WHEN SNOBBERY IS USEFUL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17189, 5 November 1923, Page 9

WHEN SNOBBERY IS USEFUL.

Alost of us. 3 1 some time or other, have got ourselves into difficulties through knowing the “ wrong people.” AVe do it when we get into fresh surroundings. At school or college we are lonely for the first few days and have a child’s fear of being “ left out.” And we ar t > rather prone to make friends with the first person who is at all kindly or “on coining.” The same thing happens when a young married woman comes to live m a new neighbourhood. Sometimes it is rather pathetic to watch. The, newcomer may be quite charming, but she may make herself socially " impossible ” by allowing herself to be taken up by the wrong people If she were older and wiser in the world’s way she would know at, once that the people who overwhelm her at the outset with friendly advances are tho people no one else wants. Those who have an assured position and a circle of their own allow things to develop slowly; they have no need to rush out frantically collecting friends. But young people forget these obvious truths and very often they have'a trying time extricating themselves from embarrassing friendships. Sometimes you cannot help.it. You -ay he going to a strange place and an old friend, whose judgment is apparentlv reliable, savs: “Oh that’s where the X’s live. ” I must write to them about you.” And you quite welcome the idea until, having got wrapt up with tlie X’s. you find they have a skeleton in the cupboard which keeps other people away from them and. incidentally, from “ the stranger within their gates.” It may sound like snobbery of the first water, but it’s worth thinking about. A good deal of the happiness aid comfort of life depends on your friends and it, is well worth while to look before von leap into hastily formed friendships which arc often so painful to break off. R. A'AU( iITA X.