The San Francisco call., 1906-07-03
PEOPLE And Things.
By Louise Weller.

L. ~.
4 little town. of Yvetot, IN NornfanSys ~
| went round enjoying poor healen-i 80
hugged the deIusion that she -
dying woman. She declared +s.t.
healthy lively lizard was housed WlIH.
in her stomach and having a royal good
time.
Madame Lemaftre entertained ner
neiEhbors with tales of her .NAryu ms
symptoms and consulted many Physl-
clans. The good doctors all lausheu a.
her and said 1.-THE lizard is not In. your
stomach. madam. but in your. i1inI iI1s.
Finally Madame Eemaitre wen 20. FaEfS
TO consult the great specialist 1T
Richeiot Of the Cochin Hospital Dr'
Richelot is more than great speci9l- :
ist He is a great wit. Madame, NO
/ solemnly said to the woman WIN
lizard in her stomach. after thorousn
examination: 1 am satisfied that IN an
operation lies the only possible nope
for you. There are no two ways about
it, that lizard must be removed. Whio
it is very difffcult operation, II IS NOT
a dangerous one. and l. can sa1efy
promise you complete restoration TO
health" ,..
Madame Lemaitre. consented. DR..
RfchoIet went out and bought the fat
| test. healthiest. biggest lizard to; be
found in all Paris. The peasant woman
was placed under the influence OF ether
With his little scalpel the witty doctor
made a six-inch slr through the skin
of Madame Lenaitre'sleft side, which
he Immediately sewed up and covered
with antiseptic plaster. The lizard
was placed in wire cage and put on =
/ table alongside the patients bed II
was the first thing her eyes lighted
upon as she regained consciousness
Mon Dieu"' she cried, what an
enormous one, Al last / am cured
/ Madame LemaitFe is restored to health,
/ just as DIR. Rfchelot said she would be-
And now, instead of entertaining her-
SELF and boring her neighbors with
recital of her ailments. she amuses
both herself and them with the antics
of the lizard that was once inside her
and which is now her pet. @
/ So much for the story Of Madame Le-
maitre. Would 1T not be a splendid
thing, though, If every woman with a
lizard in her stomach could find a Dr.
RichelOt to consult?
! I am not going TO draw a parallel
between the Imaginary sick women and
the Normandy peasant They do not
need an operation to restore them to
health. A plentiful supply of their Ia
vorlte prescriptiOn-usualIys some harm
less patent stun-keeps them sufi-
ciently occupied and amply amused. The
deluded women 1 am thinking Of are
Y
particular talent with which. like the
foolish Normandy peasant they want
10 entertain the whole world. They
enjoy the hardShips and the privatiOns
that cultivating a particular talent
always entails, just as Madame Le-
maitre enjoyed her poor health. Only,
unfortunately, few of them meet a Dr.
Rchelot whose wit would show him, the
way TO restore the deIuded ones to
health again.
There are thousands upon thousands
OF women who imagine they can sing,
that they can act, that they can paint,
that they can write. They mistake
their appreciation. their love fox. good
singing and good music. for great act
Ing. great painting. and great Iitera-
ture. for power to create the same
They want to be what they admire
most Their great love for the arts
blinds them to their own shortcon-
ings. The leaping of their pulses that
the great performances of others pro-
} duce, they imagine is the stirring OF.
their own talent. They cannot sepa-
rate self from their taste. Their ad-
miration for the great and the beautf-
fui exeites them so that they lose all
power TO measure themselves.
The only hope. for such enthusiasts
is the calm. cold judgment OF Others. +.
The only remedy is the trained knowl-
edge that will speak and truthfuIly
SAASf"
comings.
The saddest thing for the imaginary
talented is that they invariably appeal
TO their friends for an opinion Few
friends psssess the. necessary courage
TO speak the truth in such a case
Then again. there are few friends who
are competent to give an opinion that
Is worthy OF consideration And so the
deluded talented toll on and on and on
encountering hardships, enduring pri-
vations and Cutting up the market.
It is the woman striving for artistic
honors that can. never be hers that
makes the way so hard for the. ones
who Will ultimately arrive TO fame II
is because managers and publishers
and artists must wade through so much
that is even worse than Indifferent he
fore good thing is reached that they
are 10th TO examine the work of a new
conner Thus il is that the admirers OF
genius block the way of genius and
hinder most those that they would
serve the most.
Next best to being a genius Is TO dis
cover a genius. There would seem to
me to be panacea for the deluded
talented, great field for the one who
appreciates what he cannot do Let
friends who are appealed to bv the
imaginary talented show them this.
field That would be a pleasant wav
to tell them truth which. though in
hfeting present pain. will save them
from years of misery.
There is nothing more cruel than
this leading of people on to imagine
they have great talent. In fact 'tIs
more than cruel 1t is criminal. II ia
raising great hopes to blast them after
ward. 1t is drawing pictures of a
radiant future that can never be real
lied 1t is the most heartless Joke thai
one human being can. perpetrate upon
another.
Be kindl Don't foster the Illusion
of lizard in the stomach.