St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-01-12
SMALL TALK AS AN ART.
1t Is Worth Studying, Too, b.
Those Who Move in Society,


Those Who Move in Society.
Kate Fields Washington.
Almost all social enterprises, at least
of the dignified sort, are in the ma
ture Of scientific experiments. The con-
ditlons are carefully arranged for the
production of a certain result-the
evolving of the highest form of human
intercourse. which is conversation.
AS every one must have observed,
this experiment is only too rarely at
tended with entire success. Still, peo-
pie go on giving and receiving invita-
tions, encouraged, not by the frequency
of happy result, but by the satlsfac-
ton it gives in the rare cases in which
it is attained. Society willingly endnres
the tedium and bears the expense of a
hundred failures, we'll content if, on the
hundred-and-first effort, success is
achieved 1t is depressing state of
affairs, but not altogether hopeless,
since, though it may be impossible to
increase the proportion of successes,
there is much which can be done in the
direction of making the failures less
agoniZing.
Conversation which has been ''got up
beforehand" is the object of contempt
only partly deserved. We justly despise
the labored impromptus of the man who
shines only when he can lead converse
ton around TO the small brilliancieS
which he has prepared with so much
care; but there is another sort of ready
made talk which is useful, and by no
means to be condemned. lrefer to that
cleverly made artificial product which a
few prudent souls carry about with
4l,r1 e., tnT M nn no
conversation is perSiStently coy. 1t is
not made to shine with, but it helps to
pick ones way about in the depressing
intellectual gloom, and enables the mas
ter of it to avoid the fathonileSs pitfalls
of awkward silence.
The accomplishment Of unobtruSive
but interesting small talk should GER
tainly, in view of it's usefulness, be
more general than it is. The lack of it
is the cause not only of Unreasonable
dullness, but sometimes of lasting en-
mites. Miss A., noted beauty. is in
troduced to Mr.. b., youth with taste
for sport. Mr.. b has never yet been
able to say anything indoors: but, as he
warmly admires Miss A., he is in the
hope of originating something passable
under the stimulus of her presence.
This is what actually takes place:
Good evening, Miss A.
"Good evening, Mr.. b."
A long silence follows, in which Mr..
b. looks fiXedly at the shoulders of Miss
A., whose arms are incaSed in long
Suede gloves. Miss A. thinks the Occu-
patton not intellectual, but forgives it
in consideration of the homage Implied.
Miss Az
'Well?"
"What capital gun-cases those gloves
of yours would make"
Mr.. B. sees at once that his remark
has been ill-advsed, and is covered with
confusion. Miss A., unable to see that
his speech is very characteristic com
pliment to the effectiveness of her cos
tune. asks to be taken to mamma; and
so ends an acquaintance which would
have been very satisfactory had there
been a little ready-made conversation
as a working capital upon which to
begin.
The philosophy which governs the
happy use of small talk is not difficult
to get at. Why has the weather always
been favorite subject of conversation.
In the first place. it belongs to every
body alike, so the interest III it is sure
to be universal. 1t is fresh every hour,
nay, every minute. SO it is sure to be
timely. Then it has a wonderful adapt
ability to every mood. You can rave
over it from mountaln-top when it is
fine and not offend the most exalted,
and | have noticed that one can swear
at it when it is bad without offending
the most fastidious. One person prob
ably knows just as much about it as
another, so the conversational autocrat
is shut off from his fay0rite sin: and,
Iact ard host nobody is TeSDOnSiDle for
it, so it is perfectly safe topic to intro
duce into any company.
lam not advising more universal talk
about the Wehther, but simply using it
as an illustration of the qualities desir-
able in subject for general converse
ton, The good talker avoids the topic
which few understand, even though it
is best suited to display his cleverness.
He steers between the Scylla of what is
too recent to have become generally
known and the CharybdIS of what has
been too thoroughly discussed to
afford anything but WEAKNESS.
This latter danger, by the way,
is always far less than the other.
He shuns like the pestilence every
question which develops personal opin-
ion to the point of unreasonableness,
unless he has thorough faith in the
temper of every person in the company.
He cultiyateS his talent on the line of
the general, the well-knOwn, and the i'll
disputable, and, if this is at times unin-
teresting to himself. he receives for his
unselfishness the exceedingly great re-
ward of the universal popularity which
is reserved for the successful apostle OF
the commonplace.