The Side-Show 201 



because study of himself, that intimate self -analysis 

 which teaches a man his potentialities and limita- 

 tions, has been neglected. In the West you see 

 many men floundering in a quagmire of difficulties 

 into which ignorance of their own powers has 

 enticed them. An American overrates himself, 

 whereas the Briton underrates others. An Ameri- 

 can, again, is truly thankful and grateful to those 

 who furnish him with entertainment ; the English- 

 man is slightly contemptuous. In England the 

 cap and bells provoke a malicious laugh ; in America 

 a kindly smile ; the Englishman is so morbidly 

 afraid of making a fool of himself that he is often 

 blind to the fact that others have performed that 

 office for him ; a son of the West begins by making 

 a fool of himself, and thereafter considers himself 

 entitled to make a fool of others. 



In the West there is always "side-show" when- 

 ever sickness comes to a family. You may be sure 

 that if the doctor has prescribed plain diet for a 

 child prostrated by a bilious attack, some fond 

 sister or aunt will appear at the bedside with a 

 chicken fricassee, made with cream, or possibly a 

 frothing cup of chocolate, or some other delicacy 

 equally unsuitable, and the patient is allowed to 

 swallow these rich foods because, if he did n't, the 

 kind cooks would feel badly. 



