The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1908-11-06
ABOUT WHISTLfyC
Nay and by Whom 1t is r..
demned.

Or. Mcnamara informs the ~,
rerse that he whistles a tune WI III
going to his daily work at tho ~
niralty He has become aware ~
many people think it an object
,ble practice" even for errand hor,
n the street. But to the intellisan.s
If this statesman it seems far mo-
Objectionable to sit and gorea
turtle soup, duck and salmon mavo,
1aise while band is cooped up in
corner to play selections" Perbor.
he Nonconformist Choir Union saw
he fitness of this striking comnari.
son; but it is not apparent TO evarr
BODY. Dr. Mcnamara, unable -
comprehend why any mortal shoulS
disapprove. means TO persevere in
whistling as he takes his early wall
Thus he upholds the dignity Of tbo
Philistine against world in arms
For the adherence of whistling !.
universal, excepting people OF British
stock Ignorance of this fact NAV
be a great disadvantage to the tray.
eler. Many an honest young ENGLISH.
man has seen his acquaintance with
some pleasant foreign family come
to a sudden and inexplicable end IN
him He had innocently expressed
the JOY of his heart by whistling.
1t is easy to find reason for this
dislike or disgust. if one may say 50
with due respect for the Secretary Of
the Admiralty. Whistling is under.
stood everywhere to signify GOODNESS.
confidence, carelessness. These may
be virtues in their proper place, but
that place is not in the society Of
ones fellow creatures. whether one
be acquainted with them or not
boy reprimanded, servant dis.
missed, goes away whistling, if he
dares. He wishes to express con.
tempt, and he succeeds at least in en-.
raging his master generally 4 hob.
bledehoy who commits some breach
of the proprieties commonly bursts
into a whistle. This is to save his
face, meaning no harm; but it sig
nifies Il don't care,"-which is lust
the reverse of the apology needed
At best it shows Indifference; at
worst, as the dullest feel, insult and
proyocation. Boswell tells a little
story Illustrating the former signih.
canoe. Johnson and he were dining
with the Duke of Argyll, who asked
gentleman present to fetch some
curiosity from another room. He
brought the wrong article and the
Duke sent him back-the position Of
this gentleman toward his host is IN.
disclosed. However, Boswell says
The could not refuse; but to avoid
any appearance of servility he whis.
tied as he went out of the room On
my mentioning this afterward to DR..
Johnson he said it was a nice trait
of character. Boswell grasped with
ease the objection, which is unintelli.
gible TO Dr. Mcnamara. "The gen.
tleman desired to show his indepen.
dency." That is always the motive
of whistling. when it has any. You
very often see a young barbarian in
this country survey his fellow pas
sengers and then fall TO whistling de.
liberately. But cultured persons here
and quite common folks abroad. are
trained to regard politeness toward
strangers as a duty.
Therefore the condemnation Of
whistling is quite ineligible. Many
peoples outside of Europe share it
Savages think it hateful to the gods
like the Tongan Islanders in Mari
ner's day, or the Australians still
1t may be suspected, in this as il
other cases, that they suppress 6
practice offensive to their human in.
stinct by laying it under the ban OF
heaven. All Moslems hate whistling;
the inhabitants of the Province OF
Makian in Persia are said to furnish
the necessary exception. and they are
abhorred in consequence Arabs
hold that whistler's mouth cannot
be purified under forty days of pen
ance-many think that demon has
entered 1t to corrupt the faithful. II
is on record that Buckhardt fell into
the most serious peril of his expedi
ton through whistling inadvertently
In India there is no name for ar
abomination of which a right minded
individual could not be guilty. Chi
nese think with Arabs that whistlins
communicates not only the agent, but
the hearers.-Pall Mall Gazette.