The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-02-17
:SiIiIiGiNiI\GiGiGiIiGiGE
8 HER POINT OF VIEW s:
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

WYE ALL DO HAVE the most In
" satiable appetite for sympathy.
We want 1t as little children
when we stub our toes or fail in rect
tation. We yearn for it as life grows
fuller and sweeter, and blest, indeed,
are we when 1t comes to us like a
dove of peace and nestles in our hearts
at our own hearthsides. Woful Is 1t
when we fail to recognize its soft
beauty and go abroad to seek 1t, some-
times amid the birds Of prey in a pitt
less world. We like appreciation, we
long for praise, we want others to re.
joice with us that do rejoice and to
weep with us when we weep-particu-
larry to weep. They are usually ready
to do 1t IL we tell enough of our heart
secrets to make the story interesting.
1t is odd this inherent desire we all
nave for sympathy with our wrongs.
| If we feel ourselves snubbed or sighted
we have a strong impulse to confide in
somebody and enlist interest in our
woes. If We weakly yield to that inn
pulse and rush out to get relief we
are nearly certain to regret it. OF
course, our friends listen to our tale
and express the most intense sympa-
thy and we go away feeling that our
injuries were greater even than we
supposed, but the next day we wish
we hadn't done 1t. We feel humilated
at the remembrance of all our conf
| dences and wonder after all if we
hadn't exaggerated our grievances.
We know just what they said after
we left. Poor thing! 1t was shabby
of Mrs. So and So. but really Annie
makes too much of ii" and then they
will laugh a little and each one will
remember to tell other friends, who
will also laugh little. and the result
is that half the town knows that we
have been snubbed or slighted or in
jured. OF course, it means a loss Of
dignity and, whether we know 1t or
not. a loss. slight though it may be.
in the opinion held by our friends of
our serene mental poise and self con-
troll. 1t would be such a good thing
if Immediately following a slight or
an injury to our self esteem, whether
fancied or otherwise. Il blizzard should
| come along to Focp us home or a vis-
tation Of sreechlessness snould affiict
us for few hours until the yearning
to confide our woes to somebody has
waned in me sunlight Of sweeter
! thoughts or of actual blessings.
! OF course, there is always the tele-
| phone. Some of us are so exposed in
/ our sensitiveness as to our feelings
that unless positively dumb we would
| rush to call up some friend and confide
to her, and to the miles of listening
ears that may hang along the line all
| the tragic story Of being sighted by
| Mrs. a. or ignored by Mrs. 3. This is
the time when the exchange girl could
/ be forgiven for not answering the sig
! nal.
For there are always sympathetic
friends. dear me. yes! If it were not
for the sympathetic friends there would
be falling off in the divorce lists, and
| vast number of neighborhood and
domestic Quairels would never be quar-
relied. If it were not for sympathetic
friends there would be many more life
| long sweet and beautiful friendships.
! more lovely church fellowship, more
sincere faith in the world.
Half the domestic difficulties which
| culminate in an open break is the re-
| suit of sympathetic friends and their
active or tacit encouragement. It is
feel a throb of sympathy for the friend
who comes to us and confesses the
| fancied or real distress, the coldness
| the deprivation or the unkindness she
, may be obliged to undergo at home
| Too often we may speak the unguard-
ed word which will enkintle the smold-
ering flame of discomfort and start a
| train of fire that will end in general
! coniagration involving the happiness
| of many innocent persons. Too often
we do not counsel moderation, forbear-
| ance and patience. 1t is so easy to say
| Poor dear! I just wouldn't endure T.
| another day. You're Ounce to be so
meek 1t is so natural to say to the
| friend who 1latters us with her con-
! fidence regarding a slight recently re-
ceived: You're perfectly right in re-
senting it. Don't you allow people to
tread on you. ETC., ETC." when if we
/ had held our peace the vague little
misunderstanding might have adjusted
| Itself and two people eminently fitted
to be comr ranionable and friendly would
not feel mutual bitterness for each 9TH
| er because of repeated remarks made
| by sympathetic" friends.
! terly disrupted because of such inter-
| ference. The husband was a hand
| some, popular man who had a big
bump of appropriateness and craved
| the kindly feeling md regard OF all
| whom he met. He would so far out of
his way to do a favor for an acquaint-
, ance, was genial and friendly. but
| above all loved his home ana delighted
in the comforts there afforded his wife
/ and little child. The best of his con-
sideration, his good humor, his sun
shiny temperament went into that
, home life. But perhaps the wife was
| not too appreciative of her blessing
in having a husband of clean morals
| exceptionally good habits, fine mental
, abilities and domestic tastes. He was
very fastidious man and perhans at
times allowed these traits to appear
, rather more prominent than they need,
he was jolly and cOmpanionable with
| his friends, and it may be that his
more reserved and silent mate felt
some times irritated thereby. How
! ever that might be- in an evil mo-