The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-05
SOCIAL HYP0CRISIES.
WORDS GIVEN TO CONCEAL THOUGHT
OR WANT OF THOUGHT.

Silver Certificates of Speech-The Palace
of Truth Very Disasreeable Resi-
dence-Anecdote of Mrs. Leslie's Child
hood-KiIIed by Fright.
Copyright by American Press AssociatioD.l
The world is less sincere than it used
to be, and the change is more obvious in
our own country than in those across the
sea, because we are so much younger, not
to say cruder, and have just begun
to understand Talleyrand's famous say
ing that words were given to conceal
thought Perhaps one might add by
way of rider to this epigran that they
are also useful TO conceal the want Of
thought, that they are glittering tinsel
tokens that look Ike money but repre-
sent no values, that they are air plants,
merely living on the breath of man or Of
the winds, and having no root, no depth
Of soil, springing from nothing and
meaning nothing.
! have always said for my own part
that this is a perfectly good system to
live by, if only the matter Is fully under
stood by all concerned. so that nobody is
deceived. 1t would be very inconven-
lent if we had to load ourselves when
ever we went shopping with silver and
gold enough to pay for our purchases.
| In fact when recently paternal gov
eminent tried to force US into using
! silver dollars because there was a pie
/ thora of them in the treasury a ten
! dency toward "kicking" developed so
| alarmingly even in the gentlest class Of
1 citizens that papa hastily said, "Well,
/ take these paper certificates to carry out
shopping, and I'll agree to call them
silver dollars" Fancy going to buy
! house, or a horse, or q parure of dia-
mOnds, or bonnet, and having to en-
! ploy porter to carry around the price
of it in silver dollars! If it was any
sort of bonnet he couldn't do it.
No, we use the slips of paper worth
perhaps a quarter of a cent, and we all
agree to pretend that it is dollar, and
so it is; or we give a check upon our
bank for hundreds or thousands of dol
lars, and the merchant takes it with
bows and smiles of gratitude because
we have agreed that the check of a sol
vent person shall pass for money. How
does that man know but l have over
drawn my account, or in coming to his
establishment have stopped and taken
mp the whole sum lying in that bank?
He doesn't know. he can't know; he has
to take the check on trust, and 50 demon
strates a genial truth often denied,
namely, that confidence between man
and man" is still a living basis of social
life.
Now, have a theory that there is no
breach of the obligation to truth and
honesty in using silver certificates and
bank checks, 50 to speak, in other ways
than those Of commercial life. We meet
hundreds Of people in the course of the
week to each of whom we wish and feel
it right to say something acceptable and
pleasant. We do not love them all; per-
haps we do not even like them all, al
though having nothing to say against
them. To the great majority Of them
we are probably perfectly indifferent,
but shall we tell them so? Shall we
even show 1t in our manner? In the IA
Nine. de Genlis, we should go about
saying, "You are stupid" '.you are
coarse, "you are uneducated, =" "you are
silly" lyon are affected" 81 suspect
you Of lnavery," Il have heard bad sto-
ries about you and fancy they may be
true" etc. Or, on the other hand, we
might say, How l love you," chow
wish you were my wife and not that
mans, show l wish you would love me
instead of loving her"
OF course the people we meet would
be as frank in giving us their opinion
of ourselves, and l for one have not the
least desire to DO told any disagreeable
truths of that sort. If people approach
me politely and pleasantly am quite
willing to accept them in the same spirit
and to receive their silver certificates,
even though knowing perfectly well that
they are worth nothing in themselves
and 90 not even represent "A dollars
worth of gold. l receive them as l do
the tradesman's silver certificate. know
ing that in itself it is worth nothing,
and having no intention of applying at
the treasury or at the mans conscience
TO find exactly how much precious metal
Is really represented.
/ remember an occasion somewhat
amusing and yet somewhat painful
when, although a very little girl, l much
regretted the candor and sincerity of
lady who prided herself on those viz
tues. l was passing some days with a
friend who lived very quietly in a little
southern place, and the sincere lady was
a relation of hers who had come for the
day. We sat down at dinner, which
began with soup.
Not any for me. Soup always makes
me i'll, >" remarked Aunt Honesta, push
ing away the plate instead Of allowing il
10 be placed before her. Our hostess
blushed little. but said nothing. and
as soon as possible the soUpwas removed
and a nice looking roast of mutton
placed upon the table. The best slice
was carved and sent to Aunt Honesta,
who emphalcally exclaimed:
Mutton: Why. thought that every
one who knew me knew that l detest
mutton. 1t is family antipathy, and l
am surprised that You should not be
aware Of it, my dear"
"Oh, am SO sorry. What can do.
aunt; you viii have no dinner" cried the
hostess in genuine distress, for in the
southern wilds where she lived no mar
ket was within reach. and none Of those
haSty improvisations familiar TO city
housekeepers was possible.
4 can eat vegetables replied aunt
sourly.