The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-02-24
tine STRAIN Or SUSTAINING A REPUTATION
To Have to Pretend to Be Something You're Not Is
One Of Lies Little Handicaps.-And You
Can't Convince the Public.
~ ESTHER GRIFFIN WHITE.

~ ESTHER GRIFFIN WHITE.
1.-The modern martyrs are not those
who exile themselves to lerer colonies
or tuberculosis camps" said the doc
tor.
"So?" queried the misanthropc.
Exactly" amrmed the doctor.
Then who?"
Those that must live up to their
regulations" averred the doctor.
We'll. of course, you're in position
to know" grinned the misanthrope. II
don't know q worse case than the med.
les"
"Oh, l don't know-look at the
PREACHERS" replied the doctor.
well, admit" returned the nissan
thrope, they're in rather hard lines"
Hard Nnes!" calculated the doctor
having to stand up every Sunday and
hand out a lot of fairy tales carried
over from the dark ages just to make
your living
bad, bad" murmured the nissan
thrope.
Does any intelligent being believe
the things he hears in the churches
nowadays?" went on the doctor
Church going is a habit just like
drinking coffee. shaving, getting mar
ried and riding on the street.cars. Line
up the deacons, the wardens, the chair
man Of the finance committee and the
president of the Ladies Aid Society
and give them the alternative of tell
ing what the sermon was about or be-
ing shot before dawn and there would
be only one onsummation-they'd fall
OF their faces with their hearts gush
Ing gore.
1.-The average mentality doesn't
work on schedule time," said the mis-
unthrope. THE truth Is that the aver
age mentality doesn't exist. And when
1t does it is somnolent. wavers alone
in a fog, stumbles about in quagmire
of mysteries and sidesteps every prop
csition 1t thinks it can't explain by the
party platform.
Il confess l don't follow you," re
Piled the doctor, "and besides your
subtleties are not in my line. I don't
know how to prescribe for you. 1t is
the fact. however, that 1t Is horrible
thing to have to live up to a reputa
ton"
YES" put in the poet, people are
always surprised because l trim my
hair and wear a boiled shirt. They ex
pect me to sport a name and appear
in neglige."
THAT is nothing to my suffering
said the girl who had gone through
college and was known as literary"
Heaven only knows" she went on
what l have endured. got the repu
tution OF being literary when l was q
little girl because l read Dickens nov
ELF through at the age of ten. l always
wrote the class poems and edited
school papers. At college l took prizes
in English and sat on the platform
once when a celebrity visited this
country. He publicly shook hands with
me and asked me, in what Bill Nye
called "low tone" where he could
get drink. The college public thought
we were exchanging condolences on
lie status of Greek art and my doom
Wat sealed.
Ever after that l was pointed out as
the only girl in college the celebrity
spoke to. I was said to be highly intel
iectual and that intended to write. .
my stories in the college paper
were the envied Of all the other girls
with aspirations and when l won q
prize in ten cent magazine contest
vas looked upon as a being apart.
was not longer supposed to take any
interest in fudge parties or boys.
wasn't invited not because they didn't
want me but because they supposed
wouldn't enjoy myself.
rs this serial story?" inquired the
misanthrope.
Don't bother me-" said the girl with
the reputation for being literary.
when l came back home my repu
tation had preceded me. At parties
wac gingerly approached by boys
used to know who inquired what lit
erary work are you doing now?'
AT dinners was tolled of to high
brow bores in spectacles who discours
ed on the excavations Of the ancient
Hams and l was invited to read papers
Mt women's things in the afternoon.
mo matter how l struggled was
literary. Nobody would permit me to
be anything else. actually took tt
joining clubs and once I was appoint
ed a delegate to a state convention.
Il ushered!" ended the girl with thu
reputation for being literary.