Evening star., 1932-01-11
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

! not want to hear it? Often he asks
himself this question II he happens to
be of the questioning type OF nina, and
always his answer is: Because l am
not interested. have seen just
enough and know just enough to be
practically sure that he Will tell me
nothing new, although he may thnk
it is new, and that will not be inter
ested in it, but will find the entire
process somewhat tiresome.
Hence the elder adopts policy OF
reserve in regard to the stranger,
which becomes more fixed as the years
90 bv. The young man may not under
| stand II. but he will at last. In the
meantime it makes no difference. 1t is
that feeling as much as any other
which holds back the experienced un-
less he happens to be OF that pecullar
brand of human beings which dellghts
in poking its long nose into the analrs
of youth. II cannot be gainsald that
men and women of this type 40 some
good in the worlo. Perhaps they are
essential, but we do not think So and
very few Of the young people they at
tempt to help think so.
The Young man by sort OF sixth
sense knows that the actions, or lack
of actions, of the average older man are
somehow right in the normal state OF
things and that he cannot escape from
it in his turn. 1t Is this feeling, held
bv even the most frivolous Of young
sters in business, which enables them
to discount the seeming diScourtesy and
plain indifference Of those who are
their elder in years.
y X
The stranger, the newcomer, may
lave something new to tell, and one
dcesn't want to hear it. That is the
plain truth. The hypocrite will say it
is not the truth, but 1t Is. Assertion
does not make truth; facts make truth.
But the facts may be behind assertion.
The old timers do not want to hear
something new. SO the secret Is out.
The gentleman who spoke at the be-
ginning of Dumas "FOrty-f1ve Guards
men" was young man. He was vivid,
filled with the lure of life and the lure
of the hopes of youth. He did not yet
know how much he would be unable to
do If youth could know that, there
would be no youth. Youth says, toler-
ant Of what it does not know Here
comes a stranger. Let me talk to him.
He will have something new to tell
me-" Experience says, intolerant of
what it does not know: Here comes a
stranger. Let me walk along without
| recognizing him, because ne mlgnC Try
to tell ne something he thinks Is so
but which I know isn't"
Thus middle age and older age NAV
be felicitated on taking stand which
refrains from breaking up the hopes of
youth Theirs is a larger tolerance.
With ruthless smile, they might
destroy countless dreams, but they go
ahead plodding. They hesitate to meet
the new and to listen to 1t, not because
trey are really afraid Of 1t, although
perhaps some of that, too, but mostly
because they know in advance that they
probably will not be able to agree with
the new" opinion which they are sure
to receive
The era of their controversy except
for few rare souls, is over. Indigna-
ton is ended. Peace and quietness are
desired. Hence the stranger, with his
eternal something new" is passively
disliked. And the old fellows cannot
help from showing it. if by no more
than by letting the youngsters alone.
Nor should the latter be surprised at it
or in the least hurt nor need they
expect to ever catch UP with them
The older they grow themselves the
farther away the others recede. And
this, too, Is life.