The evening times., 1898-06-16
THEY POSE AS aKNow-A1Ls."
W~naen Who Try to Impress Folks
WAth Their Universal Knowledge.

Women Who Try to Impress Folks
With Their Universal Knowledge.
1t is one or the curious fads of our day
that almost everyone yot meet poses as
possessing universal knowledge. No sub
ject is sacred any longer to the special
ist. We all affect to know everything
under the sun. and to have skimmsd tn.
cream OF every topic. There seems to
be kind Of false shame that keeps us
from admitting our ignorance, and that
makes us attitudinize in the ridiculous
role of a bogus savant.
Nothing could be more absurd than
such a pretense. The province of art. OF
music of literature. of the drama, are SO
wide that the wiscst might well despair.
In the short space of a mere lifetime. of
learning even the rudiments of one. yet
every day we meet women who calmly
affect a profound knowledge of them all.
They talk glfbly Of how they adore clas-
steal music. and rave over Paderewskf.
yet go to concerts, and applaud In the
wrong places. They discourse about
values and feeling in pictures yet don't
know an etching from a photogravure
when they see one. They rave over Old
Chelsea and Royal Worcester. yet the
American china is by the price tag. They
have always read the eFlast new book. and
seen the last Interesting thing in the
magazine-"that dear what-you-may-
call-it. by that adorable Thingumbobby.
don't you know?" Their path in life IS
paved by such mistakes. yet they. go
serenely on. utterly unaware that they
have only made their ignorance laugh
able by their transparent pretensions.
NJ I'm iaIC 10 In,
every way commendable. but inasmuch as
nobody can know it all. II Is hard to see
why We should have so much hesitation
in saying simply. II don't know con-
cerning matters with which We are unac-
quainted. The ignorance of the stupid Is
tiresome. but the ignorance of the intelii-
gent Is the most delightful stimulus to
conversation. What so enhancing as to be
able to describe some bit Of scenery. some
historical spot. to an interested listener.
who has never seen 1t, but whose quick
fancy paints the picture as you talk?
What so charming as to be able to tell
some reading person OF the delights of
new book they are sure to like. but have
somehow missed in the rush of new pub
lications from the press? Their II don't
know is open sesame to the enchanted
cave of talk. frim which you may bring
out all the treasures of your knowledge.
With women this attitude of pretend
ing to know 1t all is peculiarly foolish.
1t has been remarked before now that the
girl with the artless and inquiring air.
who was a good listener and had few
opinions. could marry seven times to the
clever girls once. She never sweils the
ranks Of the girl bachelors. A good wife
has also heen described as a woman who
never remind her husband that she had
heard his jokes before. and who could
maintain an interested expression while
she listened to his twice-told tales. II
Is human nature. We all like to be the
one who has the pleasure of enlighten-
ing others. 1t is subtly fiattering to our
self-love; but. alas. in these DAYS how
seldom do we get the chance. We all
pretend to have seen and heard II all.
and there Is no longer anybody left who
will listen. Desirable as knowledge un-
doubtedly 1t. 1t is none the less true that
there are times and seasons when igno-
rance is still bliss. and among our most
delightful acquaintances are those who do
not know everything. = Philadelphia
Times.