Page:Side talks with girls (1895).djvu/106

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Side Talks with Girls

Now, I want her to represent the perfect specimen of girlhood, just as the perfect grape is the finest of fruits, satisfying the thirst, the taste, and the eyes. But, my dear girls, if you want to be this you must pull out the little faults as you would the weeds from a garden. Pull them so carefully that they cannot come back, and in their place sow the seed of the beautiful flowers that represent the virtues. Then you will be happier, better, and more lovable, and it will make life sweeter for everybody around you. And behold, some day, taking you in her arms, your mother will tell you that the brightness and good cheer in the house are due to you and your virtues. She may, perhaps, remind you of that time when you weren't as wise as you are now, and be sure she will congratulate you on your victory over the little faults of every-day life. After this it is so easy to conquer big faults; they stand out so prominently, having no little ones to excuse them, that you see them and control them. You get them well in grasp and master them, and in time, you, my girl, by your own efforts, will become "a perfect woman nobly planned."