THE DANGERS OF FRIENDSHIP MADE EASILY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18897, 23 October 1929, Page 12

THE DANGERS OF FRIENDSHIP MADE EASILY.

The Robinsons are a charming family—but they have one besetting weakness, which positively almost amounts to a vice—they make friends too easily. It’s one thing to be interested and attentive to strangers, when first you are introduced to them—but it is quite another matter to take them immediately into the bosom of your family, embracing them with open arms, so to speak, isn’t it? Yet that’s what the Robinsons invariably do, every single one of them. They plunge straight into the deep sea of friendship, with never a preliminary paddle in the pleasant shallows of acquaintanceship, with practically every new person they meet. Bella, who’s a typist, brings home glowing accounts of the newest member of her office staff: “Really, she’s the dearest thing: so pretty, so clever,” and so on, ad infinitum. The new friend comes to supper one evening, and the family unites with Bella in singing her praises—makes her promise to 4 spend her summer holiday with them, invites her for the week-end, absolutely overwhelms her with attentions and requests. She is swamped, engulfed and swallowed up by the Robinsons, at the first meeting. What happens? In nine cases out of ten the friendship so rashly, entered into simply fizzles out in the course of a month or so, and the same thing happens all over again with another person. They never remain friendly with anvbody for long—how can they?. There have been no reservations of any kind, so there’s nothing left to offerin any case, the friendships have been so violently and quickly entered into that there was never any time to consider whether the parties have anything in common with each other. And isn’t that half the fun of making friends? The slow discovery of congenial and similar tastes, the gradual dawn of love and intimacy, the passing from mere friendliness into real friendship, a friendship firmly based on mutual affection, one that will last all through life. These are joys that the Robinsons of this world will never know. When I met Mrs Robinson the other dav, her face was simply wreathed in smiles. “Oh, yes,” she purred, in answer to mv inquiries, “we had the loveliest holiday. Such a charming place, and delightful people! Why, we made seventeen friends in a week!” What can you say to a person like that?