Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-12-21
Specialists IN SMALL TALK.
Are Not as Interesting as Those Who
Have General Information.

nave 1eneTdI lHloIutdNlOH
Specialists on any subject are seldom
as Interesting as those who know fewer
statistics and facts, but have a larger
range of knowledge and are not confined
to one branch of learning. A little infor-
more satisfactory than an exhaustive
fund OF knowledge on one only.
But how to acquire this small amount
OF l m si,,d on every supJect: y can
schools. One man said that nine-tenths
OF his knowledge he had picked up in con-
versation. But that would have been inn
possible If the other people hadn't known
something to talk about. How did they
get their information? BY applying
themselves assiduously to learning all
there is to know about casual matters or
by years of picking up here little, there
little, and storing these little scraps OF
knowledge until they can be used to point
some moral or illustrate some story?
girl just starting out into the world. ig-
norant of everything except school books
and scales on the piano, to hear the
floods of promiscuous information being
poured forth by her older companions on
all sides Where did they learn all these
things?" she wonders. Later when she
Is an Older companion of new lot OF
buds, she hears the floods of tales and an
ecdotes, and statistics, and adds her quo
ia to them, and wonders. not where did
we learn all these things?" but why
QOn we KNOW more.
1t is not well to despise any little thing
one may learn, however trivial it may
seem. The time will come when it will be
the one piece of information one may
the band played the Star Spangled Ban
ner," and everyone sang the chorus Then
the verse was started. There were 25c
passengers, over 100 of them being Ameri-
cans, and out of these one voice alone
was, raised. The. only person on the
whole ship who knew the words of the
Star .Spangled Banner was an Ameri-
chance that had made her learn to reclte
the words of our national anthem for
wager!
Many women and girls write papers on
subjects they don't know the first thing
about and try to instruct their fellows on
subjects of which they themselves are
woefully ignor&1t Some time ago one
girl was asked TO write paper on Bull
garia:, She asked a friend to help her.
and then sat chewing. her pencil vigor-
sso o alto, "Well?" We'll. what? What
or what?" asked the essayist with an en-
gaging smile.
But papers are very instructive to the
people who write them. even if they don't
was invited to prepare and read an ar
ticle on "Hypnotism." She knew moth
ing about it, but went about to the pub
lie libraries, to lectures. and to seances,
on the subject. But it didn't stop there there.
She had become thoroughly interested IN
the occult, and went on learning more I'M
til she now Is a specialist, and knows
everything there is to know about the
science. And what bore she is, too!
Women are too personal to have much
general information" They are inter-
ested In subjects which affect them or
their friends, but are too busy with triv-
ial daily duties and matters to go out of
their way to seek and acquire knowledge
on abstruse subjects. Their CONVERSE
x,a1 4
affect them personally. One woman at a
luncheon insisted upon talking about the
Dreyfus case because a French lawyer
was wa, al great sa1 friend OF hers and had told
subject as engrossing as the trials of the
gold hunters in Alaska, because her cous-
In had cast in his lot with the army
which had started for the Yukon. The
woman who knew about the Dreyfus case
had only the vaguest ideas about Alaska,
as a country OF severe climate, where
food was scarce and gold and privations
plenty, while her friend had heard in
deed, that Dreyfus was in an iron cage,
and had created great excitement in
France, but did Mrs. Brown know that it
was advisable to take only four flannel
shirts with you to the Klondike?
Men read the papers conscientiously,
and consider themselves authorities on
any. and every subject. They are as
dramatist as the candidate for governor
more ready, in fact, if their companion is
a woman. And they are very intolerant
If any feminine member of the family
shows lack of information on any sub
ject.
Susan, was ashamed of you this af-
ternoon," said usually genial man to his
daughter when Mrs. Jones was here
you sat like a block of wood, and never
opened your mouth, except once when
asked your opinion, and you said you
of dollars for on your education if you
are to be turned out an ignoramus at II.
Has all that money gone toward teach
ing you to play few pieces on the piano
You are without knowledge of any kind
on any subject! Why don't you learn
something SO that you can talk to peo-
pie when ,ney come here?
Il am willing to study anything you
say, father. What subject shall 1 takeH'
why don't you read few books and
learn something that way?" suggested
the mother.
Suppose we take the books right here
on the table. Here is a book on Mars,
book on American railway management
Fl Flsk tS Ameriean Revolution Women
BENJAMIN Franklin and two or three his
torical novels Out of any of these you
might get great de- deal q, Of information.
French Salons. Do you know anything
about them?''
Il looked the book over some time ago."
We'll, Susan, who was Madame Neck
"All | remember is that there was a
Mademoiselle Germaine .Necker.''
You are thinking of Madame Sevigne
and her daughter. | never heard of
there being two Neckers.''
well perhaps Germaine was Madame
Necker'S name. / only remember that
she had big eyes and didn't powder her
hair
Suppose we look her up in this book"
suggested SusanS mother.
Here she is, Madame Necker But her
name was Suzanne. Who was Germaine
Neeker? Here is a mention of. Germaine,
and great deal about Madame de StaeI
If we look up Madame de Stael we shall
probably find more about Madamoiselle
Germaine''
Suddenly Susans mother began to
laugh. She laughed and laughed and
finally managed to exclaim: -
well, we are in need of study! Madame
de Stael was Madame Necker's daughter
Germaine!'
And they both gave way to their un-
controllable merriment at their own ig-
norance. -
II shall certainly study that book care
fully, resolved Susan.
A day or two later she sought her faith
er with despair written large and PLAIN
over her features. She said: II learned
all about the women of the French sa-
Ions, from Madame de Rambouillet to
Madame --ecamier, and held long CONVEX
sations with myself about them and their
friends in default of anyone else to talk