Produced by Bethanne M. Simms and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net Search-Light Letters BY _Robert Grant_ New York _Charles Scribner's Sons_ MDCCCXCIX _Copyright, 1899, by Charles Scribner's Sons_ _Contents_ To _A Young Man or Woman_ in Search of the Ideal Letter I 1 Letter II 15 Letter III 32 Letter IV 45 To _A Modern Woman_ with Social Ambitions Letter I 59 Letter II 72 Letter III 89 Letter IV 105 To _A Young Man_ wishing to be an American Letter I 125 Letter II 135 Letter III 152 Letter IV 169 To _A Political Optimist_ Letter I 173 Letter II 191 Letter III 214 To _A Young Man or Woman_ in Search of the Ideal. I. I shall assume certain things to begin with. If a young man, that the dividing-line between mine and thine is so clearly defined to your own consciousness that you are never tempted to cross it. For instance, that it is your invariable practice to keep the funds of others in a separate bank-account from the money which belongs to you, and not to mix them. That you will not lie to escape the consequences of your own or others' actions. That you are not afraid to stand up and be shot at if necessary. That you do not use your knife to carry food to your mouth; say "How?" for "What?" or hold the young lady whom you are courting or to whom you are engaged by the crook of her elbow and shove her along the street as though she were a perambulator. If a young woman, that you are so pure in thought that you do not feel obliged to read diseased fiction in order to enlighten yourself as to what is immorality. That you do not bear false witness against your neighbor by telling every unpleasant story you hear to the next person you meet. That you do not repeat to an acquaintance, on the plea of duty, the disagreeable remarks or criticisms which others have made to you regarding her. That you try to be unselfish, sympathetic, and amiable in spite of everything. That you neither chew gum nor use pigments. And that you do not treat young men as demigods, before whom you must abase yourself in order to be exalted.