Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-14

The great French story teller. Guy
de MaupasSant with that terrible non
esty of which he was master, in one OF
his short stories speaks OF certain types
of people who, he says. are Ignorant
not suspecting the fact that the
| simple are always deceived. the sincere
made sport of, the good maltreated."
Later, in the same story he says:
"Some 60 on till the day of their death
| in this blind probity and loyalty and
| honor, SO pure-minded that nothlng
can open their eyes"
Thus 1t is seen that this cool chron-
icler OF life as he found it recognized
| the essential happiness Of such char
| acters, despite the fact that they might
| be deceived, made sport OF, and NAL
treated.
In another Of his justly famous short
| stories (many of them simple sketches.
hardly deserving the title of short
| story" as we know it,, Maupassant re-
counts the love story OF the colonels
| daughter, who ran away with one OF
her fathers soldiers and lived with him
| for fifty years on the rugged isle OF
! Corsica.
How sad" remarked one of the hear
| ers. in the story. as she listened to the
| recital. YES but remember" said an
other. "she was happy!"
This second story compliments the
| first. It is seen even by this hard
realist that happiness. within certain
| limits, is its own reward.
Are the simple in heart always de-
ceved, and the sincere invariably made
sport Of. and the good constantly NAL
| treated?
Many will rebel at this structure, be-
! lieving it to be too inclusive. but this
| is a fault of all writing. No statement
can be made which does not have its
| exceptions.
All writer can do 1t to set down the
! truth as a generality. He realizes, as
he writes that many exceptions to his
| truth will Immediately occur to the
cultured reader, but for the life of him
he will change not one jot OF it.
He gives his reader credit for know
| ing as much as he does. The only diff
| ference between a good writer and a
| good reader Is that the former prob
| ably possesses the power OF self-expres-
| sion to a more marked degree than the
! other.
| This is why a reader so often says to
himself, why. that is exactly what I
! think" The writer expresses for him
| something which he, the reader.
feels" as he puts it, but never has
! put into words before, or possible never
| seen put into words before.
| -
mot suspecting the fact that the
| simple are always deceived. the sincere
made sport of. the good maltreated."
Even the most tenderly nurtured per-
| son, who has been handled very gently
| by life. will recognize the underlying
| truth of this statement OF Maupas-
! SAINT
| 1t refers. not TO the necessary reac-
tons of human beings to one another,
but TO the too often indulged-in reac-
tons, which tend to make one cynical
| upon observation
Perhaps Maupassant was cynic.
| Maybe a pesSimist. Yet it remains a
| fact that such men often utter truths
which ought to be stated. no matter
| how much one inclines to resent them.
| It does no one any harm 10 realize.
now and then. that the world is filled
with people. both men and women, and
some children, alas. who delight in de-
ceiving the simple. in making sport OF
| the sincere. and in injuring the good