414 MORE POT-POURRI 



her natural endowment — an art perfected by the edu- 

 cation of the world. Who cannot talk ! But who can ? 

 Discover the writers in a day when all are writing. It 

 is as rare an art as poetry, and in the mouths of women 

 as enrapturing — richer than their voices in music' 

 With young girls silence often becomes a habit from 

 not being trained to join in the conversation of their 

 elders — a fault in many English homes. But if a girl 

 realises this is a mistake, she can get over it after she 

 is grown up if she chooses. If, on the contrary, she is 

 silent merely from being socially bored, she had better 

 learn that a very simple remedy for boredom in society 

 is to try and amuse others. There is sure to be some- 

 one uglier or duller or older than she is, to whom she 

 can devote herself. One of the chief uses of society is 

 the constant self -discipline it imposes. Depend upon 

 it, as George Eliot says, we should all gain unspeakably 

 if we could learn to see some of the poetry and pathos, 

 the tragedy and the comedy, lying in the experience of 

 a human soul that looks out through dull gray eyes 

 and that speaks in a voice of quite ordinary tones. 

 Such a thing is almost impossible to some girls, whose 

 great amusement in life is to chatter. This has its 

 charm to many ; but girls of this temperament should, 

 on the contrary, try to cultivate the art of listening, to 

 draw forth information from others, and to understand 

 their attitude without forming too hasty judgments. 

 'To communicate our feelings and sentiments is natural. 

 To take up what is communicated just as it is communi- 

 cated is culture.' A power to sympathise with others 

 is one to be much cultivated, ever remembering it has 

 to be paid for. 



For he who lives more lives than one, 

 More deaths than one must die, 



