The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, November 12, 1905, Page 8

’ THE i) ALL APTIOUS the a doctor, and another a judge, and an- mayor, another a minister, an- and so on, but of course a joke, for they're only boys. at once other & nd one mid- E frontiegy “yes L poe be we're tongue or w And I sometimes cver be men? we always be youthful, and laugh- always playing with asked—shall we Shall we have done with our life ting toys, Dear Father, take care of thy children boy: For so many are for a- little we run on a 10w are beginning to go beginning, but going down. years if ‘an exact and pedan- must have 2 Our body about that we give up ry 8 cxcept golf, we puff slight- when we hurry to catch a train; we and fo! long time if grows more Callousness or Wisdom. \ re not old now, but we are not arg half and between, we are and our moods correspond 4 grown insensible, very largely so, to e and blame. years ago and less my friend who is a writing man and has quite as weil as he deserved, used to be very much concerned about reviews. 1f the Times spoke favorably of ais last story he was almost unendurable, and car- ried the extract in his pocket for public reading, and if the Saturday Scarifier had one of its amusing slashing articles him he had the appearance of a broken man, and belleved that fellow- travelers on the rallway were regarding him with compassion. To-day when a candid friend shows him a notice, in which he is faithfully dealt with for his fa his manners afford no reward, and the es are he will answer, “Do you know I think that man is quite right? 1 have al s felt I was rather weak in dialogue.” Recently his wife handed him the Spectator, with a column and a half unmixed praise on one of his and he read it lJanguidly; even ten ¥ears ago it would have lifted him to the s. 1f any one finds fault with a man he is convinced that the writer sonal grudge against him, and for his revenge, and if the re- ppens to praise him the author difficulty in distinguishing him- om Shakespeare. His skin is very in callow youth, but it grows ker with the years, and at middle age neither much lifted up nor cast His eptibility to pain and has lessened, and if he cannot the sweetness of success as oncg he did, neither does he feel the bitternss of ailure. If one desires to take the worst of this mood he would call it cal- but a more hopeful judgment > that it is wisdom. The Death of Ilusion. he dowr is The man has come to know himself, at is the first great necessity of successful living. He knows what he can do, and what he can't do, and therefore withered he bec is not intoxicated when he is praised, this.was his strong point,” and n surely has some strong point; and if he is not dashed when he is cen- s if a neighbor blames him, the chances are he is quite right, for that was his weak point, and every man is weak somewhere. If he were to pralse him why that would be too friendly. The fact man has no illusions. They have 1 with ed, how one boy is is the been dispelled as morning dreams. He has weighed himself, and undefstands how he stands, and where he is, and so there comes over middle age g certain mood of calmness, which has not of course in ft the force of youth, but has its own com- pensation in contentment. Instead of the flush of spring there is the mellowness of autumn. Akin to this mood is a graclous mag- nanimity. When one is young he is of necessity fighting for his own hand to win a prize, to obtain his degree, to es- tablish a business, to acquire a practice, to make himself secure. Every man 'is his rival, if not his enemy, and he is not inclined to rejoice in other people’s suc- cess, for it may be at his expense, or at least it may be a reflection on his fail- ure. Nor has he leisure to concern him- self about other men's reverses or to give them pity. He was down himself yesterday, and if he does not take care he may be down again to-morrow in the dust of defeat. When his battle hagybeen fought and the struggle is cver, espe- cially when he has won and reached the crest of the hill, then rest and to observe, and to take an un- selfish interest in his comrades. When a man is running his race it is not possible for him to consider the other runners, or to wish them well. He needs all his breath for his own race. When he has come in and put on his coat, having won or lost, but all the more if he has won his prize, he stands by to applaud the panting runners, as they pass the goal, the goal he has already passed. Renan had all his life prided “himself upon not pushing but preserving :calmness amid life’s fiercest fight. “If a man shoves me,” he used to say, “I say ‘Pass, Mon- sieur,’” and it is not wonderful that as he grew old he was entirely satisfied. “His unimpaired curjosity continued to inter- rogate the universe,” but he was full of rest. He suffered terribly, but he never complained. He was dying, but he had not abdicated. “I have done my work, he said to Madame Renan, “I die happy. This mood of satisfaction with life be- gins at middle age, and is connected with a delight in younger people. “My ideal,” to quote Renan again, “would be an old patriarchal country house, full of chil- dren singing, full of lads and lasses light of heart, where every one would eat ana be merry at my expense.” : Altrulsm. ‘When one has had his fill of work, and has had some moderate reward he wishes 2 3 2 9 § % argare angsiéeérs ia S .;Q%WW'"‘ 00000505 Copyright, 1905, by Joseph B. Bowles. forbids their being superseded by di- R gnes, {aths minutives in public. Class catalogues OROTHY Agr Katharine, ,eeq to show us Minnies and Mamies, G ry, Helen, Flcrence, Kitties, Bessies, Tudles and Dollles, Ge beth, Grace, Now the sweet girl graduate permits An my, Margaret, no such license to be taken with her C E Alice, Ruth, baptismal name. May I add that while ese mames and Pet names are very proper at home A > they When wused only by those wié have o _"‘”‘("1," g“';l‘: loved you from the tradle, they are not to be tolerated on the lips of out- r a girl's name, gjgers berself. The nmames of _ As for such names as Pet, Puss, sweet as flowers in bloom, Birdie, and the like, they befit no girl ¢ after she has learned to walk; they are Who Is Queen of Your Class? _ only fit for the cradle. 1 advise you, Whe lass garden? too, ifbt to allow eccentricities of spell- gir 1 popular gifts, ing in the class list or elsewhere that makes Kathryn is not so beautiful as Kath- wese there is @rine, nor Edythe comparable with be liked by Fdith, and so on. Spell the name ac- Rere2 iu)all;' cording to time-honored usage. If you e tire class. Yoy 4re S0 fortunate as to have been cailed Penelope, Priscilla or Isabel insist on being addressed by it. The one pet name which in my judgment improves on the original is Nancy, which is a more fascinating name than the state- ly Anne. Janet, Jean and Jane are really the same name; all are beauti- be In your class clever_girl who is always and there is her girl who can- until the -occa- the girl true anE W ith an the r w Ay There is < ful, don’t you think? to distinction is her . 3 e presty AL NS chine About Your Class Reunion. her girl wears But about your class reunion. The becoming b ., Eirls in a high school graduating class d ye manner that is have been together long enough to have v d that Wins 2 common fund of traditions, associa- L i nd anecdotes, which ~five or thirty % . e kg N oS draw. They have done the same work and enjoyed the same play for several years. It is the greatest of pities if, leaving the schoolroom, they are obliged to give one another up., They ought to get together from time to time and have a pleasant afternoon, and once a year all who can should meet in a reunion. The best way is to have a luncheon at the house of one of as many dif- though to the ver girls look much alike, udies them they are very » two clifldren in y similar, and no ar e altogether, ike, 80 10 two girls conform together every particular e difference obs: k the class from npteny. AR tus 5‘“"'1”“:,“: the girls. To the expense of this feast i’ Simaigiis, IBelr’ sltiial let the class contribute. By the pay- i Brios 6% St iriak ment of a small anpual fee there will oot o ioes st & My always be money enough in the treas- is the queen of ury to meet such a demand. There 1?7 1 will venture to say that she is $bould be a simple but choice bill ot e girl most worthy of the honor, [87¢ not forgetting the sweets that most lovable, most unselfish and most Sirls are fond of As class reunions generally take place in the summer there may be plenty of flowers to deco- high ideal of Birlood on the intgrcourse of the. . te the teble. The artistic member B S of the class may paint the menu cards, Girle’ Nomen Ave Pretites. or the place cards. Whoever is class In passing, we may note that the president will take the head of the nemes of the girls In your class are much the prettier on account of the cuaint dignity which invests them, and table, and she may or may not-act as toastmistress. When the courses have been finished the toasts will be offered and the girls who have been selected beforehand will speak to them. There is nothing difficult about this. Select any sentiment you like. Something! that has to do with the class history and the class peculiarities will awaken most merriment, and merriment is what. you want. and then. Value of Class Song. Every class:should have its own song, and when the time comes to. break up all may rise and standing together sing the familiar strain. As. time passes you will find that it is not. quite so easy as at first to have a full: meeting of the old girls. Some will be on the other side of the globe; some: will be engrossed: in professional life: or in business; some will be married. It is hard for you to think of golden- haired Edith as a doctor, or brown- eyed Florence as a grave professor, or Merry Dorothy as a traveler who shall write sclentific books, or taughing Ger- trude as a trained nurse. But you girls are not going to stand still. After you leave school you will find plenty to do, and the powers you bring to bear upon school work will find scope in careers of some kind. I hope for most of you the pleasant career of true womanhood may keep you close to the hearth and give you the joy of being home-makers. But though the class reunions may grow smaller they will vary from year to year, and they will always be very pleasant. If it happen to be your duty to act as president or secretary or toast- mistress do not worry about the way in which you may or may not carry out your role. Girls are apt to be much too self-conscious. At the bottom of most of our embarrassments in life and most of our clumsiness lies the de- fect of thinking how we look and what other people may say about us. 1f we can entirely overcome this fail- ing we shall be winners in the game. In order that responsibility may be divided, it is a good plan for.each class to elect several girls who may act a: a committee and help one another to make the programme for any coming ocecasfon. The art of having a social function go off well is simple enough. Tt should look spontaneous, but in reality there should be very careful antecedent preparation. When the house ia bulilt you take down the scaffolding; you do not want your scaffolding to be seen, but you do want your house to be built on good foundations. If there Invite favorite teachers now; SAN “ he has time tow \ B O] is in the class a shy girl or one who has had any great sorrow or trouble, always take pains to bring out the one :‘nd to give the other a specially good me. The time has long since passed when sensible people looked upon illness as per se a visitation from God. In nine cases out of ten it is much more prob- ably a visitation from the Evil One. And, indeed, why blame the devil? We need not be ill as a rule. We often have ourselves to blame when we are. It we avail ourselves of the beneficent provisions of nature on every hand, and if we obey the laws of health, we shall keep well. Because we habitually neg- lect precautions and break laws we are interrupted and laid aside by attacks of illness that might be prevented. Ev- ery illness from childhood on makes a draft upon e physical capital that should be sufficient for a long life. Too Much Trouble to Be Well We are ill because it is too much trou- ble to be well. We are ill because we live amid unsanitary- conditions, or will- fully surround . ourselves. with death- dealing germs. Take, for example, the famillar experience of an epldemic of diphtheria, typhold fever, or dysentery in a country village, in the later sum- mer. Apparently everything in‘the place tends to health. The skies are bright, the air z lear, the flelds and gardens ‘wave lowers, the trees in stalwart beauty stand in the village street or en- circle the homesteads. Yet, in one house and another, old and, young are stricken, and before long the village is in mourn- ing. In this and the other home, now FFRANCISCO SUNDAY CALL. NROSNR RSOSSN the strong man and now the little child has breathed his last. Why? Not in the !east because Divine Providence has sent 1 mysterious scourge, but because with unpardonable and wicked heedlessness, the contents of cesspools have been al- lowed to percolate through the soil, and trickle into wells, and poison drinking water, or because wheén the front of the house has blossomed like the rose, the back of itshas, day after day, seen neg- lected garbage decaying in the sun. Pestilence in Fine House. Some years ago, in a small eastern city, in a single week, a father and five chil- dren in ope house died of diphtheria. The only members of the family who es- caped were a mother and a nursing in- fant. The family was conspicuous for brains, intelligence and eminent purity. Yet they had been away from home for nearly three months and had come back in good health to open their closed house. ‘When the premises after ‘the tragedy were exami] by the Board of ‘Health, it was discovered that the cellar was fili- ed with enough disease-germs to poison the whole street. All sorts of kitchen debris and decaying vegetable matter had been sealed up there during the weeks of & stifiing summer. Many a time a city has been swept by a pestilence, and its popu- lation desolated, not because that city ‘was unhyglenic in itself, but because of its filth and fetid corruption. Civic neg- lect and gross ignorance encourage epl- demics. We are learning that there is now neither occasion nor excuse for the rav- ages once made by consumption, that great White Plague which used to carry oft plecemeal whole families. I knew a beautiful old mansion built of stone, standing well’ back from the road, and shaded by oaks and elms, that had been growing during the lives of three gener- . OF THE FAILBRES OF " HOMANITY the younger men coming up behind him to-have their share of things, and earn their wages. This is not so much char- ity on his part, it Is justice; it is not to be ascribed to religion, but to middle age. It s the retired state of mind; it is the outlook from the shadow of the trees. It is the good nature of achlevement, And so comes another mood, which one may call altruism, or living for other people. The middle-aged man (or woman) lives not for himself but for his children. He does not care what men say about him, but he is desperately concerned about thelr judgment on his sons. If some one praises the boy the father is lifted for days; if they run the boy down' the father is cut to the heart. He boasts about his son’s success, he tries to cover his son’s defeat; he would willingly pass on lus own gain to his boy and bear his boy’s suffering. He has died to himself and is alive again in his family, and if he is spared to be a grandfather he grows preposterous In his pride over that chid, and his admiration of all its doings. No doubt there is such a thing as a disap- pointed and bitter middle age, when men profess to have seen the end of all per- fection, and to believe neither in man nor woman. There was an old prayer, “Lord, preserve me from a young judge.” One expects an old FARVON HIS SOURNESS. HE 15 ONE - ations. The walls were thick, the shade was dense, little sunlight penetrated into the stately rooms. Across, that threshold at intervals of eighteen months or two years, with a regularity that was like the formal execution of a sentence of death, were carried the sons and daughters of that family, until the ven- erable parents were left childless beside their desolate hearth. One by one the young people drooped and faded. People thought it strange and mysterious and wondered how it was that the children of that household had so little stamina. The truth was that the very walls and furniture reeked with infection, that the mansion,” beautiful as it was, should have been shunned like a pesthouse, and that the oid trees with their thick branch- ing shade should have been cut down to let the sunlight in. The parents lived out their lives in grief and solitude. per- haps because they were naturally of stronger fiber than their children, and perhaps because, being older, they had taken less direct care of the sufferers. Sunlight and Comsumption. ‘We fortunately know now that con- sumption may be fought successfully In the right climate by an open-air life, and by nourishing food, and that love does not require the sacrifice of every life in the household, if one be stricken. . . . There are preventable illnesses which nobody fears. For instance, the com- monest of all inflictions is a cold. The general opinion seems to be that there: cretion, however, when illness has is no help if one takes cold. Yet a little care and forethought and much living in the open air will make most of us im- mune from this inconvenient and depress- ing malady. Note how many people are desperately * afraid” of a “draught, how carefully they exclude it aif from their sleeping rooms, t during the judge to Dbe broad in charity and pitiful toward humanity, but there are old men who spend the last quarter of their lives in carping and complaining. in sneering and discourag- ing. This is the opprobrium of middle age, but when one sees this ungracious spectacle let him be pitiful, for the man has mest likely failed. He has been a victim of circumstances or perhaps his own enemy. He has never reached the crest of the hili: he has never passed ..e goal post; he has been thrown out by the wave, he has been trodden under- foot. And now he has a vendetta against the young who are full of hope, becaule they mock him; against those who have succecded, because he thinks it has been at his expense, and against human life, because it has been such a deceit and mockery. Pardon his sourness; he Is one of the fallures of humanity; fruit which has never ripened. Deal gently with him. And turn to that big-hearted man who did great things in his day, and now is ready to lend a hand to every strug- gler, and to give a cheer to every win- ner; who wishes well to all men in their place, and blesses God that life on the whole has been so kind to him, and that the best of it is yet to come when the sun, already beginning to sink, will set gloriously behind the western hills. warmest weather. We live by the alr we_breathe, and we ought not to be afraid of it. It is impossible to take cold merely through breathing fresh afr. If the body is In good condition and prop- erly clothed, we may defy pure afr to do it harm. Men, and women. too, go. on long tramps through the woods, sleep on the ground with a rubber sheet under them, and only a tent between them and the sky, and take no harm. Our luxuries make us effeminate and are at the back of many a cold which comes out of space, we know not how, and fastens itself upon us in our moment of least resistance, the moment when we are tired, or have slept badly or have overeaten. To eat less rather than more would keep many people in fairly good heaith. The demon of dyspepsia pounces on those who eat frregularly, or eat more than they can assimilate, or Indulge them- selves in rich and indigestible dainties. Most of us would gain by limiting our bill of fare to simpler food and by taking meals at longer intervals. Worry, Parent of Disease. Mental conditions have a, great deal to do with preventing illness. Worry is the parent of disease. Whatever be the rea- “son for it, worry is an immensely hostile agent in human life, ravaging happiness and depleting vital force. If you drift into a habit of chronie constantly forbode disaster. or let your mind dwell on some catastrophe that may happen, you will so weaken your- self that you cannot stand against. at- tacks of illness. The mind has enormous power over the body, and this is the philosophic reason why, in countless in- stances, there is such a thing as ficent mental healing. The part of come, is to send at once for the attainable physiclan, who is one most valued family friends. ‘When the ordinary health. rate when the house is sanitary, mind'free from worry, the fair fleld and a good chance to any illness