From Moral Lessons of Yesteryear

Exclusive Friends

There are some friendships which glory in being exclusive. Take the case of Milly and Mary for instance. As their affections for each other grew, it seemed to crowd out other affections. Milly was a little jealous of the other girls who had been especially friendly with Mary before her own friendship began, and Mary had the same feelings toward Milly’s old friends. The result was that they saw less and less of other girls and more and more of each other. They walked to and from school with an arm about each other’s waist. Neither liked to accept an invitation which did not include the other.

If they were separated during vacation, as sometimes happened, they wrote to each other daily, and no matter how good a time they might be having, openly rejoiced to have it. end, that they might be together again.

These exclusive friendships are very likely to appeal to the imagination of young girls, but there is a great deal to be said against them. The best friend for you is not the girl who has no time for anyone but you, but the one who has many friends and love enough to go around. The affection which shut out all but the two most concerned is too selfish to be desirable. No girl can restrict her friendship to a single person without narrowing herself. It is as big a mistake as to read only one book or to eat only one kind of food. These intense friendships are very likely to come to a sudden and violent end. They break down by their own weight. They exact too much to be enduring. Sooner or later something happens, and the breaking off of such exclusive friendships generally means that hostility takes the place of the over-ardent affection.

Don’t restrict yourself to one friend, however charming she may be. Don’t let yourself feel that you can’t be happy anywhere without her. You may prefer roses to violets or lilies-of-the-valley, but that is no good reason for weeding the latter plants out of your garden. The sensible way is to enjoy the fragrance of all sweet flowers and the friendship of all sweet girls.