA LEE

The greatest scourge OF modern
civilization as it is lived and taught
in these United States today is that
it makes us too gregarious. 1t does
not teach us how to be happy by
ourselves. 1t does not show us the
WAYS to contentment through occa-
sional solitude.
As a result, when We are thrown
absolutely upon our own resources
for amusement during leisure hours,
we eat our hearts out being lonely,
instead of using the precious hours
to the advantage they were meant
to be d-betterment of ourselves
through our own efforts.
And after a few days or weeks
or months of this, we revolt. If we
have no friends, we pick up" with
people who never could be our
friends under normal circumstances.
This tendency works plenty of
hardshipS on married couples who
come to strange towns. But Tor
young, unmarried boys and girls,
the danger is multiplied ten-fold.
Read Newspapers
Undesirable characters always are
waiting around for lonely folks. Pick
up the newspapers any day, and
YOU can read stories about girls
who have grown friendly with
strangers, with tragedy the result.
Or men and women who have made
friends with people they know
nothing about, and have been
robbed, cheated, f1eeced and often
disgraced.
The letter I am printing below is
written on the heart of many young
men and girls today, who are too
impatient for adventure to use their
heads and reason out that the
danger isn't worth all the loneliness
in the world.
Dear Miss Lee: have been in this
mans town for seven months, working
and I haven't made any friends excepting
a few girls in my office, and speaking
acquaintance with some OF the men.
am so lonely 1 could die. I haven't had
any dates or any fun. All the other girls
I pass on the street at night. going home
from work, are rushing home to dress
for their dates.
They have friends and good times. The
girls at the office have boy friends. But
they never invite me to go out on their
parties or ask me to have dates with some
of their friends I can't understand what
is the matter with me. am nice enough
looking and I have a pleasant personality
There is a man, older than myself. who
rides the same car do every morning
and night He has watched me. and
because we see each other so often. we
pass the time of day. He is the only
person who has paid any attention 70 me
since I came here.
I think he will ask me for date. II
I encourage him the least bit. He seems
quite nice. just from outward appear
ances. I am 20 years old Do you think
it would be all right, under the circum-
stances, to go to a show with him some
time?
No, I don't think it would be all
right. I think it would be fool
hardy. The man may be o. k, but
nine chances to one, he isn't.
Results Cheapening
Look to your laurels, Lonely. You
say you have been here seven
months. You haven't made any
friends, you are nice looking and
have a pleasing personality. Then
what is it? Why not spend your
lonely hours improving yourself, so
that people will want to include
you in their parties and be friends
with you2 ] do not mean to be
harsh.
know girls are stingy about their
boy friends. I know they are cagey
about letting a new girl step in the
circle. But there are so many
things you could do, valuable things,
with this spare time you are having
for these few short months.
There are girls organizations in
town where the members are diver
sified enough that in some branch
of the organization you would find
girls to your liking. There are safe,
worthwhile friends to be made, if
you would go to your church or
Sunday school and find them.
No friendship that can be picked
up as easily as this street car man,
could be worthwhile. That is a
cheap way of easing the loneliness,
and the results would be just as