Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-10

Words are free.
That is why any one can say any,
thing about any one or anything.
Also it is the one big reason why
no one should much mind what any
! one says
Yet human nature is so made that
| most of us feel hurt by the evilly in
tended remarks of others.
The peculiar thing is that often the
injury is more keen when the remark
is unjust.
; 1T is the truth which hurts" was
coined by some one who did not know
what he was talking about.
AS a generality 1t has its applica-
tions, but there are thousands of men
and women to whom the false accusa-
ton is far more hurtful than the
truthful one
The truth they can stand with i'm
punity, because they know it them
selves, and probably far better than
the one who proffers it as a revelation
The false accusation, however, hurts
them with a hurt which they are at
an utter loss to explain to themselves.
1t is customary for others, noting
the resentment to say that "Oh, he
is too thin-skinnedr' or imply that he
should not permit himself to be kid
ded" so easily.
ECIlldJS Ilc SIlCulQ ilOJ, DuI IIldI Is
aside from the question. The fact is
that he feels an almost ungovernable
resentment at the sings and slurs of
those who say whatever they please,
regardless of the truth.
X X
The only apology which can be made
Tor those who make too free with
words is that they are not in possess
sion of the facts. For the rest, they
use words as weapons to combat those
whom they cannot fight with truth
and too often misuse them.
Words are free and any one can use
them in any way he likes. aside from
some little regard TO the libel laws and
the danger of being punched in the
jaw. 1t will be found that those who
handle words carelessly take advan-
tage of the modern freedom, which
applies to words as well as to actions.
Also, they have learned the clever trick
of smiling when they say the rottenest
things, thus causing friendship to
carry load it was by no means de-
signed to bear.
Let no sensitive one, therefore, worry
about anything which Is said, but keep
in mind the simple truth that words
are free and are susceptible of misuse
as well as proper usage. Children
SNOW Jne simplest misuse When they
shout their singsong doggerels at play
mates, irrespective of fitness.
1t takes ability and much practice
to use words properly, to make them
say what one wants them to say and,
above all, to make them truth tellers.
Words are so packed with meanings,
so fringed with differences, that only
the exceptional man can use them
properly in speech. Perhaps a few
more can tell the truth with written
words.
At any rate, the average person in
conversation is utterly unable to make
words do what he wants them to do
To use them to bring frowns, to
wound sensitive minds with them, is so
easy that only children ought to in
dulge in it. 1t is safe to say that the
greatest men in the world, if subjected
to half the banter which ordinary fell
lows bestow upon one another, would
react no otherwise than many a per-
son does in silence.
Words are free, to the extent that no
one has a patent on the 100000 which
get into the larger dictionaries. Most
of the nearly half million mean noth-
ing to the so-called man in the street.