The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1916-03-30
Personal Censure.
BY JOHN ID. HARRY.

Ci oVhol ScNSuIes
BY JOHN d. BARRY
| Some time ago | spent an evening with oroun
OF clever people, including several pretty women.
The talk was exceedingly amusing, at times al
most brilliant. But wherever it was personal
II was largely malicious. And in the malice it
was curious to the leadership taken by the
pretuest OF the women She had no suspicion that
there was contrast between her beauty and
the kind OF comment she made creating an eff
feet particularly hideous. The other pretty women
applauded her with their laughter and. instead
OF taking warning, seemed inspired to imitation
AS left the house, accompanied by another man
had never met before, he said with some bitter
ness in his tone:-"If women only knew how re-
pulsive they make themselves when thew talk like
thatw
There is family of my acquaintance that in
cludes three bright children. Their father and
their mother, whenever | go to visit them, treat
me as If | were a relative. So | see the family
life as it goes from day to day When the chill
dren are not present l usually don't think much
about the quality of the conversation. But at
table | have very lively of the personai
ties, often severely critical and harsh and ridicu
ing, put into frank speech in presence of those
little ears. What is unpleasant is the
outspokenness of the children They too have
learned to indulge in personalities, critical and
harsh and ridiculing. The parents don't seem to
mind. They apparently have no sense of their
responsibility. In few years those children are
likely to take toward the parents exactly the at
titude that they have been taught by example to
take toward their neghbors. Then the parents
will wonder how their children learned such
things. Outside influences will be blamed !
In this matter most of have become dull
through very experience. As a rule some
thing has to happen to US, something like
the spectacle of children behaving as badly as
grown-ups. Why does the situation persist? The
chief cause, it seems to me- is that we consider
criticism and and rdicue in some way
allied to superiority. There are those who show
they consider themselves superior by trying to
make others appear at a disadvantage But, of
course, all they are doing is making a revelation
of their weakness and lack of sympathy and
self-control Criticism and all that goes with
unkindness easy, requiring either low form
of intelligence intelligence at all. To be
able to the fault is poor quality in COM
parison with ability to the merit And yet
most OF do very little practicing in looking
for and approaching merits and we maintain a
lively activity in seeking and exaggerating other
peoples faults. Instead of seeing people at their
best we try to sec them at their worst In
stead of making life beautiful, we make it ugly
Instead of furnishing the mind with beautiful and
stimulating thoughts, continually foster
ing thoughts that are hideous and depressing and
facilitating. No wonder so many people are men
tally sick Every day of their lives they carry on
the work of mental disintegration
In riding day in street car | happened
10 sit beside one of those men with the habit of
thinking aloud. He was very well dressed and
looked like OF means and of character At
first l paid attention. Then, from the sound
he made, | that he was angry. Presently his
words became more distinct. They consisted
largely of vigorous profanity.
That man reminded me of those automobiles
we used to hear in the street that while standing
perfectly still, would begin to rattle and shake
with such violence to suggest they might tear
themselves to pieces So many people, | reflected
as | heard the man go on, were like him. Most
of them, however, too careful to talk aloud
They all let their thoughts tear and rend their
minds.
1t is not enough for us to be careful about
what say. 1t is not enough even to be care
full about what we think We must be careful
about the way feel. If we feel right toward
the world and toward ourselves shall be right
There is other attitude that gives US sure pro-
lection; that makes it possible to live whole
somely. In the censorious attitude, whether ex-
pressed in words or in silence there is total loss
In the attitude of sympathy and tolerance there
is nothing but gain.
Work for the Unemployed
Ebert H. Gary and George W. Perkins. retir
ing from the mayors unemployment committee
scarcely need words of commentator added to
the story of things well done told in the COM
mittee report In year of industrial stress the
finding of 2I542o days work for the willing was
piece OF most practical benefcence And the