Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-17
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

tive. She is determined to like it, and
she does like it. so great is her own
trust and confidence in herself.
"Oh, am going to the operai" she
gurgles. Il wouldn't miss it for any
thing. Any one who would be willing
to miss it is-well, perhaps 1 had better
not express my opinion too frankly"
Mrs. Cheyne only says the first two
sentences, of course. The remainder of
her dialogue is what she thinks. but
she puts the first two sentences so
pointedly that any one can see the giSt
of the rest of it without half trying.
Then there is Duddington st. John
Beauchamp, a fine fellow who just
wouldn't miss new GalsWorthy novel
for anything. Mercy, no! GalSworthy
somehow depends great deal on Dud-
dington St. John Beauchamp.
To hear the latter tell about it, no
sooner does new Galsworthy appear
on the tables at the book stores than he
must straightway HE himself there and
get himself neat copy.
The reading thereof need not be done
so precipitately. Once Beauchamp gets
the book home, he can take his time
about 1t. The main thing, it seems, is
to actually get possession of the novel.
you read Galsworthy's new one? No?
You should. 1 got it the other day"
There is wealth of meaning in that
questioning MOP" Even he of the
toughest epidermis understands that
what MIR. Beauchamp says is as follows:
Il did not expect that you would have
read it, You are essentially a crude
fellow, one to whom the best literature
Is a stranger.
tNro Ja,,h, 49,, 1,o,,a 4 G/tri,,,,,, @,
Fairy Tales and Alice in Wonderland.
and maybe Robinson Crusoe, but your
education along strictly literary lines
has been sadly neglected.
II merely asked you if you had read
it to see if you would attempt to throw
a bluff. 1 am glad, at least, that you
are honest. and admit to the world your
ignorance"
The comical thing about this lady and
this gentleman, it seems to us, is their
intense belief that in some mysterious
manner they are the guardians OF
culture.
Neither one of them-nor any one OF
their scores of brothers and sisters the
world over-ever gives the other fellow
credit for having seen anything, or
heard anything, or read anything.
They do not know. and do not want
to find out, whether another has read a
new book or heard an old opera, or
been to Europe, too
All these things may be old stories to
him. but not to them. They are SO
new to them that they cannot resist
talking about them, and SO they give
themselves away.
1t is an axiom of human conduct that
most conversation is about the new
Men and women everywhere are in the
same boat with the men of Athens
who Paul found did nothing but dis
cuSs new things.
Whenever you hear somebody stating
that they would not miss the opera for
| anything" you can set it down for fact
that this same somebody is a newcomer
to the cultural fields.
Whereas the truly cultured take their
culture with a grain of salt, and are
willing to miss any number OF fine
opera performances. having heard many
as good or better in the past, the new
conner to the medium finds himself OF
herself engrossed.
This wholesome interest, let us be
| quick to say. is their good point. They
| are to be commended for having 1t
| We wish. however. that they would not
| be so quick to look sneeringly at those
who for one reason or another do not
| feel as heatedly about it as they do.