IS THERE ANY NEWS?

White Ribbon, Volume 30, Issue 352, 18 November 1924, Page 2

IS THERE ANY NEWS?

“I asked a fellow-member that the Jay the news of I‘resident Harding’s death came, and she answered ‘No’! Well, it wasn’t news to her. It wasn't even interesting.” So a bed-ridden friend answered my greeting. “Her attitude was interesting, wasn’t it? I’ve been in this room so long that anything like that sets me adrift on a' sea of wonder. Is she abnormal? Or are many of us like that? Not merely shut off from the world, but deaf, dead, to it? It we are, we are not likely to make a vivid impression on our own w r orlds, are we? When I married —do you mind a little reminiscence? It shall be only a very little, and it is fresh and vivid to me, if not news. My mother advised me: "You will find hard work enough, and a tired woman isn't particularly inspir ing to come home to. I’ve always found Jt pays to have something interesting to tell your father when he comes in. It makes a man look forward to getting home, and keeps you both from dwelling on everyday troubles.”

“Somet.iing interesting won’t happen to us every day,” I objected. “Yes, it will, if your interests are wide enough. There is always something worth discussing in every day’s paper. See if you can get it before he comes home, find your item, and think up something to say about it. It will save you the brain-fag that comes from dwelling continually on domestic topics, and be worth more to you in your relations with him than any college or beauty course ever advertised.” “Well, she knew what she was talking about, and it is not always one gets good advice easily followed, so I tried It. It is quite worth passing on. “What I am wondering is, wouldn’t it be worth while trying it at our smaller meetings?” “How?” I asked.

“Having each member pledged to try to bring some ‘item of intelligence.’ different news would appeal to different minds, but that would add to the interest. At least it would assure that each me iber felt she took part in the Proceedings, and often it would Increase our value as a body to have had the individual members take trouble to acquaint themselves with outside happenings that bear on our particular wmrk.

The informal discipline would be usefi too, in accustoming shyer members ( speak out. A set speech, even a shoi one, is a sore trial to many a shy gi r or even an older woman, where a bri< reminder, or a question, ’Did you m that?’ gives no time for embarrassmen “In many of our smaller Union: speak from memory, things may hav altered now—almost all the work use to fall on the officials. Sometimei after a meeting, I have wondered wh< ther, if even one official left, the Pnio would be able to supply her place, know we are not mere debating socu ties, but often it would pay us to hav more practised debaters, and for tha we need more practice in debating, es pecially on everyday topics.” “There are so few of us come regu larly to the meetings,” I pleaded. “AhT’ she said, cheerfully srre o having touched on the weak spot “Are they interesting enough? The] are always interesting to the ones whi take part. Suppose you try. Jus see how many you can get to brini some news.” Katherine Mercer.