Evening star., 1897-02-06
THE CANDID CRITIC.
A Little Tale With a Moral.

From Black and White
You are all dear, good creatures, the
whole five Of you." said the sultan. NO
body that 1 ever heard Of is more blessed
In his domestic affairs. You tolerate my
little whims and fancies. What is still
more to your credit. you never quarrel
among yourselves. In fact. there never
was happier harem. I'm a lucky cock,
and yet Here he sighed, and his hens
clucked inquiringly.
Let us know the cause Of your trouble,
my love- said the big black lady She was
his last wife, and possessed exceptional
power over him. but always exercised it
We'll, 1 am if anything. too happy. NV
lie Is monotonous-even demoralizng
Too much admiration must be a dangerous
thing to one of my sanguine temperament.
faults.'
You have none," said the Cochin China.
She was the oldest of his wives, and made
up in craft what she lacked in charm.
NO, he answered, Il am mortal. /
make mistakes and err, like other people,"
1t Is your extreme modesty which leads
you to imagine so,' answered the Cochin
ten thousand"
The others agreed with her, and said she
had done no more than state facts. Still
the sultan felt unsettled He may be de-
sSiiucu DfleLy dS an exceptional blrd. He
had good qualities. and he knew it; but he
lacked honest criticism. This is sort of
commodity which cocks and hens and
many others are always clamoring for till
they get 1t. Then the criticised has a new
grievance and the critic a new enemy.
The sultan's difficulty was presently
solved In highly pleasant manner and he
received Christmas present in the shape
OF new wife. She came In a hamper and
the harem. forgetting the season of the
year, the claims Of hospitality and the
common politeness due to a fellow hen
who had Travelled far and was cold and
weary, abstained from all show of cor
diality on the occasion of her arrival. Pos
sessing, as IT seemed, nor style. nor intellect
nor any fascination of manner the new
Wl1e prospects appeared slightly dismal.
self demurely to drink of water, took a
little Indian corn and brushed herself up
generally before the sultan came round the
corner. Needless to say, his natural gal
lantry by no means forsook him. He ex-
tended the claw of friendship; he welcomed
his new wife with sultanic dignity The
new wife showed proper gratitude for a
reception beyond her merits. She listened
10 the sultan, and, in unlucky moment
for her, acceded to his first request 1t was
that she should never hesitate to candidly
criticise him.
impartial testimony to character is so
refreshing and SO rare" said the sultan.
Il will always tell you if think you are
wrong declared the new wife, doubtless
somewhat above herself at the warmth of
her reception.
markable spectacle Of cock criticised by
his wife. She held the critical faculty alb
normally developed, and appetite grew by
what it fed on. At first he liked it-at
judgment He said: You are right!''
Happily Observed" Justly noted.' And
SO forth. He even modified his method of
NE IN certain small particulars out of re-
conscious Of her power, and wholly I'M
used to exercise it until now, the new wife
began to tread on dangerous ground Crit
iclsm became habit 1t developed into
mere nasging. 1t often does The sultan
felt that his new wife was getting on his
nerves. He passed through variety of
novel, not wholly pleasing experiences: the
f1ve turned from him with cold glances and
indifference They told him rather offen-
sively to keep to his dear, candid friend
and comforter, and let them go on their
simple, uncritical way. The sultan stified
the volcano of indignation which had now
been bubbling in his heart for the space of
three weeks. and merely said with simu-
lated Indifference that no wise cock ever
yet objected to disinterested and honest
criticism. But the student of gallinaceous
nature will perceive that a condition of
affairs SO exasperating could by no means
continue
There came. in fact, a day when the sui
tan was provoked into retort, and the eyes
OF the unhappy new Vile were opened to
her error. The sultan said thing or two
which he would have been the first to re-
gret in a cooler moment, and when the new
wife retcrted with an obvious but bitter
repartee he pecked her head and lost his
temper and threw over his better nature,
and gave himself willingly into the hand of
the evil one. So the new wife died, and the
five walked her handsomely, and the farmer
thought that 1t was his dog that had slain
her, being ignorant of the circumstances.
AS for the sultan. he was down in the beak
about it, and said hard things against
himself for some days, and seemed off his
food. But the five got around him, and
everybody knows what a tactful hen can
do If she only gives her mind to it. OF
course, he believed it all; and he was prob
ably right to do SO, for praise is like
tonic to some simple natures, whereas the
truth merely crushes life and hope out of
them.