Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-11-30

! Can it be that we all miss the gift
of soul. or something or other, which
Some One is anxious to give us, but
which we do not deserve, because We
are not receptive enough?
Arrogance is the father of ingratitude,
hence the ancestor of all the breed of
folly. sophistication, intolerance and
snobbshness which makes human
being incapable of receiving benefits,
even though they be hurled at his
head.
The present-day theory of the self
styled "intellectuals," that one must
not submit to be preached at Or to read
anything pointing moral, even II It
| does adorn tale, is rather the FAULT,
one may suspect, of many faults which
the owners do not choose to recognize
openly.
There is probably no human being
who cannot get some good pointer from
almost every other human being with
whom he comes into contact, yet to dc
so would be to recognize that one is
| either lacking something or has some
| trait which might be corrected.
| This fatal brake to progress in char
acter works on more people than pei
| haps would be willing to recognize Its
existence in themselves. For Instance,
take the case of Mrs. Neufashionn and
Mrs. Oldfashion. These two ladies were
good acuuaintanceS mot friends. for
friendship seems to be no longer fash
ionable)
Friendship presupposes willingness
to give and take, loyalty which is
utterly outside the mode of the moment.
Why, loyalty, gratitude. sincerity
these are absurd, old-fashioned virtues
which have little place with hip-pocket
TASKS.
Mrs. Neufashionn had long ago made
I'D her mind (Which was che rather
, easily made up, evidently that she was
the perfection of womankind. What
she didn't know wasn't worth knowing
what she hadn't seen wasn't worth see
ing. what she couldn't do wasn't even
worth trying to do.
Her daily habits were the quintes-
sence of worth, clevernesS, speed, vigor,
vim, intelligence and anything else you
chose to name along those lines. she
was so thoroughly convinced OF all this
that she never had the slightest idea
that improvement in herself was pos
sible
She would allow, of course. that 9TH
ers might learn much from her.
Couldn't any woman who came WlGnln
the charmed circle OF Mrs. Neufashionn
learn a great deal about everything in
the world, simply through the simple
expedient of keeping her eyes and ears
open, and by calmly copying the words,
deeds and thoughts of that great model?
Yet she had a Sneer for such as did
COPY her. especially if they happened
to have more money, and could carry
into execution the plans which she. Mrs.
Neufashionn, so carelesSly executed IN
her brilliant mind. To stand on the
edge of the magic circle in proper awe
was enough she who dared step over,
and made the step too vigorous, Tell
under the ban of Mrs. Neufashionus
disapproval.
The funny part of it was how keenly
Mrs. Neufashionn felt that disapproval.
Her feeling of her own disapproval OF
others was meticulous to a degree. AL
! though she never suspected for second
| that any one else could possibly diSap-
prove of her, how Fundamentally and
| how unanimously did she show her lack
of respect for the habits, deeds, words,
of others!
An observer, as from another sphere,
would have found her attitude singu-
larly amazing, since it gave all faults
| and failings to others. but never per-
mitted a one for herself Surely" such
celestial visitor might have said to
himself, "the dear lady must have some
falling. Is it possible that I have at
last, in my journey from sphere to
sphere, stumbled upon the creature