The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-02-17

1 C1 oMEwHERE Keats has said that IS the private ideas of man about
 his own life are his 'philosophic
 back yard
 I went out into mine the other day and pulled up a suspicion or two by the roots and planted in place of them broad, humorous-smile.
 Heaven be praised for a sense of
 humor; it helps when all else fails, for though you may speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not a sense of humor well, any way, it does
 make a body sort of smile to hear great big .'six-footer' of a man acknowi- edge (and voluntarily, too that men arc
 as peculiar and queer about trifles, the little things of life as women. All of which has come about through the visit of "a perfectly niee|gentleman the other evening, who. ensconcing him self comfortably with the rest of us, proceeded to air his views on the subject of generosity.
 Generosity said he, s:s curious thing.
 And he puffed big. h!ue-gray circles of smoke into the air and rocked away foN dear life rafting for somebody to agree with sim; or better, to disagree with aim.
 l. As none did. he continued:
 No one is generous in a normal fash ion. That is, there are certain things that man will part with with perfect , willingness, and certain other things Tar less valuable intrinsically that he ] wouldn't part with to save your life. For instance ' someone suggested more to keep up the conversation than anything else, although the speaker had aroused 8 modicum of curiosity among
 his auditors.
 Well III just illustrate what l mean by my own personal experience" he said, warming up to the subject. w nen d chance to meet man friend and l offer him cigar, I am more than pleased when he accepts my hospitality and helps himself to the proffered smoke. In fact | I want him to have the very best own, l and welcome to it. But, when it comes i to my cigarettes--well, I just simply get l mad at the very sight of having to oIlef 1 them to anybody. I feel distinct sense l of personal injury when my own brother asks me for one I'm fond of my brother 1 too. for lend him money, and gladly at l that I lend him, my ties, my hair
 brushes and my automobiles but when I he asks me for cigarette I fairly bristle
 with rage. I inquire churlishly why ne | does not buy some of his own, anu am l so disagreeable about it that nly family l of two sisters and my mother call me selfish and ungenerous. In fact, l am s' iugly about it that no living creature Du' l a blood relative would accept one from
 the package so grudingly offered. 1 I sat and listened with the greatest I degree of satisfaction and the broades' sort of a smile because women are al ways being told how selfish they are in
 little matters and how 'picayunish they
 are while men are so big and kind and i generous in everything.
 "Queer enough" said one of the won1- en of the party, while was reflectine upon my sense of well being since ths man had made his confession, but such things apply as well to women as men l I recall that about month ago l was asked to be one of a camping party ana we went far away from civilization te
 spend a week. I had packed my sult. case with great care so that 1 snouie ,have every convenience in spite of the fact that I would be miles away rom shop with no chance to get anything thai l I might have left behind.
 .T had flor a tentmate girl Of the variety who never takes anything aione in the way of little things" continued the woman. She began 10 borrow 5us l as soon as we got in camp, and was real kind--for me-and let her have near, Nv everything she wanted until she got to the question of hairpins"
 Mercy! you wouldn't balk at smal I thing like that?' interposed the man.
 ..Remember the cigarettes" she re-
 minded. s'l had enough hairpins to do dozen Botticelli cultures and as many
 moro 'swirled' and 'puffed' affairs as 70, could mention. But somehow 1us