THE POCKET MEASURE

New Zealand Tablet, 25 October 1906, Page 37

THE POCKET MEASURE

Having heard and read of the pocket-measure which one is supposed to possess, and so be able to measure up the qualifications of all his neighbors and friends, and thus find out whether they meet his requirements, I fell, to dreaming upon- the subjects— l will not say whether waking or sleeping. I took out my measure,' and carefully-, very carefully, measured Mrs. A. . I found her a beautiful-wo-man, and seemingly fond of me, but my measure told me that she certainly wore an air of affectation, and might be insincere in friendship. With this 1 cast her aside — no affectation for me. Mrs.' B. I measured with a critic's eye ; results-warm-hearted, devoted as a friend, but ready to flash up and tell me of 1 some blunder or misdemeanor of mine, and this at any time. - The measure said: 'Cast her aside ' ; and I did at once. Mr: and Mrs. C, hospitable, obliging, estimable as friends, but the measure reminded' me of their inability to keep even their own "secrets, let alone mine. The measure was right, and I gave up ' the C's. Well, how about Mrs. B. ? I measured her—' all right at times, but then she has ;her cooP spells when she acts as if she didn't care for me ' • and I at my measure's. .suggestion, crossed her from my'list. The Misses E. t lovely, attractive girls, also devotedfriends, .but my, measure found they were continually asking favors of me. .^This would riot do ; they— yes they are just as glad to grant favors: but are too free entirely ; .so that friendship went overboard. I was just going -on to measure the F. family when I. was suddenly stopped in my dream by some inner voice which reminded me of several truths I had forgotten. In the first place, I wanted' friends, could not do without them, and those I might choose- to keep-, on, my list might' as. well as myself possess a poctag,. measure. If measured could. I, would I, come up to their standard, as a friend ? Suppose I was cast aside by them 1 because. I lacked some minor eleI^^ia : stan^al^

True friendship is generous in ignoring and covering up all faults and foibles, meeting, all arguments regarding such" with the strong and unanswerable plea: 1 Their friendship for me far . outweighs, any imperfections of, theirs in my own way of thinking.' That pocket-measure is not generally useful in the line , of friendship.