The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-11-07
MEN AS TAKERS.
They Do Not Read Enough to Make Their
Conversation IntereatinR. II


Conversation Interesting.
The Boston Journal says that there
are three causes which go far to explain
the Notwithstanding character of the
average young man to the average young
person of the opposite sex. The first is
that he is too much engrossed in him
self and the things which interest him.
The finest point of courtesy in CONVEX
sation is to seek those subjects which
will interest the people with whom we
talk. The young man who goes into
society of cultivated young women and
has nothing better to offer, as his con-
tribution to the conversation, than base
ball talk or "reminiscences of college
scrapes will make himself entertaining,
if at all, only by making himself ridicu-
lous, and that, it is safe to say, is not
what he is after. So with the various
other subjects either of business or of
pleasure, which are chiefly the concern
Of men. They ought not to be forced
into conversation with women. If the
latter want to know about them. very
well, but the information should be
given as brightly and interesting as
possible, and without any appearance of
a condescending enlightenment. The
true gentleman who enters the society
of women with the Difference which he
: Aould feel, will study them sufficiently
to know what things are likely to inter
est them and what are not -"
Another difficulty is that the average
young man is likely to make a mistake
as to the things which will interest
young women, even when he makes a
sincere attempt to adapt his converse
ton to them. Old notions die hard.
There are still great many young men
who can not understand that the young
women whom they know, some of them
at least, have minds which are capable
of something more than small talk, of
fashion-plates or society gossip. Never
theless, this is true. Nothing is more
CALLING to young women of cultivation
and intelligence than to be persistently
talked down to by the men of their ac-
quaintance. Let the average young man
realize that the average young woman
with whom he talks knows probably at
least as much as he does, and he will
make his conversation better worth
while by putting little intellect into
it.
A third difficulty is that the average
young man is in serious danger of being
left behind intellectually, by the aver
age young woman. We do not expect
that this alarming statement will be &C
cepted without dispute. But we COM
mend to the solemn consideration of
young men the question whether
a young man, who in college gives
his chief thought to athletics and
after he leaves college is engrossed
in business, is likely to keep up with
his sister, or some other fellows sister,
who started with a mind at least as
bright as his, has had equal educational
advantages, and has both time and dis
position to improve herself. We main
tain that no young man can afford to
deprive himself of the broadening and
elevating influence of good books. The
newspaper has it's place, but it is not
the place of Shakespeare or Milton, of
Addison or Ruskin or any other of the
great masters of English. Business has
its exacting demands, but they can best
be met by man who relieves the ten
sion upon his mind by occasional excur-
sions in standard and current literature.
If the young man of the period is to
converse to the edification and enter
tainment of young women he must fill
his mind with something besides base
ball, or stocks, or politics. These may
enter into conversation, but they must
not be it's staple. To restore the proper
conversational relations of the sexes,
the average young man must improve
his habits of thought and speech in
more ways than one.