"And half the little soul is dirt"
comes from this satire. As it is suppressed, you may have difficulty in finding it.
Fidelia.—The verse you quote is from a poem of Christina Rossetti's entitled "He and She." As the whole poem is very short we transcribe it for you:—
"Should one of us remember,
And one of us forget,
I wish I knew what each will do—
But who can tell as yet?"
"Should one of us remember,
And one of us forget,
I promise you what I will do—
And I'm content to wait for you,
And not be sure as yet."
You will find it on page 328 of Messrs. Macmillan's 1892 edition of "Poems: Christina G. Rossetti."
The Lilac Sunbonnet.—You should try to obtain a situation "au pair" in a Continental School, where you could teach English in return for learning French. No premium or certificate is required. The only way we know of obtaining such a position is to advertise in the provincial journal of any town where you would like to go. See our former answers to similar queries, when we have mentioned such papers as the Gazette de Lausanne, Journal de Génève, Feuille d'avis de Vevey, etc.
Mother's Girl.—Your story is very well composed and neatly written. The incident you describe is naturally told, with a good deal of right feeling. We can honestly praise your work. It is very wise of young writers only to undertake simple subjects with which they are familiar, and a good schoolgirl story is worth any amount of sentimental nonsense.
A Seeker.—1. Your friend's verses fail in metre: e.g., "Death makes clearer the soul's view," is a halting line. The thought expressed throughout is a solemn one, but the mode of expression is open to criticism.—2. The difficulty you place before us is one in which we have very great sympathy. If you have been sent to an Art School it is certainly your duty to work hard there. But a change of occupation is by no means always prejudicial to success; in fact, it is often helpful even to the occupation which is laid aside for a time. For example, a girl is likely to become no better a musician because she practises every hour of the day, and neglects all besides. There comes a point beyond which work is useless, and four or five hours well spent are better than twelve. So with your drawing or painting; you will do it no harm by laying it aside for awhile and lending a hand to household tasks. There is often a tendency in eager students to overwork, and see things out of their due proportion. You must try to keep the balance true and not sacrifice character to ambition. You will do the ambition itself no good by it. We may suggest that artistic talent is very useful in millinery, and that, if need be, you should not despise turning your gifts to account in designing some article of dress. There is a wide field open to really artistic dressmakers; but, of course, on this, we cannot advise you without further knowledge.
An Ardent Reader, Rosy Nell.—We are glad to hear all you tell us, and hope you may succeed in the needlework competition. We do not know the comic ballad you mention on "A Snarling Wife," beginning, "O do be still!" Are you sure it is worth hunting for? Would it not do you more good to learn some poem of real beauty or interest?