Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-09
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRAcEWELL.

human being what he ought to do, or
what he should think.
This curiously interesting process in
wolves q subtle pity for him, combined
with a pleasing sense Of superiority,
achieved through the simple process Of
daring to put him on the defensive
To show how easily 1t is for most
human beings to fool themselves, when
1t comes to thinking up excuses for
what they want to do, one may say
that at this point the average human
being will be inclined to assert, "Only
a person suffering from wide inferior
ity complex would think that his friends
are sitting around criticiZing him. Why,
they have a great many better things
to do than that!" Which would be in
tereSting, If true, but the lugubrious
fact is that human nature is human
nature the world over and that every
body talks about everybody else, and he
who won't admit so simple a truth is a
human ostrich sticking his head into
the sand. What his reason is for such
q silly process is a theme air by itself
which we shall utilize with great gusto
upon the next happy occasion.
X = r. y
The person who believes in adding
to the store of happiness in the world
will be glad that he can furnish such
ready material to the hands of his
friends. He will be pleased that he
can do it without trouble or effort to
himself. He will be happy that he can
friends without doing any of the work
himself. This is his good deed" every
day, and so long as his friends do not
bother him with too pointed personal
criticism he Is willing to stand for any
thing.
He Is glad that he Is not one of these
curiouSly colorleSS persons whose armor
is impervious. Every one knows such
man. He never had a nickname, as
boy, because he had no distinct foible,
quirk or any other matter upon which
his small comrades could hang a good
one. He could not be called Skinny
because he was neither lean nor fat.
For the same reason Fatty" would not
do. Reds was out of the question, as
his hair was nondescript. No one ever
called him by diminutive first name,
because his real one was so oVerwhelm-
ingly right.
When he went to college he got his
full and correct name into all the COL
lege ANIMALS, year after year; you see,
he was so good that no one could find
fault with him, not even in his per-
fectly correct moods. When he got into
Tile UuoIlCSS MOIIQ DuSy Ok
affairs who became his comrades had
to let him stand by himself, he was so
regular, right. complete, Self-sufficient.
Yes, one may be glad that one Is not
like that, but Is rather nearer to the
ideal of the great Hans Christian Ander-
sen, whose anniversary is now being
celebrated. Andersen made one of his
fairy characters declare, Nothing that
is human is foreign to me-" In world
where perfection Is relative, 1t is per-
hapS better to share the common fall
lible characteristics than to be a man.
mountain peering haughtily over the
heads Of ones comrades. In the curl
Gus journey of life, haraSSed by sin,
sickness and worse, it is perhaps no
little thing to be able to furnish amuse-
ment without charge to others. Mankind
has shown its willingness to pay enor-
nous sums annually to be amused. He
who furnishes engaging conversational
material free has done something to-
ward making this a brighter and hap
pier world. He may not be appreciated
at his full worth, for mankind often does
not appreciate what it does not have
to pay for. But he will have an inner
sense of happiness, nevertheless, a feel
ing that he has done his duty, that he
has given a service where it was not
asked. that he to some extent has
joined the eternal ranks of those who
have played the fool to some purpose.