Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-07
THIS AND THAT
BY cHARLEs g. TRAcEWELL.

This constant inspection which every
one In the world must submit to Is moi
often put into words so plainly as MARY
managed 1t.
Luckily for many persons. the criti'
rlsm dies with the thought. Inc private
~nuresslon Of opinions goes az easily a!
1t comes. One secs. one speaks, no ont
pays any particular attention.
The good things spectators say dit
with them, but often the III Is carried
by malicious or notwithstanding &C.
Quaintances to the one person wht
should not know.
This is O favorite recreation with Ill.
hammered persons, Usually they mask
their intentions with a show OF doing
good to the person to whom they
speak. Afterward it is found that they
meant good to no one except them
selves. Mostly they expect to benefit
by the retailing OF such tales.
The great majority Of home opinions
however, never see the light OF day, a.
1t were, and it is just as well, for toe
often such opinions are OF the veriesi
snap type.
that Is all. One cannot have the
slightest background of knowledge which
would make an opinion on the person
passing worth while. yet one does moi
hesitate a second, but boldly passe:
judgment.
such Judgment cannot be anything
but absurd. in the last analysis, since
human beings are to be judged, If at all
only when one is in the possession OF
the complete facts in the case.
And, as every one knows, often II
takes q lifetime OF living with any one
person to know him or her with any
afnn1o 40 oh
will reveal what endless days concealed
Out of the endless miasma of lies
distortions, half-triIths, misrepreSenta-
tions there energies a strange creature,
the man or woman which every one OF
us seems to some one else. 1t was this
which stirred Bobbie Burns to write
his famous lines expressing the desire
to see himself as others saw him.
The desire to retort in kind Is per-
hape the first impulse which comes TO
any one who for an instant is given
the privilege of seeing himself as others
see him. Usually the opportunity for
wise cracking" as the somewhat abb
surd modern phrase has it (yet surely
1t Is no more ridiculous than the habit
itself, gives an excellent chance for
perpetuating error and ridicule.
In the case of the gentleman whose
trouser width spurred Marys mother to
comment, the ribald will realize that he
had q most excellent chance for keen
repartee Yet such remarks would have
failed to serve any real purpose.
In the vast majority of cases man
kind is lucky not to know what man
kind thinks and says of its precious
self. The passing comments OF most
human beings on others are entirely
worthless, being based on ignorance OF
the subject and a lack of true interest.
Perhaps the one fact which shows
Burns verse to have little intelligence
behind it, after all. is that one so often
likes the very people whom one at first
criticized.
Instead of wishing that some power
would give us the gift of seeing our
selves as others see us, which would
result in no more startling or helpful
knowledge that some one or other
thought our pants too wide, or too mar
row, as the case might be. we should
wish for the gift of indifference, in
order that their thoughts might be
treated as they deserve.