The Washington herald., 1914-06-21

Most OF us don't fully realize the value
Of privacy in the etiquette Of the house
hold. Especially IL our houses are small.
and II the members OF the household are
bound by the intimate ties OF relation
ship, we are all too prone fairly to over
whelm each other with our presence and
to leave each other too little opportunity
to be and to act alone.
This 10 one OF the first things that I'M
press our English cousins when they
visit our American homes. We seem to
them to have no respect for each others
individuality: we rush into each others
rooms without even so much as knocking
or asking permission; our children romp
and play through the whole house re-
gardless Of their elders; the men in the
family have no chance to escape from
the persistence OF feminine society;
themselves-in short. the American fam
lily herds together from morning to night
in almost barbaric fashion.
This criticism need not disturb greatly,
for undoubtedly we would be as much
inclined to criticise the apparent unsOcia-
bility and coIdness of the English wom-
ans home life as she is to critiCise our
lack Of privacy. But. just the same. a
little greater privacy in the home would
OIIen hQO IenIOtu 70 lnt hdppluESt
courteousness Of its members.
I was spending a few days not long
ago in the house OF a friend who has
the good fortune to have a dear old aunt
living with her. This little lady Is a
lovable old soul. and I am morally GER
tain that my friend would do almost any
thing she knew how to do to make her
happy.
One day during my visit. shortly after
breakfast. the little old lady slipped
away from the living room. where there
was a merry conversation going on that
no one could reasonably expect the old
lady to be interested in.
What has become OF aunty?" eN-
claimed her niece In great solicitude be-
fore she had been gone many minutes;
and when after q few more minutes
"aunty'' did not return to the family
group. her niece became thoroughly
aroused. and sent her little daughter TO
the old lady's room to see what could
have called her away.
"Aunty says she Just wants to be alone
for WHILE" was the child's explana-
ton "She Is reading UP In her room"
Something must be the matter with
her." gasped the niece. she knows
don't Ike to have her go on alone. oh.
am afraid she Is illi''
With this the niece went up stairs. and
with great alarm broke in upon the old
lady.
There she sat with tears in her old
eyes, old eyes that for the time were
looking back through the years into the
far on days Of her youth: and before her
she had spread out a package of old
letters, yellow with age and worn with
many readings.
"Oh, aunty, what are you doing?
Aren't you happy?" asked the niece.
The old woman came back from her
musings with a start, and then slowly
she explained that she had gone on by
herself to read the old letters, that II
was an anniversary of her wedding day,
and that she wanted to be alone.
In spite of this explanation the nieSe
waited till the old lady had replaced the
letters in the little chest from which she
had taken them and fairly dragged her
down stairs again to Join the rest Of US.
Later, when I was alone with the old
woman, she told me about II.
MY niece Is very kind to me-" she
explained, land she does her best 10
make me happy. But sometimes / Just
long to be alone. 1t Is an old-fashioned
idea Of mine that people ought to be
allowed q little privacy. and that even
people who love each other very dearly
sometimes get along better with each
other II they allow each other Just a
little time to be by themselves. and don't
always make them account for every
thing they think and do"
For my part. thing the old lady was
right. and / know altogether too many
homes where nerves and tempers are
tried by too much contact and too little
opportunity to be alone.
Very often this lack Of consideration