The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-01-27
On Idle Words.

There is a little game, a detest-
able game, by the way, which girls
play at times when the hours hang
heavy on their hands and talk is
dispirited. Some one leaves the room
and the rest of the group collect a
handful of more or less personal re-
marks which are hurled at her by aii
interpreter upon her return. The
game was devised in spirit of fun
but some girl saw splendid oppor-
tunity to get back" at another girl
for a grievance or dislike and other
girls followed her example until
there was never a game played when
apologies were not in order ana
someone's silence was of the hurr,
reproachful kind. Most of us for
got what was said of us next moment
but that some of the hurts still
breathe was evidenced when Sue
said to me the other day, 81 have al
waYA remembered what Grace said
of NE a year or two ago and l have
Many good people deem it their
duty in life to go about informing
other people of the faithlessness of a
friend of the ingratitude of an ac-
quaintance or the criticisms of a
one-time guest. And these very very
good people delight in informing
others of their weaknesses and
foibles and blunders. LAS it," Cry
their victims, 1--WE didn't know our
selves and our contemplate weak
nesses. AS if we did not know where
in we have failed and did not try to
rise above our foolish desires and
vexations and trials and tribulations.
AS if we didn't know that we were
plain or sentimental or tactless or
morbid or over serious and ashamed,
we did not strive to get out of the
woods into the clearing. If someone
would but tell us that they knew what
we were trying to do and that they
appreciated our effort and commend
ed it,"
But, to return to the game, all is
not bad in it for the kindly, pleas
ant things that have been said by
the friend who could not bring her.
self to inflict a possible hurt have
fingered long in memory and have
at times, ripened acquaintanceship
into intimacy. And that is what all
of us have to learn someday. 1t is
not the carefully rehearsed thought,
the painstaking compliment, the
thoughfully worded lecture that one
remembers with tenderness or indiG-
nation so much as the little careless
phrases, the thoughtlessly spoken
words, the straws in the wind which
tell us, sometimes, more accurately
than we care to know, just where
we stand in the eyes of our little
world. A light laugh of ridicule, a
careless phrase born of criticism, All
ironical ~ nevertheless bite:
thrust expressed, perhaps, in the
absence of the victim of ones utter
ances, never fail to reach the heart
in which they rankle and squirm and
twist most agonizingly for hate and
gossip, like Love, have their winged
messengers whose speed is incalcul-
able and whose final resting place is
within him concerning whom some
one spoke with never a thought OF
consequences.
/ wonder, did Scott ever play our
little foolish game, the product OF
an idle hour, for he sums it up for
just what it is when he warns all
mankind that
Many a shaft at random sent
Finds mark the archer little meant
and many a word at random
May soothe, or wound, a heart
that's broken"
In any case, one can't afford tc