Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-31

Suspicion is a good thing for q human
being so long as it saves him from
something bad. but when 1t keeps him
4 from something good it must be sus-
7 pected itself.
We often have wondered-as no doubt
most persons have at some time OF
other-at the suspicious attitude which
many people seem to take toward life.
II q prominent man is mentioned in
their presence, they declare his motives
are different from what they appear on
the surface and mostly selfish and bad
II a great inventor is instanced, they
Immediately say that some told
them that the maj had stolen the thing
from somebody else no n ever
heard Of.
If some heroic deed is recalled there
is always some person around who is
willing to assert that the hero had a
selfish motive; that he simply tucked
out" on being a hero.
In almost every gathering there is
some one who is able and willing to
throw cold water, as the saying has It,
on everything which seems to be good,
or brave, or decent, or sweet.
If fine qualities cannot be run down
in any other way, they must be re-
garded as effeminate or unmanly, the
very words held unfit for public utter
ance among real "he-men."
X \ X "
Suspicion is at the bottom of all such
attitudes.
In a world where man must earn his
bread in the sweat of his brow, with
competition often at its keenest, despite
heroic attempts to gloss over inimical
factors, he has been forced to retain
some mistruSt Of others.
The urbanization Of civilization has
played its part in keeping alive this
essentially hostile attitude. AS towns
grow into cities and Is cities become
larger every man loses contact with
his fellows, except In certain groups
He no longer knows the man at his
elbow. He cannot tell by dress OF
appearance, because often the worst
Scoundrels are the best dressers. The
"slick city feller," bane Of country peo-
pie years ago, today worries the honest
city a
A certain amount of suspicion, there
fore, would seem to be an essential
protection. It Is a far cry from the
Astounding hospitality Of colonial days
In America, when the wide-open door
was the standard, to the modern home
with its select circle Of friends. Those
who come to the door and knock must
fref tall THAR h11cipncS before IL is
opened. Even then they may not get in,
and often they do not deserve to get in,
Yet the essential thing is that this
point of view, If it may be called such
must not be confused with a general
lied suspicion which is forever search
ing for hidden motives. The former
type of suspicion may be called COM
mon sense, at its best; the latter is
nothing but a very poor way OF looking
at life, a bad way of living, from the
standpoint Of many who feel that they
would rather be cheated now and then
than go along feeling that all hands
were against them.
Thus we are brought close to the Dor
ders Of optimism. Certainly a hearty
belief in Goods in His Heaven, alis
right with the world" would prevent any
human being from feeling that he could
trust no one. Sometimes, at least, he
believes in face values.
If he is taken in" for trusting 9TH
ers, to a certain extent, he is willing to
pay that price, rather than permit
SophiStication to denude him Of the
clearness Of vision and ~cleannesS OF
heart which make life worth living.
Let us look at suspicion for a while
Often the dictionary helps give q good