What Do You Expect?

Doris wanted more than anything in this world for her school to have its own newspaper. And, of course, she wanted to be the editor. So, when the principal agreed and the school board donated an old mimeograph machine, she went into orbit.

On the day before publication of the first issue Doris thought she knew how it feels to be refueled in mid-air. She just couldn't bring herself to earth with the rest of the human race. But when the paper finally came off the ancient machine, and Doris saw the results of her first efforts, she made a perfect pancake landing!

Words were misspelled, sentences ran off the page, the illustrations were either smeared or too light to be recognizable, the O's were solid black dots—it was ghastly. But Doris wasn't grounded for long. She had to find someone or something to blame for the mess. Since she had done all the work herself she had to blame the duplicator. What could you expect from such a dilapidated machine?

But the machine didn't misspell the words, or make any other of the mistakes that were so glaring on the paper. The thing printed just what was put into it.

One couldn't help feeling sorry for Doris, but you can be sure the second issue of the paper was greatly improved. She went into the project without much knowledge of what she was doing, but she learned much from her mis­takes. She learned the hard way the old saying that you get out of a thing just what you put into it. The Boy Scout motto, "Be Prepared," is still good advice for all our interests in life.

Kind heavenly Father, give me the patience to learn.