The Charm of the Inexact. 209 



meaningless, it unavoidably develops a love of 

 inexact statement, as when a child is found 

 perfunctorily adding " I thank you" when it 

 doesn't, and saying "yes" for politeness' sake, 

 or to escape punishment, when its wishes call 

 for "no." 



I remember well, when a little boy, being 

 asked by my mother if I did not want to go 

 with Mrs. Bluemonday and carry her bundle. 

 My reply was, "I do not want to go, but I 

 can." Here was an exact statement of the 

 conditions ; but I was roundly scolded for being 

 so outspoken. Result, from that day I hated 

 Mrs. Bluemonday. 



The man who mentions but the plain fact, or 

 is mathematically or rnonosyllabically inclined 

 and says "warm" and "cool," meaning just 

 this, for "hot" and "cold," not meaning those 

 conditions, such a person, I say, is invariably 

 but most unreasonably voted a bore. He can- 

 not meet our extravagant demands, requiring, 

 as we do, recklessness of statement to rouse us 

 to even a semblance of attention. The brilliant 

 man, as he is popularly called, is too often but 

 a polysyllabic chatterer. Fatigue never checks 

 14 



