| Show PASSING JUDGMENT on others can often get us into hot water wafer when we do not know all the circumstances L by WINIFRED WILLARD J M MAN AN orange and bunch of boys on the lower east side of new york the man tossed the orange to see the boys scramble for it one chap about 10 fought like a young tiger tooth and nail eyes flashing face grim fists hitting furiously all for an orange the man who had tossed it told his wife at home 1 I saw the meanest boy in the world this morning care for anybody or anything except to hog an orange himself business took that man later the same day to a pitifully poor room on a cot in the corner a little girls cheeks flamed with fever and her body was wasted with suffering the door flew open in bolted that little chap the meanest boy in the world breathless with runn running ingo he tiptoed up to his sisters bed and whispered excitedly heres an orange I 1 beung ye sis fought for it cause I 1 thought like it how her eyes sparkled tiny hands reached eagerly for it parched little lips craved the refreshment it offered the man went home sat long slumped in his chair then he called his wife and with shame and regret struggling in his voice blurted out youve married the meanest man man that ever lived that little shaver I 1 told you about the one I 1 said was the meanest boy in the world fought for my orange to take to his sick sister and im lookin for somebody to kick me round the block he know the whole story before he sat in judgment all flimsy evidence A mg big bishop spoke rather caustically and disparagingly about a woman in public life who traveled the nation and who had an exceptional salary why she wear better clothes he asked same old things season in and out that hat certain lys been on the road winter and summer two solid years it had she knew it better than the bishop but he just know that her money was spent instead for nurses and comforts for her sick father whom she adored what did a new hat matter if father needed what the cost of a hat could provide just judging on flimsy evidence for months two people dodged each other each knew the other was haughty unapproachable cold and undesirable finally they met want to tried to avoid it and almost at once barriers began to fall from the dislike of misunderstanding they got proper appraisals of each other to their surprised satisfaction each began to enjoy then to admire the other for the first time they saw behind the scenes and found only what was goo good d nearly always so case of the railroad man it seemed strange that the man who lived in washington breakfasted ungodly early walked four ion long blocks took a street car across city then rode the tiresome train every day to his baltimore office we could all have told him how much shorter simpler and more sensible for him to step into the bus in front of his house and out at his office most anybody would know enough to do it this easier quicker way then we learned that he is of the railroad staff and it is his professional responsibility to takee take thee the train buses his 7 trains were we sat in judan P without knowing what we were talking about so easy to turn our imaginations loose on any pretext or person so easy to see what there to misunderstand and misinterpret to see the little lad f fighting for an orange tor for his sick sister as meanest boy in the world so easy to be critical instead of kind to tangle human threads that need straightening not snarling and thus to spoil many a lovely pattern of life A world of saving wisdom abides in the old philosophy that reveals theres so much good in the worst of us and so much bad in the best of us that it scarcely behooves any of us to say things against the rest of us just another way of suggesting that its better all around to judge not it keeps things from boomeranging boome ranging on us copyright service |
