The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-05-05
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
= HER POINT OF VIEW ::
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

HURlOSlT1, says one charitable
person, ''is only exaggerated
sympathy" which is a generous
way of looking at trait. often most
troublesome in it's effects. When we
are in the presence of an acquaintance
who is bent on turning our very sous
inside out. we are not prone to deal SO
gently with the subject of our annoy
ance, and 1t is seldom that we give
our inquisitor credit for any virtues In
the way of sympathetic interest We
often disclaim the possession of curl
osity in any form, and perhaps we are
sincere enough in so doing. We insist
that we are totally uninterested in the
way our friend keeps her linen closet,
or the method she observes in teach
Ing her children to say their evening
prayers. Sometimes, after a visit with
her. we confide to our family that we
are not at all curious as to the exact
quantity of food she consumes for
breakfast, or the way she manages TO
get her son Johnny to take his medi-
cine, and that we should be willing to
accept on faith the probability that
she is extremely devoted TO her hus-
band, without so many details from
her on the subject.
And yet--and yet-if from a third
person we should hear that the same
friend neglected to set before her hus-
band palatable breakfast, or that she
danced all night and left little Johnny
to the mercies of an incompetent nurse
when he had the measles, or that she
threw plates at her lord and master in
the meantime, when she wasn't ex-
pressing her devotion otherwise, We
| he. l.
gree of interest, and even curiosity, re-
| garding the domestic affairs of our
friend. 1t all depends on the point of
view.
We are not curious. Oh. no. Yet we
have been known to call the telephone
girl in the middle of the night in order
to find out that a fire is consuming a
wood-shed in the Notch. We are not
| curious. but If we suspect that the
| head of the house is concealing some-
| thing from our ears. some secret he
has heard, We are apt to make a de-
cided stir in the family until the mat
ter is divulged. We are not curious
| about other peoples affairs, but we
idly wonder" why our neighbor across
the street has some other doctor than
the one she always employed before
and we guess" that Miss So and SO
must be friendly again with Mrs y
for they went to the concert together
Oh, we may not be curious enough
to pry into other peoples affairs to
the extent of making nuisances of our
selves, and we may refrain from stay
ing up nights to see how late Mrs. AS
husband comes home, and we may not
set up an amateur detective system
in order to find out just how much
Mrs II paid for the new lace curtains
in her library. but IL it is agitated in
the right direction we probably all
possess as much exaggerated sympa-
thy" as is good for either our friends
or ourselves.
Curiosity is often excited regarding
people for whom we have the utmost
indifference of feeling, or who are en-
tirely unknown TO us. The other day
two men were holding very interest
ed conversation in the street car Their
words became louder and louder aud
one was heard to exclaim with appar-
ent satisfaction, 'Our'n was born the
same day as his'n." Then he contin-
ued, Fell and broke his leg, blamed
If he didn't, in three months" The
other man was grinning in sympathy
and you wouldn't have supposed that
the car full of people We're listening
to the remarks, but when he proceed
ed with an uproarious laugh of min
gled pride and affection, Yes stree,
fell out of bed the day he was three
months old and broke his leg. Blamed
If he didn't. the burned little scamp,
but he's getting along all right--there
was a broadly sympathetic smile on
the faces of all the passengers, and
1T was evident that they had been
listening intently and up to that mo-
ment had believed the speaker to be