The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1940-10-24
ONE
PATTERN
LUCIA MALLORY

"The Mary Schaffner Scholarship in
Home Economics is awarded to Joyce
Rowley."
A tall, fair girl stepped out from
her place among the gray-clad seniors
to accept the gift from her high school
principal. Before she resumed her
seat, she turned to smile happily at
her mother, who sat in the front row
of the section reserved for parents.
From my own seat on the other side
of the auditorium, | caught a glimpse
Of the love and pride in the mothers
answering smile.
Walking home from the Commence
ment Exercises with my friend, Flora
Barron, recalled that smile and spoke
of Joyce Rowley's achievement.
'There is little story behind
Joyce's success that l think you'd like
to hear, Lucia" Flora told me-
Knowing how much Flora had con-
tributed to the welfare of her own and
other peoples children, I was not sur
prised, as the story unfolded, to learn
that she had had a part in Joyce's
success.
"The Rowley's have been our neigh
bors for years." my friend began.
"There are three girls in the family.
Ruth and Genevieve were in high school
when Joyce was born. Both were
brilliant students, graduating with the
highest possible honors. They went
through the state university with the
same fine scholastic records and be-
came successful teachers. Ruth is now
at the head of the history department
in a large high school, and Genevieve
is married.
"Joyce was chubby, happy child
whom everyone in the neighborhood
loved. She liked nothing better than
to come over to help me take care of
Jack and Helen when they were
babies, though she was only a few
years older than they.
"Mrs. Rowley found her youngsest
child entirely satisfactory, until she
started to school. Then she was dis
mayed to discover that Joyce could
not, or did not, win honors by her
achievements, as her sisters had done.
1t was true that she did not fail; she
simply passed with average grades
"Joyce was contended in school un-
til her mother began to nag her and
urge her to do better work. The child
was kept in from play and made to
study after school. She was scolded
because she brought home report cards
with grades instead of the rs her
mother thought she should be able to
attain Everyone could see that the
little girl was losing her happy dis
position and becoming conscious of
inferiority.
"My chance to help came one eve
ming when Mrs. Rowley brought the
offending report card over and asked
me, as an old teacher, how she could
wake the child up!
"'Dont you know that children
can't all be cut to one pattern?'
asked her. Ruth and Genevieve were
fine students, but Joyce has her own
exellencies. Don't you remember the
day that our club met with you last
winter, and Joyce came home from
school and slipped out into the kitchen
and quietly washed all Of the dishes
for you? How many ten-year-olds
could prepare simple meal for their
fathers as Joyce does when you have
a headache? I'll tell you, Mrs. Rowley,
all of the fine grades in the world
could not enable me to keep my house
clean or take good care Of my babies.
That was something | had to learn
when l stopped teaching school. There
isn't a greater career for girl than
homemaking, and Joyce has already
made fine start in that directionn
"To my great relief, Mrs. Rowley
accepted my advice in the spirit in
which it was offered. You saw the
end of the story when Joyce received
her scholarship. Mrs. Rowley needed
only to learn that one pattern of abil-
ity and achievement would not fit all
of her children. Since that time, she
and Joyce have been the happy mother
and daughter that you saw this eve