Evening star., 1931-12-12
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES z. TRACEVELL.

Ideas once may have been inspira-
ton but most of them today come from
one of four activities either talk, read
ing. travel or experience.
Did you ever stop to think that the
bulk of the thoughts which float in anc
out of your mind in the daily life come
from one of these sources?
Perhaps it is not surprising, after all
for these four constitute, for most oi
us. life itself.
If we read, if we talk, if we have ex-
periences and if we travel, we have, in
deed, done a great deal.
These constitute one Of the true Big
Fours Of the world.
1t is not given to every man every
day to evolve all by himself a really
new idea.
New twists to old ideas come oftener
but even these so slowly, even to the
most mentally active persons, that the
glst Of our thinking is at second hand
Originality is much sought after but
seldom attained. There is nothing
new under sun" according to Eccle-
Slastes, and that thought was old wher
it was set down, several thousand years
ago
X x X
The best that most human beings car
do with thought processes is to make
their own as orderly and as honest as
they can.
Talk. in this process, must take pre-
Cedence even of reading, as large as
the latter bulks to many of us.
Life is the all-in-all, and talk is ar
ingredient of living, whereas reading
may not be, strictly considered. A man
might read to himself on desert is
land, and think his own thoughts for
ever, but when he talks he must have
some one to talk to.
Conversation, then, outranks reading
as gatherer Of ideas for decorating the
daily life.
Fortunate is the man who has a
friend or two with whom he dares
to speak frankly.
Only with such people will ideas
come into being, idea modifying idea.
until totally new concepts are grasped
by both sides to the conversation
Such talk Is a Joy forever.
1t is only after one knows this sort
Of conversation that he can realize how
pitifully inadequate are the inter-
changes Of words which commonly are
called talks"
One may feel terribly sorry for those
poor diplomats, of all nations, who
have met so persistently and hopefully
in the interest Of better international
understandings.
Every one, from his own daily ex-
perience, can know what those brave,
even though deluded. men were up
against; and how brave they must have
been, indeed. to have undertaken dis
cussions with so much held back on
each side.
In the ideal talk nothing Is held
back, except what good taste demands.
Good taste is the arbiter.
There are certain things which no
two people in the world dare to say to
each other.
Aside from these inhibitions, how
ever, much remains, and it is exactly
here that new slants on life are
brought to us in the everyday life.
Talking to one who knows a thing or
two and is not held back from saying
it by the thousand and one petty sides
Of life and living, human being in
fortunate possession of such friend
will find his mental horizons enlarged.
He will receive new ideas and evolve
new ones Of his own. They are new
to him, they possess the merit of
novelty. and he is thankful for them,
whether he agrees with them or not.
X
Reading is the next great source Of
ideas.
The booklover at times may think