Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-12
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

Those who always see things in an
inimical light for the other fellow are
among the most curious of mankind.
Yet there are any number Of them,
SO the conclusion must be that many
OF ones fellow human beings fall
within ones personal definition Of
curious.
These specimens instinctively reach
for an explanation Of another's con-
duct which will divest him Of every
shred OF Self-respect.
They never look into their own
minds and hearts and try to reason out
why they would do SO and so and then
ascribe like reason to the other
Or, If they do. 1t is some miserable
crawling trait which they glimpse in
themselves. instinctively do not like,
and therefore delight in showing of
onto some one else.
***
It never seems to occur to such
people that any other reason for an
action can be possible than the one
which they prefer.
Mostly their judgments are of the
sheerest snap variety. caught out of
the air. without one basis of real rea-
son behind them, built in all likeli-
hood on compound OF dislike and
envy.
The real harshness in this sort of
thing comes in the fact that such a
judgment. once made, is seldom ever
given over.
Especially II some one tries to point
out the real reason for the action of a
third party is this queer snap judg-
ment held to tenaciously; in fact,
bolStered at every word thereafter as
If the very life Of the holder depended
on it.
Thereafter the spectator has the
pretty spectacle of a human being
arguing not for what is right, but for
what he has said.
The late George Dorsey. in his big
book Civilization: Mans Own Show"
pointed out the large part words have
played in the life Of mankind.
Sometimes it seems to the careful
observer that the less that words mean
to a speaker, in all honesty and truth.
the more he clings to his own assort-
ment of them.
That is, what he says tends to take
on for him, tSe aspects of truth to
much greater degree than the words,
and therefore thoughts, of much
more capable user Of words.
The latter, realizing that words are
after all only symbols, knows enough
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really define.
Psychologists, for INSTANCE, develop
new words and combinations OF old
words to define the concepts which
their struggling brains are attempting
to clarity for themselves primarily and
other people afterwards.
They know enough to know. however,
that their big and Strange-sounding
terms have only pushed the mystery OF
life and intelligence back few degrees.
4
The honest man, who takes pride In
being fair in his thoughts toward
others. will never be satisfied with q
first impression, especially If 1t Is
inimical.
The very fact that It is not good
makes him suspicious. He does not feel
that good must be invariable, but he
wonders If he is not making a mistake.
He hates making mistakes. not only
in relation to himself, but also in re-
gard to other people. He is not afraid
of the good, nor does he overpraise 1t.
He desires to be fair, and especially
to others, because he knows that being
fair to others is the surest way Of be-
ing fair to himself
He does not have one standard of
conduct for himself and those he likes