St. Landry democrat., 1888-09-01
THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS.
Don't he Meddlesome or Argumentatlvo
With Other Peoples Affairs.


With Other Peoples Affairs.
The person of even average moral
sense has Il general understanding Oh
the fact that his neighbor's house.
trees and material goods are objects
toward which he should show respect
by the simple process of letting alone.
The right to alter the color OF MS
house, to order the pruning OF MS
trees, etc, are recognized to be mat-
ters solely under control OF their
owner.
But in matters less material, yet
more personal, there is a great lack OF
respect shown in our dealings WIN
one another.
Persons who would resent being
called discourteous, persons who IN *'>e
main are kind of heart, and even geh-
erous with their money, are often sad
ly wanting in charitable Judgment OF
their neighbor's opinions and proper
sense of their peculiaritles.
Too commonly the fact is ignored
that mans opinions and convlctlons
are his private personal matter, with
which no one else has a right to med
die.
A man may hold with all the ferVor
of heart and strength OF MIND OF
which he is capable the principles OF
Professionalism, but that is no reason why
he should assail the belief OF his Cath
olic neighbor. Indeed, it is an excel
ent reason why he should not do So
but, instead, should extend the tolera-
tion supposed to be part of his re-
ligion.
A man may believe in homeopathy
! to the highest dilution, but that belief
does not entitle him to the privilege
of calling his neighbor to account be-
cause he chooses to seek relief by
means of mercury and quinine in as
heroic doses as he may fancy.
So in politics, the spending OF money
in social life, in dress and education,
each one should scrupulously avoid
acting as the censor of others who may
differ from himself.
! Least of all is one privileged while
a guest to attack the opinions OF the
family whose hospitality he enjoys.
! When, for any reason, he can not ac-
! quiesce in the family regulations let
him depart, and not try to reform the
| family to his standard of propriety.
By calm personal arguments, or by
the force of example, one may try to
convince another that his way is the
better, but true courtesy requires
that he shall not, unasked, present his
! opinions, when to do so will wound
and not alter in the slightest degree
the course of his opponent.
| C!Nor let any one fiatter himself that
because a man is loud of voice and
/, blunt in speech, ever ready with cruel
! Judgment of others and free with ad-
vice on all matters, that he will pleas
antly accept such treatment from 9th
ers, for he Is quite as likely to resent
interference with his affairs as the
man of gentler speech and greater
charity.
i 1t is so easy to form the habit of
meddlesomeness and to persuade ones
self into the belief that ones mission
is to be private Investigator and
public advisor" that one is apt to for
get that in the regulation of ones own
conduct life presents enough perplex-
ing problems without trespassing upon
the rights of others in mistaken zeal
to convert them to a better use.
In short, let no one be so intent upon
the mote in the eye of his neighbor
that he will forget the beam in his own.
Daughters Of Anaerica.