Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-25
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

The better the point, the greater the
laugh.
Now, suppose you have heard q par
ticular story once, and all at once real
ize that you are going to hear 1t again
perhaps very much against your viii.
Since there is no law against its being
forced on you q second time, there Is
nothing to do, II you shrink from the
ordeal. but to pretend you have re-
ceived O telephone call from q friend.
Seize letter in an important man.
ner, rise from your chair and gaze
fixedly at the writing. Imagine you are
one Of the suitors In the famous scene
from 1.-THE Merchant Of Venice"
Just as the narrator asks the boys II
they have heard this one, you throw
back your head, in q determined man
ner, hold the letter rather high In the
left hand, but not too high, and then
walk rapidly from the room.
Every one present will think you have
an important conference somewhere,
and no one will wonder at your rapid
exit. Perhaps the story teller will have
a vague recollection that you have
heard the story, but he will be so en-
crossed with the retelling that he will
forget you the moment you are gone.
This Is the best way to handle a deli
cate situation, for 1t never does to need
lesSly offended men II you can help 1t.
Sometimes you can't. The joke OF 1t Is
that men are most often offended over
nothing at all, or next to nothing at all.
On the great matters Of life men are
very good sports, taking them by and
large, but on the small, unimportant
things they are forever looking for an
insult
The technique of story telling is a
curious one.
We have never heard a story teller
begin in any other way but ask his
auditors If they had heard 1t.
And, II they say yes, we have never
heard teller say anything else but
that he villa not tell 1t, then.
Then we have never known one but
to begin to tell it.
There are as many kinds Of story
tellers as there are men, but only q few
really have any right to tell 'em.
These are those gifted with the gift,
as it were, and those who also possess
certain intangible quality hard to de-
f1ne. but a part OF every successful
raconteur.
One man may get over every word OF
story, without laundering anywhere,
yet the tale will fall fiat. There will
be a few smokers, but the astute audi
tor will realize that th2y are mostly for
politeness' sake.
So will the teller. This type does not
possess the gift. There are other men
who can take the most unpromising ma
terial. and simply by their way Of tell
ing make it joy forever.
The indef1nable quality seems to be
based on an inner conviction, on the
part of the story teller, that every one
Is going to listen to him.
He has no fear, in other words, that
his listeners will be moving away from
him. He is sold" on his own story,
and has no idea In the world that others
will not be, too.
Those who fail as story tellers ought
to give up the practice. Once you come
to the conclusion that you are not good
at story telling, you ought never to at
tempt 1t.
Leave tales to the artists They are
theirs by right. But If you baik at
hearing the same one half dozsn times
and really good ones seem to run in
hocks-use strategy in getting out Of
It's way. There are only few stories
In every generation worth hearing more
than once.