The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-04-22
On The Use II Our ConeMes.
BY PRUDENCE vNTmcREEN.

there such thing as conversation?
H According TO a newspaper article
III read the other day fbut then you
III can find anything IN the newspsp-
III ersD conversation Is a dead let
ter In American society. II was
French diplomat who brought the
x.Snfion. He said that American women
E5usre in a lot OF formless chatter t:iat
"a 10 point no meaning, no depth, no
E1nsy. II Is not that 1t Is Hight, for social
-verniion in France Is light as foam.
~ ~ iightness Is meaningless. American
rrrn, according 10 this critic on mediocre
<rvxfsatfcnalists because they do not put
k1rrseives into their conversation. whern-
y IA French woman invests her talk
sb her personality, her magnetism. until
ndisies charm
-. "slinging criticism" at something
11<6e ourselves is the easiest game on
-. whether you select a nation or an
Elisldual as a target. and the French
Eiensat may well be unqualified TO Judge
Xshe conversation Of A nerican women fer
-, reason that he mas net sampled the
~ Of cur conversational brands. fafk
~ 4 foreigner. like talk in q foreign
Ernsfe Is likely to be somewhat general
R' Indefinite, not to say trite. One Gtes
"a taks for granted comprehension end
Z Kim Of view resembling ones own.
mi when I sat down TO think the mat
= ever could not remember that knew
~ than one woman who always throws
vdn1f into her talk and makes II the In
Sslebie rule Of her social life to give rec-
Il herself, and OF her very best
envy that woman. but I should not
1Sew how to he like her. She has more
s~. vital interests than the skin has
~. She Is never brought Into contact
- I new idea, a new person. now
~ that she does not instantly and un-
rsciously try to place herself into rela-
- with IT, She IL not beautiful; she -
f1tbeg young nor old: she has few accom-
Xshments, but she IL simultaneously and
Donnparaoiy the most fascinating human
IT With whom have ever been brought
~ contact. She draws people ~ the
nrpst draws Iron filings. because she II
61ywhsre and always herself.
IN can't help thinking how very dificult
kalal Intercourse would be II II were more
1sraiiy conducted on the principles
1ch serve my friend. We are all Of u
hking beings; most OF us are revolving
= cur own minds At different times ideas
klch would be of interest to other people
I0HY
u. II we have anything interesting In
minds keep II there, In an alright Sc
aston, and talk to our acquaintance
Aout topics at least AZ old and hackneyed
" ths weather. II there was anything else
~ and more universal than the weather
feupposc we should talk about that This
nminds mo that once knew a man (but.
~. he was young and self-confident. as
q young creatures are mt thu outset OF
~ social carecr) who declared that when
q IA talked to anybody about the wealth.
= ~ three minutes he could tell to a GER
Slsty whether he wanted to talk TO them
I3ouf anything else, and whether they
md have anything to say. I'm free to
nafess have no such infallible test as
q Q
ne woman OF whom I was speaking
nyer talks about the weather. She
1lrnnep straight into whatever subject 10
jIesrunost In her own mind. uniess she
~ some clew to the one that is uppermost
y ~ mind Of the person to whom she
~ b speaking. Sometimes she II think
~ about Paderewski, and sometimes
lIDut the perseverance, OF the saints. Or
4 nay b. fate, free-will, Decentralization
fsoluts: or II may be her winter clothes,