The Washington herald., 1920-05-31
HOW TO AVOID BEING A BORE.

While listening to the tedious
conversation of some dull and stu
pid individual did you ever expert
ence a chilling of your eXtremities,
accompanied by gone feeling at
the pit of your stomach, as you
suddenly wondered IL you were as
great a bore to other people as he.
or she, is to you?
1t is a fearsome thought and one
calculated to blanch the cheeks of
the boldest, for there is not one of
us who, in our secret souls. would
not rather be arraigned at the bar
of public opinion for any crime,
from murder to chicken stealing,
rather than to be charged with be-
ing a bore.
Moreover, the mischief of the
matter is that we can never really
be certain whether we are bores
or not. We may believe. and trust,
and pray that we are not bores.
but we can not. positively know.
We can not maxi a personal test
for we are all spalbinders and fas-
cinating to ourselves
Nor can we accurately gauge our
reaction on others because conven-
ton has taught us to do the Spar
tan boy stunt and smile. and smile.
and appear diverted while our very
vitals are being gnawed by the te-
diOus. and we are suffering incred-
ible agonies of ennui.
We have even been taught to
camouflage our sentiments so well
that when at last. in answer to our
fervent silent petitions to heaven
! for deliverance, the bore finally
rises to depart we urge him. or her,
| to stay longer. and to come again
and repeat the torture.
Therefore. unless people actually
yawn in our faces. we have no
means Of knowing whether they
are weary unto death of us. or are
hanging enraptured on our words.
This being the case the only safe
thing to do is to regard ourselves
with suspicion as one who might
could. or would become a bore. and
to take every possible precautior
against being innocent1y betrayed
into becoming one of these dread
scourses of our fellow creatures.
The first. and one of the mos
important. prevention measures tc
be taken is to make short visits
and to administer our society to oul
friends and acuuaintances in broker
and homeopath ic doses. Perhaps II
this one thing is comprised thu
whole of the law and the prophets
as regards not being a bore.
For human nature is so consti
tuted that it can stand almost an,
affection for n short time. It I!
only when the suffering is Ions
drawn out that it breaks dow
nerves and becomes uncomfortable.
Hence as long as we stick to To-
| In q Nd nnn-n1f F1nnthn1 IF ra11
ing, we need never fear but swha
we will be welcome guests. TIL
Individual everyone breads to SCI
is he who stays and stays ant
presses along until you feel Xix
screaming with boredom. Brevit.
Is said TO he the soul of wit. 1t 1
certainly the secret Of popularity
} and first aid in the prevention o
boredom.
It is literally true that anybod,
can be entertaining for half a,
hour, and nobody is brilliant enoug'
to be entertaining for three hour
on a stretch. Ones own expert
ence abundantly proves this. Thin
! of how merrily the first part of
dinner party goes. and how drearil
the last part! Remember how yo
chartered away at high speed wit
Jones TOT the TTSI nOuF OI MS VlSl
and what hard going the secon
hour was to find something to tai,
, about! Recall how interesting 20
, thought Mrs. Smith was when yo
first knew her. and how dull. yo
consider her now!
Apply this hardly won informa
tion about others to yourself. Don
feed people upon your society, bu
always keep them asking for NOR,
, Condense whatever you know tina
D is amusing, interesting and unusus
: into one small compact bomb, an
having hurled, it into the CONVEX
= sational midst, beat II away frol
Z the spot. So shall you gain tn
l reputation of being entertainin,
land be sought for dinner partie
Y And. at any rate, people will fol
y give you, even If you do not scir
tilate IL you are not slayer an
long winded.
The second precautionary mea.
| ure against becoming a bore is [
Iavoid the monologue habit Thei
: are none whom we hate and drea
3 so much as those who get the foe
: and keep II, while they listen Ell
raptured to the sound of their ow
. voices, while all the balance of ,
] sit on pins and needles waiting 4,
J a chance to break in and try o,
1 our own vocal organs.
Never forget that conversation
never a one-nan or one-woman pc
. formance, be the taIker ever
learned or have ever SO interestir
thing tosrelate. The conversati<