Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-04-05
DON'T BE A BUSYBODY.
Mind Your Own Business and
Other People Will Respect You
and Leave You Alone.
(BY BEATRICE FAIRFAx.

(BY BEATRICE FAIRFAX.)
In play by the late Henrik Ibsep
called 1.-The Wild Duck" there is a
character who thinks it his mission
in life to set things right for other
people.
lie interferes to such an extent
that he makes every one unhappy,
but he is quite satisfied that he is
doing it all for heir good, and moth
ing can persuade him to the contrary.
1t is absolutely impossible for him to
mind his own business.
His is not, regret to say, rare
character; the world is full Of busy
bodies who think it their mission to
open peoples eyes to the disagreeable
things in life.
/ Never give your opinion unless il
is asked for. People are usually
conscious enough of their shortcom-
ings without hearing of them from
friends whose opinions they have not
asked for. If you go through life
attending properly to your own affairs
you will have about all you can do.
When your advice is asked give it,,
but don't be disappointed if it is not
followed; people generally know
what course they intend to follow
and stick to it regardless of outside
advice
Don't rriticise other peoples work
and if yours is better don't provoke
comparison by displaying it.
Never forget that while your friend
may be very much to blame in one
quarter, you may be equally SO in
another. We all have our faiIings,
and every one of us is open to criti-
cism in some form or other.
There is no sense in saying, "If |
were In Johns place, l would do
very differently from the way he
does" You can't tell at all what
you would do in Johns place, for
you don't know his temptations, and
if you had them you might do far
worse than he. It's so very easy to
put ourselves in another's place,
meta phorically. But if it came down
to the actual fact ] fancy we would
lind itpretty hard to be as irreproach
able as We imagine We would be.
In regard to minding ones own
business the only thing to do is to say
to yourself, chow would like this
person to come to me, telling me
that l was all wrong, that 1 should
do so and so aud leave other things
undone. Would | resent it or not ?"
The chances are you would resent il
very much, and so does the other
person.
Most interfering people work them
selves into fervor of doing their
duty, but it is not duty. 1t is plain
interference, and sooner Or later some
ontspoken victim will tell them so.
When you find yourself on delicate
ground, talking on some unwelcome
topic, get off as quickly as possible;
1T is always easy to tell when people
do not want to discuss subject. But
there are some people who will per.
sist in keeping up conversation
even when they know they are put
ting their foot in it.
Mind your own business and YOU
will find that people will respect you
and leave you alone. A man busy.
body is even more contemplate than
woman busybody.
The foot of slander will crush in
an instant the happy home which
has been the work of lifetime.
Don'tgo through life telling others
how to live, but put all your energies
into living properly yourself. Keep
your advice until it is sought, and
then give the best you know how to.
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