CULTIVATE SOPHISTICATION

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21698, 13 January 1934, Page 6 (Supplement)

CULTIVATE SOPHISTICATION

Br JOAN CRAWFORD

THE SECRET OF WIT A DANGEROUS WEAPON

No. 11. tin this brief series ot" articles the famous film-star, who hits made her r.arae by her screen portrayal of the modern girl, gives her views as to the value of » sophisticated outlook.] I suppose a reputation for wit brings more invitations than anything else in the world. In order to be witty it is essential to be well-informed, and to this end much can be achieved by reading. You would be surprised how many of the film stars are omnivorous readers. One must know what is going on in the world. You probably know how awkward it is to encounter in a conversation something of which you have never heard. You may be able to pass it off as though it were the most extraordinary thing that you had never heard of it before; but, if in the course of the same conversation two or three other matters are mentioned of which you are also ignorant, people will begin to suspect that you are not as well-in-formed as you would have them believe. Of course, there are people who can so dominate the conversation that nothing of which they are ignorant is mentioned, but this is an ability to which one should not aspire, for it is seldom appreciated. It is interesting to note that the sophists of ancient Greece, from whom we derived the word sophistication, were brilliant talkers. They liked to impress their hearers with their cleverness, although what they said had seldom a foundation of truth.

In some ways thfe modern sophisticated person is not unlike the sophist of Athens. The desire to create an impression is common to both. For although I have laid great stress on the fact that sophistication is a means of avoiding pain, it is also a means of getting what you want. It i 3 a weapon of attack as well as of defence. Very often the way to get what you want is by dazzling people, and sophistication provides the means for this. Your sophisticated manner, dress, speech and the rest can work wonders with people accustomed to something simpler. Sophistication should be cultivated for the happiness and not the power it can bring. As I have said before, there aro, some girls who never become sophisticated, and perhaps they *re the happiest. For sophistication when used as an offensive weapon can be carried too far. Read the life of Cleopatra, a sophisticated woman if ever there was one. Her sophistication was on the grand scale; not only was she Queen of Egypt, but she had the tremendous advantage of exquisite beauty and extraordinary brilliance of mind. Yet her life endpd in tragedy because she was over-confident; she dared to do too much, and she was overwhelmed, as so many other clever men and women have been, by the forces she stirred up. Perhaps the greatest secret of sophistication is to realise what a dangerous thing it can be; that not only is it a source of strength, but a deadly poison that will destroy those who use it carelessly. The woman who seems to live in a world apart, where she is ever having a good time, is not altogether to bo envied. She is playing a difficult and dangerous game. Many people make the mistake of confusing affectation with sophistical tion. A favourite affectation is to speak in an unnatural manner. Now, one of the chief ways in which sophistication manifests itself is in conversation. It is much more important to be able to converse with skill than to try and create an impression with an unnatural intonation of the voice.