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Show New Year Reflections. Pei haps just once a year when w have a calendar before us it may be a good thins: to look back over the last twelve months and p.ee wherein we have progressed in tho development of our characters. Have we mnr self-control self-control than wc had a year ago? Are' wo better able to keep our tempers?! Can we resist our curiosity? Are we j less given to severe criticism and slow- I er to pass judgment? Tt is pretty diffi- i cult, usually, to tell whether we have I grown or not. We cannot see the changes in ourselves as otlnv see! them. But. at least, we can know whether we hfive tried to imp-ove ourselves. our-selves. Nobody ever made an earnest persistent effort to acquire a quality cr to get rid of a bud habit without being nearer his joai. Don't forget that when you fail. Your effort has left its ma;k and made you stronger for the next time. The. first thing, if one is to grew ;if a'l morally and mentally, is to recognize recog-nize rme's fhort-eomings. The other day a foolish young gtri remarked to Aunt Bride: "I neve.- make mistakes. I crin't remember being sorry for anything any-thing 1 did. ' She was very young, to to sure. :nul Aunt 'Bride horie.- that some of the "shakinv; up" of life will open her e-'-. Rut if yen are so puffol up with vanity and conceit rhat von think wha..c-ver you do is righr. you are very much to bo rkied. One of the signs by which you may know that you are growing is .eccgnition of your weak points. If you know that there are broken soots in your fences you will set about mending them. Thinking too much a pout how ethers are treating you and not enough about .how you are treating them is one of the commonest of weak spots. Marion Crawford in his latest book points out the difference between a snob and a gentleman in this fashion: "The snob think most of the treatment he receives re-ceives from the world; the gentleman thinks first how he shall act couteous-ly couteous-ly to others." And. of course, t.i.1 same definition will answer for a lady. You must be pleasant and kind and just to everybody, and not trouble yourself about how they treat you. After awhile, if peoplo are rude to you, you will simply feel sorry that they have bad manners. . Everybody would be so mu-h better off if we wero ah equally courteous and truthful and anxious to do justice. And you must do your share toward bringing th's happy time; rind you must begin immediately. im-mediately. Aunt Bride, in Sacred Heart Review. |