The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-03-14

"Do ynu know" said the Bachelor Girl.
as she poked the fire ;llolghsfully. 4 sure
sign that she had something on her mind,
s'do you know there's a woman 1 am be-
ginning to detest heartily"
s.Indeed..' mildly observed the second
bachelor maid. who was darning a pair of
stockings. which, of course, is contrary
to all bachelor-maid traditions.
'sThe worst of it is that there are so
many women Who have the same traits as
the woman / am coming to detes-."
Indeed again remarked the placid lis
tener.
.sThe trouble is she and her class mis-
take rudeness for frankness and PERSONAL
flies for wit. You know the kim that
say unpleasant personal things to their
friends. is so unpardonably tactless
and rude that one cannot bring one's
self down to replying in kind. To do it
would precipitate a common quarrel
Either one does not reply to these dis
courteous remarks because dislikiag TO be
equally -discourteous or because one IS too
panied; then the tactless woman chuckles
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS one on you.'"
There is a great difference between
good natured raillery and ~rudeness," went
on the Bachelor Girl, poking the fire with
energy. IT don't mind people taking off
my peculiarities or telling me frankly
when make mistakes. I make fun of
others myself. But do object to the large
class of people who say insulting things
for the purpose of seeming smart by put
ting others at an embarrassing disadvan-
tage. Small minds think that to con-
denim is to prove themselves superior. I
call myself a laundering idiot when / see
that something / have said carelessly has
made the person to whom l am talking
blush painfully. To be sure, l can appre-
ciate a clever little stab, even when l am
the victim; but this broad, disagreeable
sarcasm, thai is as brutal as fighting with
clubs, makes me feel as If 1 had received
a slap in the face"
81 know the kind" broke in the girl
with the darning. ut is usually some
thing like this:-sWell, I declare, you are
getting old What have you been doing
to yourself to look so? You used to be
so young and charming. But that was
years ago. You will have wrinkles pretty
SOON That is the way this class of
women are sure to greet you when you
are tired and nervous and perfectly well
aware that you are at your worst. Every
woman ought to know by instinct that
this is the most cruel way to say a thing
like that, because you are sure to know it
is true, and to be most hurt by it."
You must know the very woman I
have in mind" exclaimed the girl at the
fire. THAT is the very way she talks to
me. Another of her charming pleasantries
on which she bases friendships runs like
this: You are a sight with that skirt The
dust is six inches thick. You m III be
simple to trail a skirt as long as that.
If there is anything worse han a girl
with ATTAINED skirt on the street, I'd like
to know it, You feel like saying that a
woman without tact is worse than a wo-
man with a ain gown, but If you did
say it she would be angry in a minute.
You either have to overlook her rudeness
or cut her completely, and it is hard to do
that after knowing her for years."
Then, too, she is always so eager to
trip you up on some misstatement of
facts" interposed the girl with the stock
ing. bravely facing an unusually large
hole. Glow irritating is the patronizing
tone with which she says: There, now,
you are not so smart as you thought you
were, are your The truth is that you do
not think yourself smart, and that you
would shrink most of all from seeming to
convey sue an impression On others, SO
that her sneer hurts, and you actually
hate her. Such women are highly respec-
table, religious and mediocre to a MAIDEN
ing degree. Probably she is educated in
the ordinary sense of the word; is fash
ionably dressed and never did an uncon-
ventional thing in her life; but / call her