The Penn's Grove record., 1892-11-18
ornER pEorLEs Bus1sEss


|Skiy our Du8I0t@1 IIpU V4utf Feoi ic 2
the division u III come degree an arb.
|trary one, and can BE- sltered and
modified At will; 10 excellent arrange
ment, no douht were il not that there
are usually more wills than one CON
corned in the matter, and that they
are all too apt to CLASH. For II some
Of us are too slow 10 claiming our right
OF interference in what really is, In 9
sense, our business, others are too for
Rard in interfering in other peoples
business without any right at all, and
both courses are equally to be depre.
Gated. II requires much tact good
feeling, and knowledge OF the world, d
know how to draw this dividing line
With any correctness; and q little Of
that yet rarer quality, common sens,
will aid us greatly in this difficult
achievement.
OF course there are cases in which
other peoples business can by no POS
sibilify he mistaken for our own: II has
clearly nothing on earth to do Nth MS,
and we dare not pretend that it has,
however much we may wish to do so.
To interfere in such circumstances
would be mere presumption ON orr
part, an ~inexcusable violation Of the
rights OF those .sother people TO whom
the business properly b longs.
Our neigAborss bnALess and q own
are often 30 closely connected that it is
extremely difffcnIt to decide with any
certainty where one ends and the other
begins; and when the temptation TO in
terfere in what hardly us il
strong We are very apt to strain a point
and trespass on other people's property.
ooh. but it really concerns ms, you
we are affected by 1t, SO OF
course ii is our business" That IL
what we say, and therein we find am
pie excuse and justification for the
most unwarrantable interference. We
forget what is due to others, we forget
what we owe 10 ourselves, we become
impertinent meddlers and busybodies,
who respect nothing, to whom nothing
is sacred. II u neighbor does any
thing, no matter what, we tell him at
,nce that he o1ght not to have done it;
or-if 1t were absolutely necessary to
TO it-that it should have been done
quite differently. The most trivial ac-
iion Of his lie is watched and com
mented upon; orr criticisms and ad.
are alike thrust upon lin, without
his inv tation, and, probably against
nis will. We force our way into the
.acred riyary uf his home. talk over.
domest g IRIS with brutal frankness,
and drag his family skeleton from the
safe s~ecIusion OF the cupboard into the
broad Ii ht of das.
Now to lay rude hands on the skele-
ton in u man's cupboard is certainly a
most unjustltial,le interference in
peoples business, and yet it is
one that many other wise excellent
persons have NO hesitation in venture
ing upon-always, of course, with the
very i est intentions. 1t Is surely q
strange thing nough, that tho.e who
seek to crafty their curiosity wit,
TO any little family mystery ef
this nature, shonld almost invariably
10 SO with these best intentions, and
some particularly high and ex-
allied motive. "We wish to sympathize
with orr friends In tteir troubles, AMI
how canswe do so unless we know what
those troubles really are; We wish to
1elp, Int how Gan we help to any pur-
pose while we know nothing Of the
circumstances Of the case9n Thus they
pxplain their conduct. Gould anything
be nicer or more appropriated To ssy
they are prying busybodies, iaterfer-
ing in what noways them and
to make other peoples business
OVID, sounds q most heartlese way
of describing their tacticss and yet,
= = r. 49, - ~