Vol. 37, No. 4
But how is it done? The two main
ingredients of friendship are (1) unsel-
fishness and (2) interest.
There is an old saying, “To have a
friend you must be a friend”; and that is
what is meant by unselfishness. You must
be prepared to put yourself out a little bit,
to remember things like birthdays and that
so-and-so is terrified of cows.
Suppose, for instance, you hear that a
friend in your class wants to buy a pair of
skates; later, reading your local paper, you
see a pair advertised, Take the trouble to
let him know-—phone him, even write to
him.
Then it is no good expecting to make
friends if you talk only about yourself and
what interests yom. Naturally the other
person wants you to be interested in him,
too.
If people feel that you like them and are
interested in them, it puts them at their
fase. They expand. Because of your interest
they tell you things—things which are
important to them, but which they are
usually far too shy even to mention. You
have made them feel that they cont, and
they like you for it and want to see you
again,
Now for the other point—interest.
This does not necessarily mean that you
yourself must be interesting. It does mean,
however, that you must keep your eyes and
ears open.
Read books other than those assigned
by your teachers and know a little of what
is happening in the world outside the school
gates. This will keep your mind from getting
one-tracked and “soggy”; besides it will
prevent those awful gaps in conversation
when you wish the ground would open
and swallow you up. In this way, too, you
will find an amazing number of unexpected
mutual interests—which, after all, is the
idea, isn’t i?
Remember, you never make friends and
you never win popularity by sitting down
and waiting to become popular. “A man
that hath friends must show himself
friendly.” —E, M. Ferguson, Adapted.
Symposium
Jesus is our best friend. John 15:14, 15.
“Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever
I command you. Henceforth I call you
not servants; for the servant knoweth not
what his lord doeth: but I have called youn
friends; for all things that I have heard of
my Father 1 have made known unto you.”
If we choose friends who have evil habits,
we shall surely become evil, Proverbs 13:20,
“He that walketh with wise men shall
be wise: but a companion of fools shall be
destroyed.”
THE CHURCH OFFICERS GAZETTE
We shall bave friends in heaven. Steps to
Christ, page 131.
“Then the redeemed will be welcomed
to the home that Jesus is preparing for
them. There their companions will not be
the vile of earth; . . . but they will associate
with those who have overcome Satan, and
through divine grace have formed perfect
characters.”
To have friends, we must be friends. Prov-
erbs 18:24,
“A man that hath friends must show
himself friendly: and there is a friend that
sticketh closer than a brother.”
Friends of Jesus will wry to please Him.
John 15:14.
“Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever
I command you.”
The gift of making friends is one of God's
best gifts.
“Blessed is the man who has the gift
of making friends; for it is one of God's
best gifts, It involvés many things, but,
above all, the power of going out of one’s
own self and seeing and appreciating what
ever is noble and loving in another man.”
—Thomas Hughes.
George’s Friends
George Haynes was very popular with all
the boys. Not only was he a good athlete
and a fine fellow, but he also had more
pocket money than the other boys and
was always generous with treats.
Then came the crash and Mr, Haynes
lost heavily. Not only did George have 2
much smaller allowance, but he also began
working after school hours and on holidays.
The family moved into a smaller house and
gave up their extra automobile,
At first George was too busy with his
new work to notice that some of his former
mates seemed less friendly, Then one day
he asked Jim Barnes, whom he had once
helped to build a hut, to help him move
some heavy lumber in his yard. “Oh, I'm
too busy,” said Jim. Later George saw Jim
sitting idle on his porch.
Frank Jackson offered to move the wood
with George, As they worked together,
George said, “What's the matter with Jim?
He always used to be glad to do things
with me.”
“Oh, he’s one of those guys that are
friends as long as he can get anything out
of you—treats and auto rides. But now he
thinks it isn’t worth while to cater to you.”
“Hum,” said George, “nice kind of
friend to have, Well, I'm glad to find out
who are my real friends,” he added with a
kind look at Frank.
“It strikes me that you are the same
boy,” said Frank, “just as fine a fellow,
and perhaps even better than when you
15
had mote money. I'm proud to be allowed
to be your friend.”
“Shake,” said George.
—RUTH MOWRY BROWN,
in Young People’s Leader.
Friendship
One whose grip is a little tighter,
One whose smile is a little brighter,
One whose deeds are a little whiter,
That's what 1 call a friend.
One who'll lend as quick as he'll borrow,
One who's the same today as tomorrow,
One who will share your joy and sorrow,
That's what 1 call a friend.
One whose thoughts are a little cleaner,
One whose mind is a little keener,
One who avoids those things that are
meaner,
That's what I call a friend,
One, when you're gone, who'll miss you
sadly,
One who'll welcome you back again, gladly,
One who, though angered, will not speak
madly,
That's what I call a friend.
One who is always willing to aid you,
One whose advice has always paid you,
One who defends when others flay you,
That's what I call 2 friend.
~—JOHN BURROUGHS.
Friend-O-Gems
“Every man should have a fair.sized
cemetery in which to bury the faults of his
friends.” Henry Ward Beecher.
“Our friends see the best in us, and
by that very fact call forth the best from us.”
—Hugh Black,
= “If our friends are badly chosen, they
will inevitably drag us down; if well, they
will raise us up.”—Lord Avebury.
“True friendship is like sound health;
the value of it is seldom known until it be
lost.”—G. C. Colton,
“A man’s friendships are one of the best
measures of his worth.,”—Chatles Darwin.
“Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in
changing.” —Benjamin Franklin.
“Do good to thy friend to keep him, to
thy enemy to gain him.”—Benjamin Frank-
lin,