Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-05
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

II like man, not men," said Emerson,
In 164e, when he was "a years old.
Many human being has thought the
same, before and since.
for trouble.
Familiarity breeds contempt. as the
old saying so succinctly put It.
That is not al1-it breeds.
will.
One may have the most theoretical
love for mankind, but often 1t Is put
severely to the test in the presence Of
some one representative Of the tribe.
Contact man." is the expressive desig-
nation evolved by American business
for the fellow who actually meets other
human beings, over the counter and
otherwise.
1t is widely recognized that all is not
gold that glitters here. A man may be
a rough diamond, but 50 rough that he
rubs us the wrong way, as We say.
Some men have a peculiar knack Of
getting along with their fellow human
beings. The typical public relations
counsel as he Is sometimes called, goes
to the extent Of cultivating this deliber-
ately.
Let us see what he makes out of it.
ne 6lapS Oue OH IHe UdChI SIhileS
broadly at ones approach and promises
the most impossible things.
No one with the least bit Of sense
imagines for an instant that he means
anything he says, but 1t Is interesting
to listen to him just the same and to
attempt to forecast the extent Of his
possible deeds.
The main hindrance to being forever
delighted in the individual personali-
ties which one encounters lies, one may
devotedly believe, in the code of con-
duct which every man alive builds UP
! for himself.
This, being a strictly personal affair,
differs with every man. Perhaps no
| two of these codes are exactly alike.
While m the main they coincide on the
fairly uniform levels OF different
classes, and so on. they differ as much,
each from each.
One man dislikes whistling, and an
other does not mind it. One gentle
man got himself some nation wide pub
licity recently by speaking out against
F., it. just as Schopenhauer disltked the
cracking of whips and said as much.
There is something to be said, how
! ever, for whistling in public. Yet II
( 1t irritateS one, well, one is irritated, Is
one not? Surely he has a right to be,
F., If the thing strikes him that way.
Why it so strikes him must be q
matter for study In every individual
case. Perhaps he cannot whistle well
himself. or associates the shrill sound
! with a certain boy of his childhood
| whom he particularly disliked.
! Maybe the whistle hater has come to
associate the sound with a certain ju-
venility of character which he long ago
gave over himself and heartily wishes
all other persons would give up as
| speedily as Nature permits.
\ 4 x
The convention. Of society demand
| that one endure. rather than openly
censure, all these actions which rub
one the wrong way.
| For politeness' sake, We ordinarily
/ overlook or pretend 10 overlook such
matters in all persons whom we do not
know very well. Thus the utter
] stranger often Is saved from the criti-
cism which the home folks or associates
in ones Office are subjected to. Famil-
iarity not only breeds contempt, 1t
! causes a certain lack of respect for the
| feelings of others, which fine line is
often stepped over in the course of an
average day.
The sad truth is brought home to one,