Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1889-01-19
UNCOMFORTABLE PEOPLE.
Persons Who Exist Solely for the Trial OF
Their NeighhOrs' Faith.

Persons Who Exist Solely for the Trial OF
Their NeighbOrs' Faith.
They are those who never let you
alone, or let you enjoy yourself in
your own way, but intend and in
sist that you shall be happy in
their way or none; who want you to
drink coffee when you want to drink
tea; who insist that you shall wear
your hair plain when your pleasure is
to have it banged; who speak to you
as if you had committed some heinous
crime should you have the temerity to
have an opinion differing from theirs.
They question the correctness OF
your knowledge upon any subject I'M
der consideration, and argue the most
trifing points with a fervOr befitting
the most weighty cause. Their opin-
ion upon art, literature, science, theOl-
ogy, in short, all human learning, is
so exhaustless, their taste so cultivat-
ed. their code of ethics so just and
pure, that you, with your limited
ideas, are at once put to silence, and
they would fain impress you with the
belief that from their ultimatum there
is no appeal.
Such people never let you appear at
your best; they have the effect upon
you of a moral torpedo; they make
you shrink into yourself, make you
ashamed of yourself, instead of inspir-
ing you to any endeavor worthy Of
yourself.
l know not whether these high and
mighty folk are not to be preferred to
those not more humble ones who
make no pretensiOns to culture of any
sort, who in fact frown upon any thing
of the sort, thinking it waste of time
and energy, but who are nevertheless
firmly of the belief that their opinions
are the only ones worth having and
that knowledge will die with them.
Their Observation-Disclosures takes the
form of differing from you on any
subject that may happen to be brought
up, partly from sheer obstinacy and
because they are constitutionally con-
trary-minded.
1t matters not what your efforts may
be to please one of this sort; you will
meet with no favor. A CHEEKY 'good
morning. meets with no response,
and all your well-meant efforts to en-
gage her in conversation brings forth
but monosyllabic replies, if, indeed,
any at all.
You take particular pains to poacb
her an egg; she declares that it is not
fit to be eaten, she would rather have
it boiled Is her bacon boiled, she
would rather have it fried; the tea is
too hot, the cocoa too cold, and so on,
ad intfnitum. Do you suggest walk
or drive, she is sure it will rain, or
it is too hot, too cold, too dusty or too
something else.
You plan pleasure trip or a visit
to distant friend; she really can't
understand what pleasure you will ex-
pect in such a place, or how you can
abide such and such people. She
never falls in with any of your plans
or in any wise aids you to compass or
fulfill them. She has never a word OF
cheer or praise for any effort, how
ever laudable it's motive. By some
strange perversity she seeks out the
flaws and defects. Like "Iago''-was
it "Iago?" have not my Shakespeare
by me-she is nothing if not critical.
She performs the part of a wet blanket
in the house, chilling and dampening
cne's enthusiasm in every thing. Such
a person, man or woman, is sad dis
enlargement, any thing but a we'll
spring of joy in a house, smoke to the
eyes and vinegar to the teeth.
All such people, taking them collect
lively now, are permitted to exist for
the trial of our faith and the perfect
ing of our patience. They are the
means of a wholesome discipline on
our road to sainthood. God grant that
we falter not and fail not before we
reach that blessed cOnsummation.
But as for yo and me, gentle reader,
let us not lend ourselves to be such
ladders to elevate others, let them
work out their own salvation.-PhttG-
delpbjn Press