The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-10-31
~ ESTHER GRIFFIN WHITE.
What is the truth.

What is the truth?
One of the singular traits Of human
nature is to believe the worst about
people.
Not of them but about them.
Can you assert you have never felt a
secret satisfaction which you would
stoutly deny, even to yourself, in hear
ing of the misfortune of some friend
or acquaintance?
Someone has said that no matter
what we say we are glad we are finally
done with people when they are dead.
There is certain sardonic and iron
ic truth about this observation if given
consideration.
And how strenuously we object to
being brought up against the cold
stone wall of fact There's nothing
more interesting than a study of the
way people fool themselves about
themselves.
How you love, at times, to get into
a secluded corner with one Of your
best friends and rake over everybody
you know. Poke game at their foibles,
SACCA az AACi SAANuSos Aou6A az lAS1A
follies. criticise their eccentricities,
wonder why they dress the way they
do-(oh! II they only knew how they
lookedD-and perform general devas-
tation.
Isn't 1t pleasure to get with a rela.
tive-a remote if congenial cousin
and there berate all your kinsman and
tell each other how you detest them
and, IL they weren't your relatives
how you would just as lief dynamite
'em as not?
Sure! Everybody has.
God gave us our relatives, but
thank heaven, We can choose oul
friends" says somebody or other.
The basis of the fiercest repulsions
is in consanguinity.
Inirradicable hates are engendered
by the ties of blood. There is little af
finity among relatives.
Why is this SO? Psychologists may
be able to tell US. But one of the admit
ted social facts is the vast and hideout
boredom relatives endure in their fore
ed intercourse.
Think of the family party on th<
Fourth of July or Thanksgiving.
How the grandsires and grand
danes 60 in to take a nap. How thu
middle generation yawns behind it
hands and pulls out it's watches TO
winding and frequent doing off Of thu
hours until time to go to the barn.
or the garage-and hitch up" to g
home. How others sit in corners an,
whisper about how perfectly awfu
Cousin Nathan's son is going on ant
| how disgraceful Cousin Alice raise
her children, how extravagant VII
liam's family is and what ugly hat
Edith wears.
all secretly despise each other sine
they move in different "sets," pla
croquet, if it's summer, and sit roun
and eat things if it's Thanksgiving.
With what joyful acclaim is the az
vent of dinner greeted and how ever,
body becomes quite gay and affable a
they file into the dining-room. Cousin
Nathan's son sits by Edith of the ugl
hat-which is upstairs on the bed i
the spare-room and without whic
Cousin Nathan's wicked son discover
that Edith is near-pretty-and squee;
es her hand on the side or VI
der the table "as the case may be.
How Williams wife sees what he's u
to and kicks Cousin Alice under the tt
BILE.
And how afterwards they whisper
did you ever!" And how one avows t
the other that Edith is ten years olde
than Cousin Nathan's son and ought
be ashamed to carry on like that.
And how everybody. after niue
Handwriting and much confused col
versation in which everyone had sal
how perfectly delightful it has been
all to be together again, sinks bac
and says
Thank God, that's overt"
But to go back to the truth.
How readily people repeat illnatu
ed stories about other people the
don't know. How trippingly they bligt
a reputation. With what facility the
pass on an insinuation.
History has been said by some on