Despite the efforts of the parents and the philanthropist, the
boy was given a prison sentence and is still serving it.
Characteristic of this group of personalities are these traits:
(1) an impatience with the arduous, an incapacity or
unwillingness to wait for results in the ordinary way; (2) a
decided dread of monotony, a longing for excitement; (3) an
inability to form permanent purposes and to inhibit the
distracting desires; (4) a desire to win others' good opinion and
sympathy,--therefore he always lavished his money on those whom
that kind of "good fellowship" wins and told pathetic stories to
those whose sentimentality made them easy victims; (5) a weak
kind of egoism, seeking easy ways to pleasure and position,
restless under discipline, always repentant after wrong-doing,
fluent in speech but lacking the courage to face the difficulties
of life.
This under-inhibited type may suddenly reform and apparently
entirely emerge from difficulties. I have in mind a conspicuous
case, a young woman now happily married and the mother of fine
children. When she was thirteen or fourteen the petty pilferings
of her childhood took on a serious character. She began to steal
from the person of strangers and from the homes of friends. She
romanced in the most convincing fashion, told strangers the most
remarkable stories, usually of such a nature as to make her
interesting and an object of sympathy, but which tended to
blacken the reputation of her family. She lost place after place
at work, was sent to a hospital to become a nurse and demoralized
her associates by her lies and her thefts. She was a very sweet
girl in every other way, kindly, generous, self-sacrificing,
studious even, and her character-contradiction made people
reluctant to believe she was not insane. She was discharged from
the hospital, stayed at home for a few months,--and then came the
miracle. She obtained a place in a large business house and
worked there for seven years or up till the time of her marriage.
She was steadily promoted and was accounted the most reliable and
honest employee of the establishment. She handled money and
goods, was absolutely truthful and her earnest efficiency was
noteworthy. Her private life was in complete harmony with this
business career. She helped her parents, who are poor, dressed
modestly, studied nights and yet showed the same fondness for
dancing and good times that the normal girl does. She met a
promising young business man who fell immediately in love with
this demure looking young woman, and they were later married.
Once I asked her how the reform came about. "I don't know
myself," she answered frankly. "I never was happy--when I was the
other way. I always vowed reform, but when there was money around
I'd think and think about it until it was mine. Then I'd spend it
in a silly way to get rid of it fast. I craved good things, and
you know how poor we were. Then I lied just to have people like
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