It is cowardly for a woman to try to dress more extravagantly than her purse will permit, to keep pace with her neighbors. And here I am going to say something which will cause some eyes to open wide in astonishment—it is cowardly to deny one’s self or one’s family the reasonable comforts of life when they can be afforded. Some do go to this extreme just from the love of being considered “prudent.” Don’t mind what the “other fellow” says, or thinks, in these matters that concern only yourself and those nearest and dearest. Live so as to make the very most and highest of the life God has given you,—and let the tongues wag as they will. Why bless you, if folks couldn’t talk they would die—some of them. Let them talk and let yourself be free from care concerning what they say,—if you know you are acting from principle. Tastes differ. Yours is as apt to be right as your neighbor’s. Live your own life—only so it be a brave, true, sensible one—and let the other fellow live his. DO NOT SPEAK EVIL OF ANY ONE When you speak evil of another you assume the position of his judge and sentence him to punishment without a hearing. “Judge not lest ye be judged.” That is the inhibition, which is a command inasmuch as it contains a threat of punishment. When you speak evil of a man, you injure him if what you speak of him is not true and you make yourself a spreader of falsehood. You also injure his reputation which is not in your keeping but is his property. You steal something from him that is his own and to which he has a right. You blast a reputation heedlessly and without its being of any value to you. You shut it out for life from all that it holds dear and valuable. For what? Perhaps to gratify your lust for gossip. You will not get off so easily as you think by ruining or attempting to ruin another’s reputation. You weaken yourself. The man you malign has friends that will stand by him, and they will become your enemies, not only in business but socially, and you will soon find yourself ostracized from respectable people and sent down to associate with other liars like yourself. Even if what you say should prove to be true, who constituted you the judge? As already said, you must not judge. One way of hurting a man is to misinterpret his acts. How do you know what a man’s motives are in any case? Every man looks into a mirror and sees himself, whence he interprets according to his own motives under the same circumstances. As it is commonly put: “A man generally judges another from himself.” It is an unwise habit to fall into, and should be avoided lest others see us as we see others. DO NOT NEGLECT YOUR PARENTS OR YOUR FAMILY Every man is judged by his home life. What kind of a son are you? In answering this question which will be asked to determine your character, the only answer possible to insure favorable consideration is “a good son.”