The Washington herald., 1915-10-23
Mischieveus Quoting.
by John Id. HARRY.

| BY JOHN D. BARRY.
| There IS very clever and interesting woman
VINO leads an active social life in of the larger
Eastern cities and who is known among her
sequaintsness for the extent of her information
about peoples private affairs. l once asked a
friend fnenf. Of hers how she happened to keep well
said She takes advantage of the truth" When
expressed wish to be further enlightened /
was given a clew to ono of the forces operating
against truth Well, most Of the people she
knows like to tell the truth. When she asks them
adrot personal questions, they either have to an
swer or TO give her rcbuke. The habit of cour-
tesy oblges them to answer and the habit OF
telling the truth makes them her prey When she
quotes them she has habit OF saying. He told
me- or She told me She nexer explains that
she carefully drew the information out"
| This woman stands for type that has MANY
representatives. They arc responsible for great
deal OF lying and for much of the lodging and
the hedging. and the insinccrity that are often
worse than lying. They also responsible for
| great deal of misunderstanding. through the habit
| OF quoting without explanation of the way the
words quoted HAPPENED to be spoken. They can
make discreet people seem indiscreet and they
can make kind people unkind In many in
stances their intention is not so malicious as it
seems, being mainly. if not wholly; desire to
seem to be on terms of intimacy with the persons
quoted, form OF egotism.
Occasionally, however, in securing nforma-
ton by means OF questions, there is plain inten-
llon Oh carrying stories, as a rule, Tor the puT
pose OF complaining personal situation already
complicated 1t is likely to betray itself in vari-
Gus ways, by orer-subtlety, by consciousness of
manner, perhaps by not wholly unsuccessful as
sumption designed TO pass for frankncss.
A wise mother OF my acquaintance likes to I'M
press on her children the importance OF not ask
ing personal questions. Perhaps the best impress
sion that she makes is through her own example
She is aware that the youngest OF the children,
| still child, has reserves that even She with all
her delieacy and care ought not to intrude on.
BY never ruthleSsly assaulting their privacy by
never betraying intrusive curiosity she keeps their
confidence. Whenever they have anything to tell
her they speak out freely. She knows that the
] most effective way OF developing in them the un-
healthy habit of concealment would be by losing
their confidence, which has been established very
largely by her consideration for them and her
spect. We hear great deal about the import;
ance OF making children respect their elders
once heard her say. But it is just as important
for the elders to respect the children"
Often in children the habit of living is started
by the searching personal questions OF grown-ups
And with lying there goes the covert spirit which
can break out into so many evils The very sim
pcity of children is sometimes traded on by their
elders for the purpose OF securing information
There is of course, justification for this prac
tice, which, besides being contemplate in ITSELF
, Then there are those who use their advantage in
life, or what they regard as their advantage, to
indulge the prying spirit; certain kinds OF women.
for example, who intrude in the private affairs OF
.
never dare to ask among their equals. When, as
occasionally happens, they arc rebuked with re-
plies that they know to be untruthful they have
no suspicion that they arc themselves responsible
for the lying.
There arc those who the instant they know
two friends in their acquaintance have had a
quarrel a misunderstanding seized with a
longing to dray out the other of the two,
perhaps both. The very delicacy OF the situation
may add zest 10 the temptation. And as rule
II here * ST a of
the arrangement, they feel that behind it they
will find protection.
Angry resentment may open the door to a
food of thrilling revelations and comment, in
tenscly interesting material for reproduction, of
special interest TO those concerned, probably lead
ing to more revelations and more reprisals. What
may be at the start slight matter. easily forgot
ten grow into large proportions, creating bit
tcr antagonism and perhaps involving many
others.
| For this reason when two people have trou-
bic, if they wise, they are careful to keep
silent And if. in their pain, they cannot realize
that the least said is soonest mended, they know
that tho more they have to say the greater the
mischief is sure to become and the greater will be
their pain And If they have sensible friends.
those friends will keep silent, too, restraining the
spirit OF partisanship that can act like fuel on
flames.
Sometimes the quotcrs justify themselves or
try to justify themselves by assuming virtue Of
intention. They wish TO clear up this trouble.
They are determined that right shall prevail.
Sometimes they are sincere. More often they de-
ceive themselves
The peacc-makers OF the world are outnum-
bered by the peace-brcakers. And the peace
makers do not eagerly go about drawing people
out and spreading quotations. They know that
tho task of peace-making is like playing with fire.
1t is certainly playing with dangerous human quail
tiles. 1t requires the most delicate handling.
There is one service that all do for
one another in little social groups. We can
protect one another from quotations that may do
harm. In this way alone we can be active forces
for peace and for social health. Every one Of us
knows someone who could not possibly be sus-
pected of this kind OF quoting invariably lovable
character. 1t might be worth while to keep
this character in mind and to do little cmulating
| On the other hand, can learn from the
quoters the important lesson of being discreet in
what say about others. And il VIC can make
discretion habit shall be out of danger. But,
to become habit, it must go deeper than dScre-
| ton, WHICH, valuable it is, is a superficial and
| selfish quality. 1t must go down to that human
| sympathy that consideration for others which
shall make us as slow to involve others as VIC are
| to involve ourselves.
Washington Herald Special
Washington in 1918" comes to the Chronicle
| in the form of SPECIAL edition OF The Washing
ton Herald. Cover pages are in heavy cardboard,
che