The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-11-07


For all that is said about the wiles
Df the fatterer and in warning of his
honeyed sweetness" the fact remains
That the gentle art of jollying is one
5f the most delightful gifts of the
gods. But the artist iollier must have
his heart in his work. He must do
the thing Tor the love of il. If he be
Rctuated by mean motives of personal
gain his attempt is bound to be
graceless, unsatisfactory thing. 1t may
gain his point, for there are people
men and women, dogs and children are
W1ser-who will swallow any dose OF
nauseating sweetness no matter how
Ill Its coating conceals the bitter dill
IF It's authors low designs Some de-
clare indeed that it doesn't pay to Gull
tiyate the art Of graceful and engag-
ing compliment. since the first coarse
natterer who comes along VIII succeed
IS Wen with mans frailty and vanity
But the true artist in this line, as in
others. has no concern for success or
gear OF failure. He does his work for
the JOY of doing it and usually there
are some discerning ones who appre-
ciate him, as he deserves, although the
vulgar gulp down his choicest efforts
with greedy disregard of their fine
points and open their hungry jaws for
moro.
The moral is not however. to seek
out only those as objects of your jolly
Ding who have taste and wit to appre-
'Oiate it. For the minute the 1ollier be-
advantage his gift deserts him and the
life has gone out of his work Beside
the artists inspiration he may have
one other motive, but it is a generous
one; the wish to please, not on his own
account or in order to further his own
ambitions, not for business gain or
social advantage, but just for the joy
OF pleasing: To put people in a good
concelt with themselves. especially
those Of a meticulous and self-depre-
clating tendency, to save the blunderer
from humiliation and to ease the
wounds of self-love for the failure
worthy motives
And yet although it has been said
that a good jolly availeth much YOU
will always find the artist iollier in the
matter of material advantage behind
the discriminating fiatterer who jollies
with a purpose. Your jollies must be
used on the prosperous and influential
If you are thinking of personal gain
not distributed merely where they will
do the most good to others If you
waste your talent on those who have
nothing to give in return you may be
the richer in your art but you are no
nearer to worldly success. The jollier
whose motto is art for arts sake may
be poor in purse and attire but he who
believes in the jolly for revenue only
VIII go clad in purple and fine linen
paid for by someone else However
these trivial inequalities count for little
TO the true artist who goes blitheIy on
his way with such Joy in his work that
you can only strike him through the
ingrattude of his friends. This han
pens TO him not infrequently for to be
disappointed in them is the penalty of
having friends and he has many Some
times their apoStaSy enbitters him and
leaves him temporarily in the throes of
pessmism and misanthropy. But the
thing is in his blood. He can't helm IL
anq he VIII shortly be back at his old
trifks winning by his insinuating artg
the friends who will later stab him.
The spontaneous iollier is too good
natured. too full of the milk of human
Hndness to make great practical sue
cess IN life. He will think too little of
his own advantage and too much of the
iIeehngs of others. The prornDtings of
kindness and sympathy NAV lead him
10 occasional insincerities but deceit and
treaehery are not for him although the
whole world were to be gained thereby
Your deliberate -jollier can smile and
smile and yet be villain, can betray
where he has f1attered and kiss where
he means to kill, but the spontaneous
Jolly IS not an evidence of falseness
or deceit. but only a manifestation of
YARN heart and a sympathetic soul.
1here is much in the manner of the
jolly for the student of this pIeasin~
art Some make their greatest sue
cesses in this line by utter frankness of
method Their manner is an open con-
Aesslon OF bare-faced f1attery without
attempt to deceive Cr TO take advanfaea
OF your creduity 80 YOU accent their
offerings in the saTna spirit and enjoy
them as much as if they were perfectly
sincere This is the common form of
jolly used in The social exchange. All
take and return JoGies with prodigaI
liberality and NOBODY questions The sin
certify of anyone else. Why should
they when nobody pretends to be serious
and it is all in the game. Practically
all of what is called ''society small
talk between men ard women is lust
an exchange of iolIies. If the converse
ton seems to be moving along readily
with no awkward pauses and the par
Elephants are regarding one another
with rapt attention and semi -ironicaI
smiles it is dollars to doughnuts that
he is telling her that although Re
caught a glimpse of her at the last
dance through the mob of men that
surrounded her he couldn't have gotten
within a mile Of ner without more foot
ball practice than ne has had since he
left college and that she is assuring
him that her entire evening was spoil
ed in consequence ard that if < sver
happens again she will quit the world
and take the veil. All Of which serves
to keep the colgsrsa i0ral ball rolling
and although it is altogether unlikely
that either is sincere there is Just a
chance that one or the other may be.
That is the great advantage of a jolly