Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-09-27
SENSIlIVENESS.
By Ruth Cameron.

Once upon time two women went
| room hunting in a lodging house at a
| certain summer resort.
| At one house they were shown very
| pleasant ROOM neat, attractive, we'll fur
! nished and fairly reasonable in price,
and the woman for whom the search was
being conducted seemed almost per-
! suaded.
| Il like this room immensely" she said
| to the hostess, who had been unusually
agreeable and courteous in showing the
room. II am almost sure | will take 1t.
but l must consult my husband. FL let
you know by Thursday
That was Tuesday. Wednesday another
room hunter came to this mouse and
fairly fell in love with the room in
question. She was told that another party
had the refusal of it. She urged the
hostess not to mind that. If you will
only let me have the room I'll take 1t
today for the whole summer she prom
Used. But the hostess being new at the
business. and having an unusual sense
of honor said she must wait until she
heard from the other party.
Whereupon the applicant, not being in
position to wait, went elsewhere.
That was two months ago. The wom-
an who had the refusal of the room has
not telephoned yet. Needless to say, she
never meant to. Indeed, she was scarce
ly out Of earshot before she confided to
her companion: Il knew that room
wouldn't be big enough, but she was so
pleasant that | didn't want to tell her
that. / am so sensitive.
But won't you hate to telephone: in
quired the companion.
'Oh. my dear. | shan't telephone her.
If she doesn't hear by Thursday, she'll
know I'm not coming. ! wish l wasn't
SO sensitive with smile that showed
how proud she was of just thaO, but /
simply can't bear to hurt peoples fee
ingS."
Do YOU know what that woman re-
minds fne of?
OF the kind of folks who are so sensi-
tive that they can't bear to chlorOform
or otherwise dispose of their pet cats,
but arc quite willing to leave the poor
crea lures to shift for themselves during
the vacation months, and probably be
killed by dogs or die of starvation or
rabies.
You don't see the parallel between the
two? l do. They both display that pc
cuiiar kind of observation-disclosures which
makes its possessor cruel instead of kind.
Do YOU know whose feelings that wom-
an was really afraid of hurting? Sim
ply her own. She didn't want to make
the effort of saying a firm, decided NO
so she shiftlessly slid out of the situa-
ton in that cowardly way.
When the fear Of hurting any ones
feelings makes you deceitful and blind to
their best interests. you may be pretty
sure that it's your own feelings that you
are really guarding.
Suppose a surgeon should look al a
Notifying finger and say: Il know l
| ought to cut that off. because if | don
| the trouble will spread to the whole arm,
but 1 can't bear to hurt the patient
| Suppose a doctor should say: Il know
! that's the only medicine that will cure
| the patient, but it's SO bitter l hate to
ask him to take it,.
The tender -hea rtedness that is straight
| forward. honest and cruel to be kind, if
necessary. is certainly a virtue, but the
sentimental, deceitful Observation-Disclosures
| that is kind and thereby cruel is very
much nearer a vice.