The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-01-21
Bezgure of
These Oily
Diplomats
BY MARTHA LEE

Beware of the diplomats, or, if
you will, those persons who are SO
full of tact that they wouldn't tell
the truth and hurt someone, even
if it killed them. These blunt out
spoken fellows may hurt a PERSONS
feelings once in a while, but that's
much better than slowly bleeding
to death with conscious and inSin-
cere kindness"
Take the sallow- complexioned girl
who comes out in a chocolate brown
dress She looks terrible, naturally,
because the brown accentuates her
yellow complexion. She has vague
doubts as to just how suitable it is
to her.
One of these diplomats, roaming
The world with that "let me help
you" look spies her. A new dress!
He Gor She) must say something
when one has new dress. It's the
thing to do. It's in the books. And
so he Cor She) says, How lovely
you look in the new brown dress!"
And when that look of delight
comes, the diplomat becomes en-
eouraged. He is getting over.
So he says, my dear, you should
always wear brown" And the poor
girl does, because it was all much
more convincing than the mirror,
and certainly more fiattering.
And the consequence is Sallow
girl in a brown dress for the rest
of her life. And a shattered romance.
The trouble is, one never knows
when a diplomat is telling the truth,
or when he is sliding past first base.
And if he is terribly good diplo-
mat, the most educated of diplomat
discoveries are apt to be taken in.
And the whole reason is that all Of
us possess such a love Of fiattery,
when it isn't too thick, that we
chuck good sense in corner for
future reference. ID
Now take the case of the girl who
writes the letter today:
Dear Miss Lee-I have been going with
boy who is just about everything a girl
could desire. Smooth looking, good con-
versationalist, dances like fool wears
the latest in clothes. just the kind OF a
fellow you want to take around for all
your friends to meet.
We have been going pretty steady for
the last nine months. He is always lovely
to me, compliments me on how / look
when we go. out, and all that sort of
thing.
But his attitude toward me has changed.
If I catch him off his guard, I almost
would suspect he was merely tolerating
me for the evening, just hoping it would
be all over, pretty soon. When I ask him
what the trouble is, he says nothing
at all. But / know there is I'm not as
dumb as he thinks am.
We do not have as many dates as we
used to- When I mention it, he makes
excuses, that, if stop to think them over,
sound pretty fimsy, but when he tells
them they sound all right. I can't make
it out.
I dearly love this boy. but I can't figure
him out. We were to have been married
soon He has not broken the engagement
but he certainly never mentions it.
Can you tell me what the trouble is?
Is he trying to freeze me out9'
DISHEARTENED.
My dear, he is one of the common
or garden variety of diplomats, who
should be easily recognizable. He
does not even try to conceal it, but
wears all the trademarks. He is
doing just that, letting you down
easily. Which is the meanest trick
anyone could do.
e I firmly am convinced that a
clean, clear amputation is much to
be preferred to the dainty carving
method employed by your boy
friend After all, there isn't any
sense in hurting a person every day
for about five months, when the
whole thing easily could be accom-
plished in one "fell swoop."