The Irish standard., 1903-03-14
PLAIN SPEAKING.
The Danger of 1t Pointed Out by
+. p. Q,Connor.

have always thought to be much over
rated. Candor, transparency of mind
simplicity-these are the virtues whicl
distinguish all really fine characters
But plain speaking is often term ap
piled not to those virtues but to vic
of a different character. When you
friends come to you with report OF
the evil things said of you: when they
take the trouble to bring to your motto.
the malignant article in which an enc
my has illuminated you; when the,
point out to you your failngs and youl
faults-I always think there is GER
tain degree of envy underneath the
pretense of friendship; that there is a
certain delight in giving pain and in
watching the ill suppressed pang which
it creates, says L. T.. O'Connor in the
Chicago Tribune.
There is one rule which L have laid
down for myself and which L have
rarely, l hope, violated; and that is,
never to repeat to anybody the evil
things l have heard said Of Them 1t
does no possible good; it can do no
good. Unless in the extreme case OF
seeing your friend giving his conf
dence to some one who is unworthy of
it, who is abusing it, and who may in
that way be injuring one you desire
to protect-except in that extreme case,
you have no justification for telling
man the evil others are speaking of
him. And the talebparer-wl,o has
always been instinctively hated-de-
serves distrust, because often it is so
easy to put Il false construction on
what men say Of each other. We all
now and then speak lightly Thought
lessly, with the object of creating a
laugh; but the light word, the little
laugh which when heard is only good
natured chaff, the thoughtlcss thing
which everybody who hears knows to
be only thoughtless-all these words,
when repeated in cold blood, without
their context OF their surroundings,
assume different aspect, and from
trifies light as air may he regarded as
serious accusation, as malignant and
persistent ill will, as something having
deep roots of hatred instead of the
mere lightncss of the passing within.
And thus 1t is that the tale,e,rrr often
makes enemies Of men who really care
for each other; that miSunderstand-
1ngs start up and then grow; and that
a cancer of diStOrd-wllicl in politics,
for instance, involves the fortunes of
milliOns-is started and RACES and de-
stroys.
l have heard this habit of repeating
disagrccable things we'll summed up
by a clever man in these words: "When
any person repeats to me Il disagree
able thing, l know that l have two
enemies instead of ono; the enemy that
has spoken and the enemy that has
repeated"
AAClS 10 OllC l'lblcSSIDli, iIlONc ill
others, which is confronted with the
question whether is is right to tell a
disagreeable thing. more than any
other; that is the medical profession.
There is scarcely II day in his life that
the medical man who has Il large pl'ac-
tlce is not brought face to face with
the question whether or not he shall
tell a patient his real thoughts as To
his condition. ] have myself strong
and clear conviction as to what the
answer of the medical man should be
to such question. If it be certain
that the future of many young and III
nocent people, or an old AMI helpless
woman, be dependent on the dispOSi-
ton Of mans property. ii is clearly
the duty of the physician to give such
timely warning as will remind the pa
tient Of his duties. But even in that
case tho doctor should be clear as to
the necessity; and should also convey
his warning in terms so delicate and
carefully chosen as to leave the pa
tient without certainty of the worst.
In case the dying man has made full
disposition of his property. see no
reason whatever, why this medical
man should give the least hint that he
was dying; better let the poor creature
approach the darkness and the abyss
cheered by hope. untorturcd by fears.
On conversing with continental med
lcal men 1 find that their ideas on this
question are quite at variance with
those of medical men in our own cOur-
try. I cannot illustrate better our no.
lions than by repeating an anccdote
told Of Sir James Paget Sir James
used sparing words in talking with
his patients.
"Once," writes one of his children,
The was challenged to sort of con-
test In brevity, and accepted the chal-
lenge; his adversary was a Yorkshire
man, who came into the consulting
room and merely thrust out his ip,say-
ing: What's thaty That's cancer he
answered. And what's to lie done
with it?'. Cut it out Whats your
fee? two guineas' You must
make a deal of money at that rate
And there the consultation ended"
If 1 did not know that Sir James
FACET was one of the sweetest, gen-