Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-03-31
CITY Neighbors.

The dwellen in great cities are gener-
ally disposed to adopt an attitude toward
their neighbors which may be described
as one Of armed neutrality. The occu-
pants Of the Immediately contiguous
house are regarded as persons who at any
moment may be belligerents. Prudence
dictates to both parties q punctilious
respect for the -convenances of social life.
Each, if he is discreet, will be on his best
behavior, and will scrupulously minimize
all possibility of collision. The best way,
of doing this is systematically to eschew
any personal acquaintance with those
who live on the other side of the parti-
ton wall. and in all matters which can
possibly affect them to bear himself as
inofensively as may be. Hence it has
become a tradition Of our social life that
London neighbors not only should be,
but as a matter of fact are, in q happy
state of mutual ignorance. To know
nothing of those who live next door is
un~questionably a convenience and a safe
guard. Anything like intimacy between
two families who live in such geographic
cal contiguity is certain to involve en-
barrassments, and is likely to end in open
hostility. One of the two households
presumes upon the privileges of friendly
intercourse, and makes, very likely in
pure innocence, some indefensible prOpO-
sition-requests the loan of some article
that ought not to be asked for; expresses
the hope that a bedroom may be granted
to q friend of the family who has casu-
ally arrived; or displays an inconvenient
and inconsiderate propensity to drop
into lunch. If these overtures are met
in q friendly spirit at the beginning, and
are even reciprocated, the relations
established between the two houses will
be for a while those of personal friend.
ahip; but it is a friendship that will oe q
sure harbinger of war. The rupture be-
tween the attached neighbors is as Ger
tain as the little storms which vex the
married life of the turtle doves of the
%pre-nuptial era. Nothing il more certain
than that people who are closely con-
nected, either by ties of family or neigh
borhood, cannot afford to take liberties
with each other. Half the quarrels
which estrange and embitter kinsmen
arise from the fact that they presume
upon their consequently. The mere
circumstance that they are related by
blood ought to make them exhibit
toward each other q most scrupulous
respect For this very reason they should
beware of requesting little loans at impe-
cunious moments, " of sending tele-
grams suddenly to say that they are
coming up from the country and will be
grateful for a dinner and a bed. The
point of honor is said to begin where
compulsion ends, and precisely because
the usages of society would not allow the
kinsmAn importuned in the manner just
described publicly to reprimand his rela-
tive, his relative is guilty Of an offense
against the laws of family honor if he
pleads the privilege of relationship. So
it is with neighbors. As long as they do
not make the mistake of supposing that
neighborhood implies familiarity all will
go we'll. Directly that truth is ignored
the prospect of civil wal is assured. The
Inhabitants of one of the crescents or
squares devoted to m~iddle-class London
ers will exist in a state of mutual peace
and good will 80 long as they keep each
other at arms length; but when nee
any project which involves community
of action is broached-such as the paint
ing the house-fronts in one color, or
reorganization of the garden enclosure
misunderstanding, and finally feuds, be-
come Observation-Disclosures World.