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Show ALONG LIFE'S TRAIL By THOMAS A. CLARK Dean ot Men, VnlrerMty of Illinois. (, Western Newspuper Union.) HIS JOB THE little cab driver who used to come for me when, on rainy days, I took a taxi to save myself from the inclement weather was a cheerful soul. He was always careful, always courteous, cour-teous, always on time, always considerate con-siderate of my comfort. He met me late one especially stormy night when the thermometer was down and the wind was cutting like a razor through the heaviest garments. "Don't you get sick and tired of this dog's life?" I asked as he tucked me snugly into the back seat. "Oh, no," he replied smiling, "you see, it's my job." The memory of his cheerful face and his suggestive words has helped me often since. When the days have been long, and the callers irritating and the; problems difficult to solve, when I might have grown discouraged over the honest effort which resulted only in failure, I have tried to take it cheerfully cheer-fully because it was my job. ! I don't know what your job is, for the problem of no two men in this world is quite the same. It may ba getting to class regularly every day, or keeping up your college work while you earn a precarious living. It may be pursuing a difficult study or teaching teach-ing a stupid class that you do not enjoy, en-joy, or leading a clean life when a thousand passions are urging you on to the rocks. It may be fighting homesickness home-sickness or discouragement or despondency de-spondency or moral temptations or mental lethargy. I don't know what It Is, but you do. Very likely yours Is not an easy Job, or at all times a pleasant one, and there will be all sorts of temptations to slight It, to evade its responsibilities, responsibili-ties, to put off its unpleasant, disagreeable disagree-able features, to complain because It Is more galling and exacting than other oth-er .men's jobs. Usually, If we could only know we should discover that every job has its difficulties. No matter how difficult your job Is, rou will find It half done if, when It presents itself, you go at It cheerfully, energetically. The work that is taken up with determination and enthusiasm loses half its difficulty. And the best part of it all is that, having done one job well, you are getting yourself ready for another. It is an old, tried proverb that nothing so succeeds as success; nothing so strengthens us as doing some difficult task well. I met the little cab driver yesterday; yester-day; he had a new job and a better one, probably a more exacting one, but he was meeting his new problem In just as happy and cheerful a way as ever. He gave me courage. WHO PAYS? nJ 'VB just been up at their country place visiting the Simpklnses," George remarked to me this fall. "Cadillac, motorboat, house party, fine board, no laundry bill, nothing to pay; pretty soft." I had met Simpkins at the end of August, and he had told me what & grind the summer had been to him. "I've had to work early and late," he said. "That family of mine had a tearing tear-ing good time up north with their friends, but the bills were tremendously tremen-dously heavy, and you know somebody always has to pay." The Beta Tau Sigma party, the papers pa-pers said, had set a new standard for social events In this community. Nothing was lacking to make It a success suc-cess cabs, evening clothes (mostly rented), favors, theater party, seven-course seven-course luncheon it cost a pretty sura. I wondered who was paying; father at home getting up early and going to bed late? Sister teaching, or clerking or nursing? Mother going without the new gown or the vacation trip of which she was very much in need? These things more often than otherwise mean sacrifice; for some one has to pay. Parker cut a pretty wide swath last year In college. He had the latest cut, up-to-date clothes; he never misses a good show or a bad one; if anything was going on he could be found sitting in the front row, and there were unpleasant un-pleasant rumors about his associates. I knew his being in college was pinching pinch-ing at home a good deal, but his folks were quite willing to make the sacrifice sacri-fice in order that he might have the advantages that they had been denied. It wouldn't have been so bad if he had paid his part by plugging hard on his college work. Mother could perhaps have afforded to deny herself a spring bonnet if son had needed the mo-aey to buy a Phi Beta Kappa pin; but as it was, he finished the year In debt to every one and with a scholastic aver-age aver-age of 59. Those who were paying got little for their money. For every good time you have, for every luxury you enjoy, for every dissipation dis-sipation in which you Indulge or grp which you take advantage of, some, body Is having to pay. You may charge the account nt tlrin-s. but ultimately the bills come In with interest. It Is better on the whole for each man to pay his share of the bill. No I one rejects a boy who Is always eager ! to sit In. but who never reaches for the j check. If the home folks are willing j to make the sacrifices mil furnish t he ; money, son ot:ght to play the game I fairly, to economize occasionally and to square his half of the account by a return of manly character end good scholarship. |