NOTE
This essay is reprinted, with revisions and enlargement additions, from “The Sulphitic Theory” published in “The Smart Set” for April, 1906, by consent of the editors.
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The essay propounds a tongue-in-cheek theory that divides people into two types: the bromidic majority who think and speak in conventional, automatic phrases and follow social averages, and the sulphitic minority who are original, lively, and unpredictable. It catalogs characteristic bromidioms and reflex remarks, analyzes how habits of thought become automatic, and contrasts conformity with novelty. Throughout, the author combines humor, examples, and playful classification to examine boredom, social manners, and conversational clichés, offering practical corollaries and witty prescriptions for recognizing and reacting to each type.
This essay is reprinted, with revisions and enlargement additions, from “The Sulphitic Theory” published in “The Smart Set” for April, 1906, by consent of the editors.