Douglas Island news., 1912-02-07
"Getting Even"'

Treated you shabbily, did be? Lied about you? Played you mean trickS Cheated you?' We'll, donr wonder you feel little sore about it. You1l Bay him of for it? That's rightl 1 wouldI I'd make him so ashamed of himself that he'd never try such a thing on noe againr Whats thatG Go- ing to "pay him off in in lis own coin2" H'ml That's another matterl 1 thought you were going to get the-bet- ter of him.
 Just turn that little phrase. "getting even," over in your mind bit, and see what it means. It is a common enough threat-most of us have used it on occasion. "l'll get even with yonsome- time!" we have shouted in indignation. But look at it. Somebody does me au injury; treats me unfairly; lies about me; is mean to me in some way or other. Of course I resent it; that's natural. go about talking over my troubles and telling every body what a miserable, good for-nothiug fellow my enemy Is. And then say, vindictiVely, "Never mindl I'll get even with himp' Get even? Why, that means that I'm going to come down to his level, and do the kind of things he does, and be come the kind of fellow say be is. That's "gettiug eVen." By paying him off 'in his own coin," I must consent te soil any hands and my soul by hand ling the same kind of stuff that he handles. How else can l do it?
 Does it look like an inviting proDosi- ton, this getting even, when you shove it out into the limelight that way, does it? The fact is,. it never pays to get even with anybody, in the usual sense of the phrase It costs too much.
 Tn the city in which live there gre two fine houses side by side, andr only two or three feet apart, One of them was built years ago, close to the west ern side line of the lot on which 1t stands. There were windows on all sides, of course, and the air and sun- shine cameiu freely from every direc- tion. But in some way the owner of the hous9 became engaged in 8 dispute with She owner of the lot just to- the westward, and the latter beasted> that he'd ''get evenr' So he built house just on the line between the two lots, so near the first house as to, shut out all air and light from. iS on, one side. The windows are still there, but they look out upon the blank brick wall of the newer house, which one may touch by simply leaning over the window sills little.
 They call the house last built "the spite house. and it is one of, the sights shown to strangers in town. It's owner has taken revenge upon his enemy. He has shut him into darkness on one side of his beautiful home;- has efectuslly. prevented the cool, breezes from find ing their way into his windows from one direction. Bat there's another thing. to be considered: What about his own house?. It is just as bare and lank on one side as bis neighbours. He has chosen darkness for himself in,thrust- ing it upon the man whom be hated. He can no more get the sunlight than his neighbor can. His "spite house" has spited it's builder as much as>it has she man it. was intended to spite.
 It always does. Spite is boomerang that always flies back to the thrower. sCurses, like chickens. come home to roost." The only perfectly, effective way of paying off" anybody who has injured you is to pay him. in.the coin age of the Golden Rule, and.thus get the better of him.-Ex.