The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-06-18
A DANGEROUS GIFT.


did you ever in all your life see
anyone who can take off any one,
every one, as Lyra Marsten CAM"
asked Belle Baye as she and Huldah
Hilton were walking home from
school.
'Lyra is very clever at that" said
Huldah and then she added:
Sometimes l think that she is
more clever than WISE"
I'm what way?"
Because l have heard her take off
people when it was not at all kind Of
her to do so. The trouble with Lyra
is that she seems to have no respect
for age or condition when she wants
to show her capacity for taking Off
people. once heard her mimicking
very dear old lady and she did not
know that the old lady's niece was in
the room. Another time l saw her
take Off poor old Miss Lane, who is
crippled and walks with such partic-
ular gait. Do you think that the phys
ical affliction of anyone should ever be
mimicked?"
81 suppose not Probably Lyra
never thought anything about that.
She likes to make people laugh over
her cleverness. l don't think that
she means to be unkind or rude"
"But that does not lesson the un-
kindness or the rudeness, and
know very nice people who will have
M 10 do Nf
the way she is always taking Off
other people. She is very clever,
admit, but it is a dangerous kind of
cleverness, and those who have this
gift are almost sure to violate the
Golden Rule and to sooner or later
offend others when they allow them
selves to give full rein to this gift. .
Well, Huldah," said Belle, II
guess that you are right about that
and, when l come to think of it,
can recall instances when Lyra gave
downright offence by taking off
others. I don't suppose that I would
like it if 1 discovered her taking Off
any of my relatives or myself. There
is really certain hearuessness and
coarseness about it. AS you say, HUI
dab, it is a dangerous gift"
The sooner girls come to this
conclusion the better. Any kind OF
cleverness that offends or hurts 9th
ers is to be given expression with
care 1t will be sure to hurt someone
if it is given free rein. The other
day I heard very clever young
woman taking off sanity old
minister who has a certain pc
culiarity of speech and an odd way
of holding his head on one side
He is one of the finest old gentlemen
in the world, and his age and posi-
ton should compel a degree of re
spect that would make it impossible
for any kind of considerate person
to mimic him. He has hundreds Of
friends who would resent sharply
what they would feel to be an in
suit to him. And the very clever
person who is always taking off
people is rather shallow and always
thoughtless. A very successful pub
lie reader who was extraordinarily
clever in presenting the character:
she found in books or in pieces writ
ten expressly for recitation, was one
year spending the summer i'll the
country and was told Of an ole
woman in the neighborhood who
was a real character. One DAY.
neighbor of this eccentric ole
woman said to the gifted reader:
"You ought to go and see oil
Susan Blank and make a kind o
study of her. You could take her of
to perfection"
well, 1 would not even If knew
that I could initiate her to absolute
! perfection and for this reason:
never under any circumstances mimit
real people. never did and
never will. I would feel that wa
using my gifts of mimicry in wrons
way if did,"
Here was a degree Of Kindness
thoughtfulness, of refinement, o
Christian courtesy and generous feel
ing that every clever mimic should tr.
j to emulate. The feelings o
many sensitive people would b.
spared and much rudeness and coarse
ness would be avoided.