Evening star., 1933-02-10
Some day a great PSYCHOLOGIST is 20

Some day great psychologist Is go
ing to devote an entire chapter in q
new book to q consideration of all these
fine people who like to talk to you about
a given subject only when they want to
talk about it.
How they do fool all us innocent per-
sons who somehow were brought up to
have the idea that II one were genuinely
interested in thing one would be in
terested in 1t at all times!
Here Is old Sam Jones, who bothers
the life out Of one for weeks at time
in lengthy and animated monologues
about favorite hobby.
He talks for hours, he talks for days
The victim finally becomes interested,
thinks that where there Is so much
smoke there must be some fire, tenta-
lively tries his hand at it.
strangely enough. when he begins to
talk to old Sam Jones about that to
which the said Jones introduced him
he discovers that Mr.. Jones now talks
with real restraint. The more one
discovers along the chosen line the less
interested Jones seems to be in 1t.
Finally he grows so reluctant to dis
cusS what he formerly loved to talk
about that one ceases before one Is ig-
nored entirely.
A suspicion grows that old Sam was
interested only so long as he felt him
self the superior
As soon as he discovered he was being
outdistanced, he lost his interest in the
subject.
His interest, therefore, was not in
the subject itself, except in so far as
he could pose as teacher and mentor.
1t is an amazing thing how this de-
sire for lordship sways so many persons
No doubt there are thousands of hui
man beings who go through life fondly
imagining that they are devotees Of q
certain art when all that interests them
in 1t Is the right to pose as one of supe
rior knowledge before those who happen
to know less about the subject.
What keeps up their interest in such
cases Is that usually they are experts
at selecting those who will never be
talked into attempting the same en-
deavor
If they were so unfortunate as to
make many real converts, who entered
the game with zeal and soon outdis-
tanced them at 1t. they no doubt would
become aloof as Sam Jones does after
he becomes uncomfortable before supe-
rior knowledge.
Mostly the person who naively offends
him Is supremely innocent of his mis-
deed
He looks upon Jones, indeed, as his
benefactor, as he is.
Perhaps the old fellow is suffering
from those mere fits of indifference
which beset all men at times.
Maybe he is afflicted with a crouch or
that queer sort of whining which in
some men takes the form of sullenness.
The strange thing is that this type of
male is the first one to resent what he
calls whining" in others.
II any one dares to make in his pres
ence valid criticism, especially If 1t
affects the speaker personally, he is
ready upon the instant to accuse the
other Of whining" as he calls it.
He never suspects that there are sew
eral ways OF putting up whine. and
that one of the most disagreeable of
them all is the sullen fit into which he
at times sinks in order to take out his
personal grievances upon the world at
large.
The main trouble with this sort of
testiness is that it does. indeed, take
out" personal spleen upon many who
love the victim Of this queer disease,
and who, in their turn are in no way
concerned with the cause of it.
Whatever Sam Jones may be suffer-
ing from. it is a safe bet that at the
bettom of his trouble lies a plain case
OF offended ego.