circle of people through certain literary clubs. And furthermore, both
secured an invitation to read a paper before the same literary society
during the same winter. The first-named young lady was visiting friends,
while the second had secured a position as teacher. When the first young
lady appeared before the society, her dress of velvet, point lace, and
diamonds, was so striking as to be obtrusive. Her paper was fairly good,
but contained nothing of any permanent value. Her self-consciousness and
evident desire to be conspicuous had the effect of repelling the earnest
and thoughtful men and women who composed the society. Her essay and
herself were alike quietly dropped; and to this day she cannot
understand why. She calls the members of the society proud, haughty, and
exclusive, and denounces the city where these people live as pedantic,
disagreeable, and unsocial. Before this same club came our quiet,
unostentatious, plain young friend of the toilsome life. Her dress was
as plain as her face, but her paper was rich in information and filled
with the results of a deep and earnest observation. Around her gathered
the good men and women who knew how to appreciate such a spirit, and
from thenceforward she was one of them. Every winter since the reading
of her first essay I have found her name among the list of those who are
leaders in the world of thought and of benevolent action. With pride in
the success, of a genuine Western girl, I have often observed her name
among the invited guests present at receptions given to distinguished
authors and philanthropists both of our own country and of Europe. Why
did she succeed against such odds, when the other failed with all her
advantages? Simply because she was possessed of the true, deep, thorough
genuine culture, both of mind and heart, which alone associates, the
best people together. To her, "plain living and high thinking" was a
life-long practice, and she was at home and happy with the good and the
learned.