The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-08-01
Hdsty Criticism Is
Nearly AirGyS Unjust
BY NORA COLE SKINNER.

BY NORA COLE SKINNER
Longfellow was not Just saying,
pretty words when he wrote thl.
lovely poem beginning
Il shot an arrow into the air,
II fell 10 earth. | knew NOT where
1t Is symbollcal Of so many Of oa:
words and actions We say th.13
that carry hurts; We do things tha.
give uuhapplncss: not that We are
mean. not that II gives us pleasure.
but because we do not think We
shoot arrows into the air and they
are most likely to strike SOMEBODY
before they bury themselves in The
oak or the ground. But we uey
realize that until after the person 4
struck.
| heard Of an amusing case Of this
sort that happened just this aH
Fourth OF July. II was amusing
fortunately, because the two womel
were real friends. had common
sense. and a sense OF humor,
At church dinner these two wer.
serving the cakes. Possibly 90 had
been brought in, and one ot thee
women had sliced practically all Z
them, when, turning and tolch3
bl4t NaNll l'Fl h4l4l't Flt' 0 y tatt'' n
II wouldn't serve any OF t'-s
cake. don't know who madeN 4
but it cuts so hard | know j IS hs
good"
The other woman began 90 fef'
the shivers going up and down Ae'
back, and the blood almost poppf
through her face. for well she kn,'
whose cake Il was with all NJ
CompOsure she could command S'.
pinchcd off a piece Of the cake a'l
ate il, and deciding It was not as h'l
as IL might be. turned g. the oihe'
laughingly and said
II made that cake and You ha'4
got to eat u piece OF It II II Hhs
YOU" n
BY that time tho first woman III
already killed, and would
swallowed the cake whole h"'
could atone for the thouGhtt's -r';'
cism she had shot rccklessly into .''
aIr---and which had reached rs d.',,
tination before II had spent any :
its force.
or course that wasn't any tri',
edy, but tragedies do come from I!!r
such careless remarks. II Is r''M
thing, and sometimes CuWa'I|' ~
throw ugly words or adverse "a.
cisms around, not knowing ana d,
many cases not caring, whom "'
will strike.
our opinions that we hand ont +"
freely perhaps no one 'd''-
Every thinking person u0lnAoip1'
has opinions, but most thiuH.hS pr
sons do not feel called upon 10 ~,
all they think. II, however, we '
just bursting to talk Ills best 10 :, !,
away with the arrow k'hN anu -
further into the poem;
Il breathed song into tho a'I
II fell TO earth, | knew NOT wA'r'I
surely ones song could nor 'tus
pain, nor bring reproach'- W,]-
found IN the heart Of a it'n,al..
Ilasty criticism is nearly "W,t,
unjust. II is an opinion aired ','nn,
the critic knows both sides '. '
case. the circumstances I'tN.As ,,
TO the action, or the ingr'i''h.S .,..t ..tt
20 TO make up the object 't. '.,Is.
In the suit against this N''I' ''
cake. II was fun Of nuts. ANA '.. -
hard. but the woman shot h.'
before making a thorough 'At NV ',...-,
tion, an examination that N..'' 10
shown her the cake was '1' ',. l,..
delicious on the grounds -r
II the very thing that maa' " ,'
hard. .r.
Mostly, Il hurts another. hn' '..
II hurts ones self. The a'gE'... ..'
who told me the little story .'. ~
that she was the woman "a' JAW
the cake: .y
Il felt bad enough ~ sh.
hut l actually felt s1rrior i'. -
friend. she'll never get over ..