Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-02-20

IN ali the wide world there ls no more
AkeravatlnE phrase than II told you So.
let at times there are few people who
have aufncient strength Of mind to re-
nist using the phrase. irritating though
It be. For we are all human, and when
our words Of wisdom and sage advice arc
scorned, and we see the scornor reaping
the aftermath. II ie hard TO resist the
tempting remark that so Ats the occa-
Alon.
However, unless we have a yearnlng to
be positively disliked by those with whom
we come in contact II would be good
plan to rule the remark clean out of our
vocabulary. For II does not tend to
soothe the person to whom it is addressed.
Upon the contrary 1t rouses fires Of
anger and dislilSe-and always fails of its
point, too. for it never, never never really
convinces him that he was in the wrong
and that YOU with your infallible wisdom
and foresight were in the right.
And so, logically. 1t would be infinitely
better to check the phrase at the start
rather than rouse up bitterness and
wrath.
The happiness of one young married
couple has been completely wrecked by
this spirit OF argumentatlveness on the
part of the wife. She has a positive pas
sion for that unfortunate phrase 'I told
you so." Upon every possible and impos-
sible occasion she. airs IT,. and always
a.
The curious thing is that she is really
fond of her husband. Now that he has
left her, she realizes this fact only too
clearly. II would give everything in the
wide world II only had him back again."
she says mourrifully. But her sorrow and
her realization of her own folly have un-
y fortunately come too late.
mot all the kings horses nor all the
kings men" can mend matters when love
has died once and for ALL And by nothing
more nor less than her own foolishness
has this woman ruined her own happiness
and that Of her once fond and kindly hus-
band. More than that. she has changed
his disposition from that OF n simple
pleasant-mannered man into surly sort
of individual quite unlike his former
happy self.
In the days. when they lived together
she was very great trial. The merest
trihe that came up was, matter fol
heated argument on her part The most
casual observation that her husband
might happen to make was instantly
challenged in a money or your life
spirit -
At last the poor man grew quite
frightened to express an opinion in his
own house. Unless he had the facts ol
the case at his hnger-tips it was quite
unsafe to make any remark at all. Fol
his wife would catch him up in the quick
est fashion and demand proof of his
statements In such dlctatorlal tone that
he would cease talking altogether and
gradually develop crouch which finally
became chronic.
TT looks as If it would rain tomorrow
Mary" he would observe with the best
Intentions, in the world.
NOTHING Of the sort. John" his better
half would quickly retOrt. Don't you see
that the sky is red tonight"
But the papers all say that 1t will rain
tomorrow" he would meekly murmur.
whereupon his wife would suddenly
sweep from the room. rush upstairs with
great clatter and dash, to return tri-
umphantly with a large book of nursery
rhymes. her very decided finger upon one
bearing the interesting legend:
A red sky at night
Is the Shepherds delight.
There, john" she would cry raptu-
rously. II told you sor'
And John would relapse into silence.
This sort Of thing went. on for long
time. And each time the foolish wife
gained her own point she lost something
far, far more important. For no man on
earth likes to be put in the wrong, par
tlcularly. In front of his friends.
This particular woman was really In
TTTT mn TRI