The Washington herald., 1908-01-12


| Of the day, and, as one humorist puts it,
It is not the proper thing to greet ones
friends with the oldtime greeting Of
Good morning, how's your Iiver?" but
one must say: Good morning. have you
had your appendicitis cut out?"
Of course. all this is rude parlance at
best but physicians say the fad for oper-
ating has become a mania. both on the
part Of practitioners and their patients.
/ It would be rather annoying to undergo
the pain and expense of being operated
on for appendicitis only to learn that It
was unnecessary after all. Wise doctors
of medicine, however, do not enlighten
their patients when such small mistakes
occur and only charge a trihe more for
! the useless labor to which their skill has
been put.
Not long ago a rathef garrulous woman
acquaintance was obliged to go to the
hospital, and a number of her friends
who are really very fond OF the little
lady made il a point to send flowers and
fruit and other tokens Of their friendship
and to call upon her when she had reach
ed the stage OF c0nvalescence. We'll" I
overheard one of her friends vOuchsafe
with a little sigh after a lengthy inter
view with the invalid: Il don't know
what all Mary may have cut out. but one
thing is certain, she hasn't had her voca-
bulary cut out"
VIII no one stop the frenzied publish
eTs from issuing so many six best sell
eTs," or, as one caustice critic has put It.
so many "six best killers?" If one were
to keep up with all the literary stuff
turned out nowadays, one would spend
ones waking hours and sleeping hours
with a book In each hand and then be
unable to discuss all of the latest sensa-
tions. Unless young people read the
standard fiction and classics before they
reach the days Of clubs and parties. there
IS small hope for their mind culture. for
where are the elders that have the time
nowadays to snatch away from the
latest book OUT TO devote to those that
have been the longest out?
I know Of one indefatigable, up-to-date
clubwoman who buys her fiction by the
dozen and sticks book in every room
of her spacious house so that every spare
moment from her rounds Of shopping,
household. and social duties may be spent
in keeping up with current topics and
fiction. A friend of hers, who seems to
do about as well IN conversational fire.
works, c0nfded 10 me that she never
made a pretense of reading the latter
uay novels except in rare instances, but
she collects all the reviews. which she
reads carefully, and then goes around
and discusses such and such books with
the studious Mrs. Up-to-date, who gives
tho plot and epigrams IN greatest detail.
After that the fair, but canny, friend Is
ready to discuss any book under fire.
while Mrs. Up-to-date pays the occuiist
bills and takes expensive cures for brain
fag.
In one Of the downtown stores one may
see thTongs of women lowering about the
counters TO procure a certain spicy mar
rative written by an Englishwoman of
erotiC tastes. The salesWOman assured a
sharp-nosed customer that orders for the
book would not be filled for the next
three or four days.
Well. then" suggested the customer.
coyiy picking up another book, Suppose
take this one home to read until the
other book gets in? Then when you de-
liver my order I can just send this back"
Madame, responded the girl. with a
toss OF the head that loosened her store
coronet braid, this is book shop, not
a circulating library for the public"
The problem of living nowadays is one
too complex for the average brain to find
a reason. Some say we are suffering
from an overdose of civilization, and that
luxury makes towards of us all. Race
suicide a topic on which ministers. So
biologists, and political economists have
an excuse for talking In solemn fones on
the degeneration of the maternal feeling,
and the sublime gift of parenthood and
all that sort Of thing, simply is a result
Of the struggle for existence and desire
implanted In our over-civilized brains to
reach a more highly developed stage of |
perfected material existence. Philoso- |
pliers and students scoft at the fear that |
haunts the wage-earners and wage |
spenders hearts, the spectre fear of /
the cost of living" And yet. Ike the |
sore on the little boys toe. il is very /
much there. and cOnfronts the person OF |
average earning powers at every turn.
Probably the woman who brings I'D a |
growing family Of children, and who
has to make each penny stretch a little |
further than the Lord ever meant IT |
should feel more Of this fear than any
other person. as the little worried lines |
about many woman's tired face will /
testify. Especially is this true Of the /