Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-08-08

+ Believe are Just as true 70 life, and
far more numerous than Nora. or
Hedda GabIer. or Ann Karanina. Yet,
because Dora and NJ Oily are dcars and
sweets that you would love TO have
around the house, and you'd loathe
morbid creatures like Nora and Media
and Anna, who were always IndecCntly
exposing their souls, and wOuldn
have them about at any price, one set
OF characters is despised as the out
pourings of vapid sentimentalism,
and the other is exalted as a triumph
Of realism.
Indeed il almost seems that II a
novelist wishes to get, the reputation
Of being strong" and @virile." all that
he has to do is to be sufficiently nasty
and to discuss with perfect frankness
phases Of life that decent people shy
away from as they would from a cess
pool Why refined people should wish
to associate in books with the sort Of
men and women that they wouldn't
speak to in real life, is another Of
the mysteries that keeps me guess
ing.
G1O"SN0Iy Illlo LuCOIS IndI NAICl (
must be some sort of occult virtue in
anything that is particularly obnoxious
runs all through life. Take the mat
ter of truth. We all have a sort Of
latent superstitious belief that the
truth is only true when it is un-
pleasant.
We all believe evil more readily
than good. Scandal is credited on its
mere say so, while praise has to be
backed up by we'll attested affidavit
Any man who goes about habitually
praising his fellow men and calling
attention to their god qualities, soon
gets the reputation of being flat
terer, a jollier5 and is suspected OF
having some Interior ends of his own
to further. On the contrary, the man
who is a brute and a knocker, and
who never has good thing to say
of any human being, may be hated
and feared, but he is universally
spoken of as being so truthful and
honest and sincere. We are always
little suspicious Of the people who
pay us compliments, no matter how
much we enjoy them.
Why we should take this attitude,
heaven alone knows. None of us can
explain it. We know that at its worst
human nature is a mixture of good
and bad, with the good largely in the
predominance. We know that even
IL, Brown occasionally drinks a little
too much, he is the kindest hearted
and most generous fellow on earth
and an adoring and adored husband
and father. We know that even If
Mrs. Smith has a high temper, she is
also a perfect marvel of a worker
and manager and that she is the very
backbone of her husbands success.
Why isn't it Just as true to speak
Of Brown as a good citizen and hus-
band and father as to speak Of him
as a drinking man? Why isn't it as
true to speak Of Mrs. Smith as a
woman who is an example of what
helpmeet a wife can be to husband
as to speak Of her as q shrew?
One set Of facts are just as authen-
tic as the other, yet if you recited
the pleasant ones you would be es-
teemed guilty of fulsome flattery,
while If you related the other you
would qualify as Truthful Jane
The reason that family life is the
failure that it is and that practically
everybody's idea of having an enjoy
able time consists in getting away
from home and their near relations,
is because those of our own house
hold so seldom feel that they are do
ing their duty towards us unless they
are making things as unpleasant for
Nc "a thov noocfhIy oon
For some inscrutable reason even