The Washington herald., 1919-01-13

"A
You often hear it said that such
a one 10 good company" What Is
meant by that expression? Does II
imply that one is intellectual
Not necessarily. Some OF the
dreariest company and the greatest
bores in the world are those high
browed individuals who are top
heavy with learning, and who
go monologuing through life about
the dry-as-dust subject Of which
they happen to have made a study
Nobody can imagine passing joy
Gus evening listening to an abstruse
discourse on higher mathematics.
Nor do we yearn for undiluted doses
Of the society OF those who converse
like an understudy Of a woman's
culture club.
Ny definition Of good company is.
an individual who is an Intelligent
talker. and an equally intelligent
listener. An Intelligent. talker Is
person who has observation.
thoughts, imagination and who pos
sesses the power to translate these
into word pictures for US. He, OF
she, keeps US perpetually interested
by presenting to US a never ending
supply Of new impressions, ideas
and suggestions that open up fresh
vistas of thought to us.
And an intelligent listener is ono
who. in the slang of the day, gets
us" One who has the intelligence,
the comprehension, the background
Of n common experience and com
mon reading TO enable them to un-
derstsnd what We are saying, and
the imagination to follow US into
unknown fields. They are those
who are an inspiration TO talk to.
because they always know.
Given an individual who knows
how TO talk and how to listen. and
you have one who is good company
and he or she must be equally ef-
ficient at either end of the game, for
social intercourse, to be agreeable,
must be a mixed performance. The
most entertaining person on earth
soon wearies US If he OF she mo-
nopoHzes the conversation. while the
greatest spell binder falls silent in
the presence Of an audience as un-
responsive as a store dummy.
l should say that the first quail
fication of a person who is good
whom we enjoy being with are those
who can enter into our moods, who
can weep with US when We weep
and rejoice with US when we re-
joice. They must have the hu-
manity that enables them TO take
an interest in our personal affairs
We like to be with those who arr
willing to discuss our dreSsmakeTs
and doctors virtues and shOrtcom-
ings with us; who take a real heart
interest in our new automobile and
who are thrilled over our daughters
beaux. and our sons records at COL
Iege. and who eVinCe a real concern
in our successes and disappOint-
ments.
The society OF the sympathetic
man or woman is always sought
because the one subject of perpetual
interest to each and every one OF Us
is the eternal l, and as long as any
one will listen, with an appearance
of interest, to the story OF our lives
we rambIe on and on. tasting the
sweetest joy that existence has 10
give us.
The second quality those who are
good company must possess rs
CheerfuIness. We turn as instinct
to the one who has always 4 funny
story to tell and whose laughter is
hung on a hair trigger. as a flower
does to the sun. NobOdys idea Of
good company is the sour, solemn
visaged individual whose mouth is
drawn down into n cynical line. and
whose bitter smile is a blight on
any good time.
None of US willingly seek the So
ciety of those who have always
some hard luck story to tell ami
who weep upon our breasts and
recite to us the 1liad OF their woes.
We are terribly sorry for those who
have lost their money and those
who have been robbed by the death
of a loved one, and for the women
who have married drunkards, AMI
the men who have married spenders
or fiirts, but We are not pining TO
hear all of the heart rending de-
tails of their misfortunes.
We have troubles enough Of our
own without being burdened with
those Of our friends and acquaint-
ances. and so when We seek Compan-
ionship We pick out those who are
optimists, who lift US up on the wings
OF their hope and cheer. and who
make us feel that Gods in His
heaven and all is right with the
world. We do not long for the So
ciety of the pessimists who hll us up
with their own bilious forebodmgs.
who send US away with a dark-brown
taste in our mouths. and the couvic-
ton that everything Is perfectly rot
ten and tho world Is going TO the
bow vows.
Finally, one who is good company
Is not srgumentstiye, Personally. !.