Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-09

| into disputes. In families such persons
! are often picked on" and their lives
made miserable by members of the
quarrelsome class. They seldom retail
gracefully as possible.
Pugnacity in the everyday walks of
life, especially in urban districts. Is
more often shown by mental rather
than by physical manifestations.
A stiff right to the jaw is not so
much to be feared as the retort nasty.
Hundreds of men who would scarcely
nothing at all of handing him what Is
called in the vernacular mean line
Of chatter"
The mentally mean and quarrelsome
range from the man who speaks only
when he gets ready to the individual
who brings the quarrels Of home out
into the world with him. In between
there are all gradations Of quarrelsome
individuals.
Some men seem to be quarrelsome
on general principles. These are the
ones who are spoken of rs bearing
Chips" on their shoulders. What they
really bear is great burden OF mean
ness.
There can be little question that
such dispositions react upon and against
their possessors even more harsf1ly than
they impress others. The surly man
who is forever in q crouch has a great
deal to bear and others should feel sorry
for him as much as possible.
Physical characteristics have little to
do with 1t. Every one knows big men
who are pleasantly great, big men who
are meanly little; little men who are
frankly pleasant, and little men who
are snarlingly small There are some
men more to be feared when they smile
than others with weapons in their
hands.
1t often seems that quarrelsome peo-
pie get along better in life. Other peo-
pie are afraid of them and let them
have their way. This is strikingly mani
fest in crowd, where the most pugna-
cious person invariably gets to q point
of vantage quicker than the polite man.
Sometimes even q peaceful person will
be inclined to alter his manner under
such circumstances. He finds that
quarrelsomcneSs works.
The peaceable person, however, al
though he may not make quite the ma
terial progress that more unre-
strained "pusher" does, in the long run
will have less resentment clinging to
him and probably will enjoy a happier
life
If it be said that the quarrelsome en-
Joy their quarrelsomeness. so much may
be admitted without destroying the
probability that their surlineSs-and we
know no better name for twill react
against themselves.
They act sour, and look sour-they
must be sour. The worst point of these
surly fellows is how they never keep 1t
to themselves, but pcrpetually spill it
on others.
The peaceable. on the other hand. are
more inclined to live within themselves
and to permit others to mind their bust
ness. even as they mind their own. From
such natures one will never get any eff
fusions, either good or bad.
Since. however. their contacts are
cheerful, they do a great deal of good
in the world, not only in themselves,
but also by force OF example. It is
not SO much a matter Of optimism as
of peacefulness-not peacefulneSs in the
anti-military sense, but simply in the
individual. Army men. as a class, are
among the most peaceful individuals.
Yes, those who give the wall and
those who take 1t, "the peaceable AMI
the quarrelsome," are still very much
in the world, to be found on every
street with or without a wall.