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Show Dorothy Dix laiks TRY IT ON THE DOG., By DOROTHY DIX, the World's Highest Paid 'Woman Writer J A timid and bashful young girl, moaned to me the other day that she never knew what to say to people. To which, 1 replied: "My- child, there's just ,one infallible infal-lible rule for dealing with your fellow fel-low creatures. It's a very old rule, and it is callCcI tho Golden Kulo, and it work's just .13 effectually con-yorsadonally con-yorsadonally as it does othlcally. "Do unto othors as you would have them do to you, and say to them tne kind of things you would like them to say to you. "When in doubt try out your little lit-tle speech on yoursolf. If it sounds good to you be suro it will sound equally well to Mary, or Sally, or John or Tom. If your words bring a kindly glow to your own heart, ar.oj mako the day seem brighter ami cheerier, do not doubt that they will have the sante happy effect on any! one else to whom you hand out that optimistic line of chatter. "Cut Off Same Bolt. "All humanity, my dear, Is cut off of tho samo bolt of cloth, and whllo we may be made up in different designs de-signs and different patterns, down at bottom we are of the very same weave and woof. The thing, that pleases ono pleases all. Tho thing that soothes one, soothes all, and conversely, converse-ly, the thing that irritates one and hurts and wounds ono, wounds all. "That is why it is always safe to lake your own little self as a prei-ly prei-ly rellablo guide in deciding what you shall say, and refrain from saying, say-ing, to other poople. "Sujipose, for instance, wo tako the matter of what Is called 'plain speaic-Ing,' speaic-Ing,' A great many peoplo prldo themselves upon saying exactly what they think, no matter how brutal it Is, or how much they hurt another by so doing. "If you have a now hat they will tell you that it is ten years too young for you and that you look Uko a figure fig-ure of fun in it. If you sing out of tune they call your attention, and everybody ev-erybody else's attention to it. If you are ill. they tell you how badly you look, and how sallow your complexion complex-ion is. "Do you suppose that these peoplo would ever make such cruel speeches If they tried them out first on themselves? them-selves? They would not. For you will observe ns you go through life that the very peoplo who show mo least regard for the feelings of othors, oth-ors, arc the most tender of their own. Plasc Keep Silent. "Therefore, my dour, bofdVo you tell Mary that blue makes her skin look like a pumpkin, or Sally that sho dances as If sho had learned to two-step In a school of correspondence. correspond-ence. Just think how you would like It if Mary and Sally spoiled your pleasuro in your now frock, and made you afraid and ashamed to over get on another ballroom floor. "If you will, you will keep silent about youn friend's defects, and Instead In-stead you will say something nice that you can truly say to Mary about her lovely fan, or to Sally about tho way she does her hair. You can be pleasantly honest as well as unpleasantly unpleas-antly so, you know. "Leavo tho criticising to others. You arc not ordained by Heaven to run the world and supcrvlso your friend's taste. Never forget that tho hammer ia a hideous Implement in any woman's hands and that nobody loves a" knocker. "When you aro tempted to bo smart and sarcastic try put your sharp speeches on yourself. 'You can't be so supcrhu manly vain and conceited as not to know that you havc peculiarities peculi-arities and weaknesses about which any wag could be funny if ho or sho chose you as a target for ridicule. "Can't you see yoursolf wrllho as the shots strlko home? Can't you feel your face flame as you hear the laughs at your oxponso? Can't you j feel the dull, hopoles3 misery that makes you want to go off and hide yourself and die, as you realize that the people whom you thought admired admir-ed you. are making a mock of you ? "Ridicule Id the cheapest form of wit. Even a fool can use it, hut no human being would over apply It to another If he had first applied It to himself. "When you feel grouchy, and complaining, com-plaining, and as If the world had used you III, try telling your troubles to yourself before you tell them to anybody any-body else. "Do you enjoy hearing tho litany of other people's woes? 13 it your Idea of passing a ploaijant hour to listen to all tho piker annoyances that have befallen some friend? Do you feel cheered and uplifted after some girl has wept all over your fresh blouse becauso sho has, had a quarrel with hor best beau? "You do not. You "would, go far to avoid tho trouble monger. You would scream when you are called on to hear over again for the millloneth time all about how Caroline's moth-1 moth-1 or doesn't understand her, and how Myrtle's boss irulally criticised her spelling, and how jealous Maud's fi-anco fi-anco ia. and fresh details of Katie's1 warfare with her landlady. "Well, then, just reflect that other peoplo enjoy hearing about your pr; vate worries just exactly "as inuch as you do listening to the Ullad of their woes. Each of us havo troubles enough en-ough of our own, without having those of our friends dumped on us, and its a brave, and gallant, and human thing to bear our own loads in silence. "Finally, my dear, recall the things peoplo say to you that mako you feel as if tho sun had suddonly burnt through tho cloud3, tho things thai cheer you, that brace you up, that make you think that life is worth while, and that glvo you the courage to go on. "A jolly little story; a word of deserved de-served praise; n little sympathy and understanding; a warm "think you" for somo favor done; tho recalling of something worth whllo you did in tho past; an inquiry after somo one near and dear to you;' perhaps just some one remembering some taste or habit of yours. "If these things make you happy, and they do, why, just pass them on to other people. If you will, you need novor ho at a loss to know what to say. .Tiint try your conversation out on yourself and If it makes a hit with you, It has nil the elements of general popularity ln It." Dorothy Dlx articles will appear in this paper every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. ' |
