The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-08-18
Eu''e'n,i1e~ Chat
The objectionable Meanness.
BIZ RUTH CAMERON.

The objectionable Meanness.
To remind any one who is under OBJ
legation to you OF that fact is a serious
breach Of courtesy.
some one to whom you are under OBJ
legation is restrained by that law of
noblesse obltge from reminding you
Of the obligation is ten times more
shameful.
And yet there are many people who
do just this and who escape scot free
because other people have so fine a
sense Of courtesy that the ethereal
bonds Of noblesse oblige are to them as
binding and unbeatable as shackles of
iron.
For instance, a young girl whose ia
ther and mother are dead is living in
her married sisters home. The older
sister and her husband are not well
off and while they accepted the respon-
sibtlity Of the girls upbringing without
thought that anything else was pos
sible, it means constant self-sacrifice.
One would think that the younger sis
ter would feel under great obligation
and be ready to do anything in her
power to make it up to her benefactors.
On the contrary. she realizes that her
sister and husband have too much deli
cacy Of feeling to ever remind her that
she preSumes upon this safety to be
thoroughly selfish and ungrateful.
She bangs upon the piano in the eve
ming when her sister Is tired and wants
to sleep: she is consistently late to
meals; she is needlessly extravagant
about all such little things as electric
lights, and calls her sisters carefulneSe
mean" Instead of being eager to wait
upon her sister or do any little thing
for her that might show her gratitude
she resents being asked for services OF
| this nature, and ii she does them
f~ko Rrpe1 S~,t
she is demanding her pound of flesh in
asking for them.
That last, to me, is the meanest thing
this class Of people do. If their bene-
factors. tried beyond endurance, do for
get noblesse oblige for moment and
| them for their ingratitude. these In
CRATES. instead of being ashamed into
| better conduct seize the opportunity to
act the part of a martyr. You aren't
willing to do this for me" they say In
effect. You give it grudgingly. Very
well. then, I. shall receive no more.
will go out into the cold. cold world
etc. or Il will make way with myself
since nobody wants me-" CThe latter
! was the threat of the young girl In
question when her sister, tried beyond
endurance by some piece of selfishness
which particularly affected her hus.
band. did dare to reproach her)
OF course, the benefactor promptly
becomes remorseful, begs the mar.
tyred one to keep on receiving. anc
promises never to do it again. And. OF
course, the beneficiary. having conf
IDENTIFY expected this outcome, reluc-
family permits himself to be soothed
and finally condescends to let things be
as they were, knowing that he hal
forged new shackles with which to keeI
his benefactor in subsection.
Yes. I realize that such an extreme
type as I have presented is not com.
mon- But / think q touch OF this ten
dency to presume on the helpless posi-.
ton Of a delicate minded benefactol
crops out in many of US. And think
1t is one Of the meanest, most con-
ltemptible things that any human being
can be guilty of.