The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-12-20
eY ESTHER GRIFFIN WHITE.

BY ESTHER GRIFFIN WHITE.
Consider fact.
Or the fact.
in life
We don't recognize this.
But it's true.
But the fact is something OF a CO
quette.
The fact is elusive
You think you have her-and you
find she has eluded you.
A fact is seemingly like an eel
slipping in and out of your fingers
like the tabled water reptile.
And yet the fact remains as solid
as the foundation of sky-scraper.
The great trouble about the fact, is
not the fact, but the people who are
dealing with it or pursuing it.
It's "a funny business-this fact ex-
pose.
You'll find out how funny when
you're on a newspaper, or in a court
room or at coroner's inquest
The people who think they know
thinks then find out what a gay, little,
mocking thing a real for sure fact is.
You'll always find plenty of people
who know all about it.
Why of course we knoW-because
weren't we sitting on the front porch
at exactly such and such time and
didn't we see so and so pass and don't
you think we have got eyes in our
heads and what do you take us for
anyway.
Il1Yf
the board, back em up right against
the neutrality-suspicious. fact has
flown out the window
Because it really wasn't fact-but
surmise, heresay, guess-work conjec-
ture, supposition, imagination, what
they said" what you thought at the
time, and a variety of other things
which are so easily punctured full OF
holes you wondered why you hadn't
noticed how flimsey the fabric really
was.
The great lack of the human record
ing machine is accuracy.
Not one person in ten thousand gets
a thing right
That is, what people think is right.
What really is "rght"-thst is in
iHe IltdulLS VI DclhS NoiiCSI anu az
curate--is another thing.
AS has been said here before history
is more or less a tissue of lies, half
truths, fabrications and colored by per-
sonal bias.
It's the hardest thing in the world
to get at truth.
Some people lie wilfully, others un-
consciously, others color their state
= ments by self interest and others i'm
aginations lead them astray,
Take the trouble some time, say, to
get five different persons to give their
version of the same story or event or
happening.
You'll "be surprised" as the man
said in the unlamented Madame Sher-
ry"
The stories will be SO different that
they will hardly be recognizable as the
same.
This is the blind alley into which a
reporter will run when sent out to get
the facts concerning a certain affair
of some sort.
Nine people out of ten can't tell you
although they'll say at first they know
all about It.
Oh, yes, | was there-why certainly
| was there-yes | heard the CONVEX
sation why certainly-well-er-
can't tell you exactly what led up to
it--no | don't remember precisely
what was said-but | heard it and
know that what they say happened.
Yes, it was a splendid sermon-fine!
Never heard better. l said then that
wished We had him for our regular
pastor-the text?-why I can't quote
it exactly but | think it was from
Corinthians-no come to think of it it
was Isaiah--but, On reflection, I'm not
sure as to that-but it was a splendid
sermon
No | don't remember what his exact
argument was-oh, yes his premises
were clear--now | ought to be able to
tell you-but 1 can't recall it-but il
was one of the finest sermons l ever
heard-simply splendid,
Yes. know all about her-no. new
err remember to have seen her-but
she lives below us some place and our
cook sees her pass every day and
am perfectly sure it is all true-any
body that will wear a green feather
on her hat is enough for me-no,
didn't know the man-never saw him
either that | remember-but I'm per
fectly sure he is a villain because the
man that cleans out our stable useC
to live next door to his grandfather's