REMEMBER, DEAR

W.E.B. Dubois. Advice to his teenage daughter studying in England.

Above all remember, dear,

1. That you have a great opportunity.

2. You are there only by lucky chance.

3. Deserve it, then. Study, do your work.

4. Be honest, frank, and fearless.

5. Get some grasp of the real values of life.

6. People gawk at difference. Don’t give much attention to them.

7. Remember that most folk laugh at anything unusual.

8. You, however, must not laugh at yourself.

9. This is a work on you, the you beneath it all.

10. Be determined to understand this great, wonderful, curious world.

11. Don’t shrink from new experiences and customs.

12. Take the cold bath bravely.

13. Enter into the spirit of your big bedroom.

14. Enjoy what is and not pine for what is not.

15. Read some good, heavy, serious books just for discipline.

16. Make yourself do unpleasant things, so as to gain the upper hand of your soul.

Above all, remember that your father loves you, believes in you, and expects you to be a wonderful human being.