Evening star., 1938-07-31
Diary Worth
More Than
Time Used
Teaches Order and
Is Valuable
Reminder.
BY w. H. FRASER.

MANY boys and girls start to keep
diary at one time or another
but most Of them soon forget 1t, or
discover that the daily entries are
TOO much work"
Why should you keep diary? Well
chiefly because it will help teach you
W be systematic and orderly. 1t will
also give you an idea Of the budget
plan Of keeping q record Of money
taken In and paid out. From watching
your financial diary, you will probably
acquire q desire to save something.
The book will also preserve high
OF facts you should remember, but
may easily forget. And not until you
find in looking back that one years
personal history notebook Is lost. will
you realize the real worth Of diary!
Any diary can also serve as a useful
memorandum file. Make pencil notes
OF future dates OF interest or impor-
tance. Then when that day arrives,
erase the pencil words or write them
in Ink II they are to 60 in the perma-
nent record. Thus you might have:
June -. Bass season opens. June
-, Closing Of school term" tpossibly
in red inkD or August -, Mothers
birthday"
You do not need to have a large
book, nor write thousand words
daily. Twenty words or so will often
do far better. And why mention the
weather unless it is quite unusual?
The diary also is handy pocket
or desk reminder OF letters received
and to be answered. books loaned or
borrowed, prize contest closing dates.
and addresses OF distant friends or
relatives.
A nve-year diary means fewer books
that may be lost. and at the same time
q much neater or uncrowded desk.
II your diary pages are small, or on
those days when it has to hold more
big news than usual, q homemade
kind Of shorthand will save much
space. I borrowed mine from that In
use among the amateur or ham"
radio operators. OF course, many short
forms may be easily invented TO 1T
your special needs. Here are samples
to show what mean: tt. that; r, are:
wn. when; s-hd. shorthand; rdo, rs-'
dio; b. before: yds. yesterday; bk,
book or bank: op. operator; rcd, re-
ceiVed: tn, then or than: wdS, words:
ret, receipt: 2. 70 or too; wd, would;
shd, should: btn. between; Gig, closing.
This also gives your notes q certain
privacy.
10 one who likes q diary and will
give 1t even or 10 minutes writing
time daily. the book Is we'll worth the
trining work needed. Often you will
be proud. surprised. or amused to read
back through the old entries. OF course,
1t serves as . ready settler of argu-
ments Is to dates in the past about
which some ones memory has grown
bit hazy: The year you learned to
swim, bought your first radio, had
f1rst airplane ride, won several con-
test prizes. read books by the greatest
variety OF authors. visited Aunt Lou
In the West. and the like
An important advantage OF q diary
which N also part notebook Il that
1t saves you from trying to remember
many small items II, for instance.
you must buy something before a GER
tain date for one reason or another.
make note Of 1t. Leave your mind
free for full concentration Oh studies,
work. or plans for the future.
The diary may also play the part of
useful scrapbook for clippings from
magazines or newspapers, when they
are not too long or bulky.
Diaries are scarcely 4 hobby yet are
OF real worth as q record OF any hobby.
For most OF US. . diary Is ut least
worth = fair trial.