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Show ALONG LIFE TRAIL By THOMAS A. CLARK Dean of Men, University of Illinois. (, 1824, "Western Newspaper Union.) HOME-COMING I HAVE never been away from home a great deal. A week at some distant dis-tant relative's or a summer engaged in recreation or employment with strangers strang-ers has made up the tale of my separation sep-aration from my family. I remained In the home of my childhood until I had made a home for myself. But even these short separations from home have given me an appreciation of the joy of getting back. I rushed everywhere In and out of the house to note the changes that had taken place during my absence. I visited my old familiar haunts, I looked up my old companions, and 1 snuggled down in my spcuil corner with a book in my hand ftnd another sitting by. both of us happy over the reunion.. It was great to he home again! How much more so to those who have been away for a longer time and ' at a greater distance to return to the home fireside. Home-coming is for all of us. and should he more or less a sentimental time. We appreciate the comforts and the privileges and the delights of home the more by being separated from them for a time. It is another case of absence ab-sence making the heart grow fonder. The absence and the home-coming, too, often give one a clearer appreciation apprecia-tion of the obligations and responsibilities responsi-bilities one should have toward home. Home-coming is a pleasure because it gives opportunity to talk over accomplishments, ac-complishments, to stimulate ambition and to fire the imagination of the younger and less experienced members of the family. We have been out In the world even though It may be for so short a time, we have seen new sights, we have done wonderful deeds, we have tried our wings and have found them strong. We have experience experi-ence behind us, and we are enger to confer its benefits upon the less sophisticated sophis-ticated members of the family. Sometimes there Is the selfish son who sees in home-coniing only a time for pleasure, for self-gratlflcatlon, for intemperate indulgence In eating, drinking and sleeping. Re gets out of the family everything that it will give. He contributes nothing to Its I happiness or to Its progress; he looks l out only for what he can get to satisfy his selfish desires. His return Is not looked for with joyous anticipation; his going Is relief. Home-coming for all of us should be a time of renewing old acquaintances, of visiting old scenes and old friends, of stimulating old Ideals. There are the younger children to drink In the tales of adventiire and accomplishments accomplish-ments out In the real world, and to be stirred and stimulated by them. Those who come hack may get pleasure; pleas-ure; they may give help and encouragement. encour-agement. If their object, however, Is only selfish gratification, the satisfying satisfy-ing of old appetites, then It were better bet-ter they did not come at all. PAINTING THE LILY I HAVE often felt that perhaps Cowers Cow-ers have a kind of conscious feeling of their own beauty and that possibly, like young girls, they would like sometimes some-times to touch It up. Perhaps the lily sighs for a lipstick or a box of rouge. Of course a young girl likes to look pretty; It Is a feeling quite human. It gives her self-respect and makes her feel more comfortable to know that she Is well groomed, and becomingly dressed, and It gives her a sense of satisfaction to realize that her friends, both male and female recognize her attractiveness. Not even a savage puts on her simple costume carelessly. I have never quite understood, however, how-ever, why the modern girl has so little lit-tle faith In the effectiveness of youthful youth-ful natural beauty why she would take a perfectly line complexion or a beautiful head of hair and dunh the one with partl-colored cosmetics like a Hottentot unless I hate to think It she Is determined deliberately lo attract at-tract attention to herself at ny cost. Of course she must follow the fashion, changing as It Is. She cannot have her skirts trailing - when oilier girls have theirs at the shoe tops or at the knees; she cannot wear puffed sleeves when her friends are eliminating eliminat-ing that part of their garments entirely; en-tirely; she cunnot wear her hair down her back straight or in curls when "cootie cages" are In style, but she can be conservative. She does nut need to make herself seem either freakish or extreme. She should give some thought to fitness. I met a little girl yesterday morning morn-ing when I was on the way to my office. of-fice. Her hair, straight as an Indian's naturally, was crudely curled until It stood out like a bunch of wire; her face flamed unnaturally as If she had been cooking doughnuts over a lint kitchen stove In the summer time. Her open-work silk stockings through which a sharp wind was blowing were quite in contrast to her heavy fur coat, the collar of which was thrown open exposing a rather wide expanse of chilly bony chest. Perhaps slie was comfortable, undoubtedly she was siyi-isli, siyi-isli, but pretty not even to tier family. fam-ily. She was grotesque, she was a arieature of youth, she witn a lily lanl.ed up with paint by the crudest nind. She looked like a bareback i'U-r at the circus. I could only laugh md then feel sorry. She v'us a per-- per-- ctly nice girl spoiled. |