Evening star., 1933-02-10
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

| He never admits as much to himself,
Of course
One Of the quirks Of human nature
is how easily all Of US find perfectly
| good reasons for our courses Of action.
| Mostly these reasons are sincerely
meant in all good faith, for nothing
is commoner in this world that self
deception.
No sooner has one conceived q good
reason why he said so and SO. or did
thus and thus. than all the powers of
argument which the man possesses are
summoned to go into operation.
Within very short period Of time
| the average human being can convince
himself beyond redemption Of opinion
that what he said or what he did was
exactly the proper thing to have said
or done, and that no other course of ac-
ton was open to him under the circum-
| stances.
If you were to ask Sam Jones, openly
and aboveboard, why he had become
so close -mouthed on the subject which
formerly he delighted to discuss, he
would, in all probability, deny the allie
CATION.
He never had noticed that he was
any different in regard to the sub
| ject, whatever it was, than he had been
| before.
Secretly he might tell himself that he
might be q bit different, but that was
because this fellow, by his insistence
on talking, seemed to want to f1aunt
his knowledge in the face Of real
experts.
Never would he admit to himself that
his divine ego had suffered nightly
Was he not the professor, the knower,
the teacher.
Had he not enjoyed his subject very
much, indeed, when he could lay down
the law and the prophets upon it, to
the tune of interested eyes and hum
BILE silence?
| Now here came this tnsufferable
Strutter, who actually seemed to want
to talk about phases. of the subject
which, he, Jones, had not yet gone
into!
The truth is his ego is suffering
deeply.
1t is pleasant for this type Of hui
man being, to enter into much talk
about 1t and about" when the other
person comes in the guise of learner
That Is why, perhaps, one seldom sees
a teacher leaving his profession. There
is something soothing in it to the pride
H.,
ward he Is likely to feel embittered at
what he tends to believe the stubborn
ness OF other men, who will not admit
his superior wisdom. International poll
tics has presented the world with at
least one outstanding instance of this
| phenomenon.
1t Is pleasant to instruct, but not so
soothing to see humble beginner put
on steam, as 1t were, and show up the
teacher Especially to himself).
Most teachers would protest this
argument, on general principles, and we
would remind them, If they do, that
We are talking mostly about old Sam
Jones, queer fellow, and the other Sam
JoneseS of the world
There is nobody. surely, who has not,
at some time or other, had this expert
ence. 1t leaves a bad taste in the
mouth, for one Is sincerely interested.
and enjoys more than ever, since he
knows more than ever, discussing the
subject, whatever 1t may be.
Yet the former conversationalist
shuts up closely: he seems to want to
talk about anything rather than the
old subject.
Well, let him!
Accept defeat, thou innocent one, as
one of the hard prices which a human
being must pay for little knowledge.
Know that jealousy, like whining.
has more than one way of manifesting
itself.