Evening star., 1932-05-10
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. IRACEWELL.

for many years. and during all that
time we have neither called the other
by any name at all.
we have found the system satisfac-
tory in every way. Instead of prefac-
ing remarks with the utterance OF a
name, as most people seem to think
necessary, we simply say what we want
to say.
1T is good practice, and I am con-
Vinced that its general adoption would
lead to a bettering OF world Whlch
seems intent on going wrong.
But I am not so foolish as to think
that there is the slightest chance in
the world for such a custom to become
common one.
Nine out of ten persons would not
think of addressing another, even II
they have known him for years and
were looking right into eyes, without
uttering his name.
often they feel the essential silli-
ness of it themselves, for they preface
it with some trivial exclamation, such
as 'Aw, jim, or Say, Jim, and SO on,
Il would like to ask all such people:
Why do you have to say Jim to Jim,
when he knows he is Jim, and you evl-
IDENTIFY do, too?
why go to all that trouble and un-
necessary waste of breath?
Instead of saying Say and the like,
why not Just say what you want TO say
and be done with 1t?
The chief trouble with this urge to
call other people by their names all the
time is not that it is unnecessary, or
somewhat silly, but that 1t gives such
an excellent opportunity for certain
types of human temperament TO vent
their hidden SpleenS against humanity.
Yes, it is against humanity am
convinced, rather than against the
seeming individual. Surely there are
few people in the world any more VINO
take everything said to them in purely
personal spirit.
Even the uncritical man or woman
realizes easily enough that basically all
human beings are more or less alike
and that what applies to one apphes 10
all and what applies to all also applies
to any one.
"This means, it seems to me, that no
one feels an apparent slight is meant
for him alone any more, but rather
that it is a manifestation, OF which ne
is merely the momentary victim. OF the
inner states of mind of the real VIC
tim. the perpetrator.
Consider this fine young fellow who
lust now riled me by calling me Jones,
lust that and nothing more. he Is
ood-looking, beautifully dressed, or at
least he thinks he is; he is ambitious,
ana yet has failed to look any deeper
than the surface in most men.
He inStinctivSly realizes that there
is more TO most human beings than the
surface, but he evidently does not care
to make any investigation. 1t Is too
much work. He prefers to take surface
indicatiOnS as all
THUS he feels very superior, knowing
a great deal about himself and prac-
tically nothing about others. But feel
ing superior by himself it not enough.
He must make the very man he pre-
tends to despise feel his superiority,
too!
And he has hit upon very neat
scheme, it would seem, by simply call
ing his eQuals-and many OF them his
real superiors-by their last names,
with an assumed air of finding even
that much terribly hard to get out.
II might recommend to him trick
Of youngster l once knew in high
school. 1t was a good one and, prac-
ticed by such a junior, a stroke Of
genius.
He prtended to forget your name en-
tirely. Hello he would call, in the
most charming and friendly tones.
Hello, Smith he would say when pass
ing me and Hello, Jonesie,' he would
cry to Smith. 1t was a master stroke
and I heartily indorse it to any ambi-
tiouS young fellow who wants to in
suit another human being like an ex-
pert"