South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-12-15

feeling embarrassed"
4 at not being able TO help him q"
/ 7 asked.
ooh. no. not at all; my desKe is
rather 20 kick him"
Then your embarrassment, per-
haps. arises from a frustrated
wish p" I said.
Look here" he replied. you go
FIN a little for psychology and all
that sort of Trims. I wish you would
explain 10 me. if YOU can. why
should feel so deucedly uncomfort-
able when stranger is making a
fool Of himself in public. Some
people seem 20 find 10 amusing"
You're too sympathetic" L sug-
. gested; you're pity for Jhe crea-
ture is aroused"
"But il cannot be that" ne re-
torted. for II some ass were TO be-
gin 20 spout original poetry in a
car. Of which I was the only other
occupant 7 would merely be amused.
/ whereas if the car were fun Of pas
sengers I'd be terribly uncomfort-
able. If ] felt any pity for the ass,
how could I have been amused in
the first Instance
Its a queer thing" he contin-
/ ued. "and I've suffered from this
sort Of embarrassment over since
can remember In my boyhood I
used to be taken, much against my
will. TO what were called 'Exper-
fence Meetings in the Methodist
church Frequently some man or
woman would run against a stump.
right in the middle Of a narrative
Of sin and repentance. and while
/ others all about me were encourag-
I ing them with Glory bets and
Z HaUetahs" I'd willingly have
snapped nv chances Of salvation,
/ for a trapdoor through which I
could have escaped to the base
ment And sometimes there We're
periods of dreadful silence. with
the parson waiting for someone to
/ arise and no one responding. Those
I frightful moments were fun of an
/ exquisitely painful embarrassment
/ to me. I'd feel my ears turning
/ the color of the crimson cloth on
which the Bible rested. viii be
/ grateful 20 anyone who can explain
the cause Of that phenomena"
We'll" said ]. there were no
other boys in your immediate vicin-
lily on those occasion, were they?
You were surrounded by adults.
/ Suppose there had been only chill
dren Of your own age present. don't
[ YOU believe you would have giggled
with the others"
He turned the matter over in his
mind for a moment, and then said:
, "Of course. I would: by Jove. !
never thought Of that. But il
doesn't explain why I should have
been embarrassed under the cir
/ cumstances as they We're"
And ! suppose it doesn't, but IL
/ opens up. I think. n rather interest
\ ing inquiry as 20 just how far the
/ feeling Of appropriateness" and
'inappropriateness" may enter into
the minds of human beings, with
out becoming source of unhappi-
ness May not the experience OF
my friend be due TO a too critical
and oversensitive temperament To
such a nature, whatever appears in
appropriate. becomes revolving.
Whereas there would be nothing
inappropriate in roomful Of
"llids" enjoying the discomforture
of an adult. a lone boy among his
elders might easily become a party
TO the discomfort. Whereas others
might laueh at the spectacle Of a
shirt-tail uncOnsctously exhibited in
public below the hem Of a mans
coat. q critical and over sensitive
+ person might feel only the glazing
inappropriatencss Of such attire
and be embarrassed at his own par
ticipation in the ill-timed exhibit
titou.
Were he the sole spectator, or had
he been the sole auditor of the fool
ish man in the car which my friend
and I Rad Just vacated, he would
have no such disturbing conscious
ness OF a violation of the proprie-
ties. because the public" which is
over critically before his mind,
would not be present 10 give the
violation a tangibuity.
Possibly this is not a perfect
elucidation OF my friends difficulty
but 10 viii have served its purpose,
if it leads some reader to attempt a
better.