DR. FRANK CRANE’S DAILY EDITORIAL

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 40, 10 May 1927, Page 16

DR. FRANK CRANE’S DAILY EDITORIAL

FLATTERY (Copyright , 1927.) not be afraid of being a flatterer. Accustom yourself to the habit of saying pleasant things to people and about people. For it is largely a matter of habit. One can easily slip into the way of making disagreeable and cutting remarks to people, or saying them about people, and making trouble. It is well to be genuine and honest and all that sort of thing, but you don’t have to be disagreeable to be sincere.

There are pleasant things about every person. Nobody is wholly wrong and if you look long enough you can find something good in everybody. Make it a point to know these good things and speak of them. Everybody likes a bit of flattery. If a man says he does not like it a sure way to flatter him is to tell him that he can't be flattered. Of course, flattery does not want to be laid on too thick. Then it defeats its purpose. You have to use jndgment in this matter as in all matters, but it is well to get into the way of saying pleasant things about folks, just as it is well to form the habit of entertaining pleasant thoughts. There are agreeable and disagreeable things in this world. There are beautiful and there are ugly sights. It all depends upon which way you face. Look toward the beautiful things and search out the agreeable things. This will have a reflex influence upon your state of mind and character and also do much toward increasing your popularity and holding your friendships.

Many a marriage lias been saved by a steady and persistent resolve to say only pleasant things, and more marriages have been wrecked than we like to think by a habit of persistent fault-finding and criticism.