OUR GIRLS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XX, Issue VIII, 19 February 1898, Page 238

OUR GIRLS.

THE GIRL OF THE PASSING YEAR. Have you given glory to God, in word, in deed and in look ? Have you made life about you so joyful that peace and goodwill have come down and shell fragrance over all ? Has the hasty word, the angry look, the petulant reply been counted as of nothing’ How much good-will have you shown to the erring brother or sister ? How much and how often have you put out a helping hand and the word that should go with it, the word that says ‘ Be of good eheer, you are among us and you are with us, the little Child born so many years ago makes no distinction between the sinners ami those who are not, and He came into this world not to save those who had already made a place for themselves, but to show to the sinner the way to joy and happiness, and to make life better and easier for him.’ ‘ But,’ say you, ‘ yon question so much why life lie made easy for the one who does wrong ?’ My friend, until you make virtue as attractive as vice you will never lead a sinner in the right way. There will never be sweet, pure, honest goodwill until we have fewer Phariseesand more Samaritans. It’s a little bit of a sermon this New Year from me to you ; but it comes in with the old, old text, that the bells are chiming out, the hearts are beating forth, that the holly berries whisper out, and that all over the earth makes the mother hold the baby closer to her to hear at once the tune and the words sung by the angels so many years ago, listened to by saint and sinner alike to-day, those same dear old words that mean joy is with us as the carols go out. Glory to God on high and on earth peace, goodwill to men.’ THE BROTHERLESS GIRL. The girl without a brother is especially to be pitied. She is the girl who is never certain of getting the pleasures of life unless she is very attractive. Of course she has no brother who she is certain will take her everywhere ; she is apt to get a little bit vain, for she has no brother to tell her, as only a brother will, of her faults and mistakes. It is only the somewhat doubtful tact of a brother that announces, ‘ I wouldn’t walk up the street with you in that frock,’ and the girl whose brother says this to her may be certain that he is only expressing the opinion of other girls’ brothers. He may not do it in the most gentle way, but he does tell the truth, and if you ask him why paying a visit to another girl is more desirable than to one you know, he will sit down and look at you, and then he will say :—‘ Well, you see, it is just this way : From the time you get there she is a nice girl who gives you a pleasant welcome and yet doesn’t gush over you. She is entertaining, and yet she has a fashion of putting down nasty gossip or silly talk among whoever is there. She is a restful sort of girl, she is not always wanting to do something that tires you half to death and where the game isn’t worth the candle, and when she says geod-by to yon, you feel certain that she is pretty glad you came, and that she will be glad to see you another time, but that she doesn’t look u|*on you as the one and only man in the world ;’ that is the kind of a description that the brotherless girl can’t get. Then she doesn’t hear of men that a fellow would ■ather not have his sister go with, and she is very apt, poor dear, to make a few little mistakes. Probably the wisest course for her to pursue is for her to choose as her most intimate friend a girl who has a wise brother; then she can reap the benefit of his counsel.