Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-10-20


See pin and let it lie,
Your come to want before You die.
No one believes those two short adages-
pr, if he does. he will not admit as much.
People laugh at the very idea that any one
n this day and age could believe such nom
sense. Yet. why is it that half the town
will stp"p To pick up pin. no matter where
It is found? Just plain, everyday pin,
and no one knows who it's former owner
was or for what it was used; no one cares
it's pin-pick it up,
Men will fall over each other to pick up
pin-grayhaire1. dignified business men,
II they pin they must have it. They
pick it up on the street, or in the office,
n a store, theaCer, at home, at a party,
anywhere. The temptation of pin shining
impertinently on the floor is quite too much
for the majority of people. He is very
brave man who can resist the temptation
and man altogether wise and unimagina-
tive.
You do not think it is true that people
pick UP pins? Watch them and you will
find they pick up pins, not only plain pins,
but safety pins and haiTpins.
1t Is fancy and an early training, with the
old sayings, which will prompt the action.
Some pick up pins which are pointing to-
ward them and others pins that are headed
toward them Some pick up safety pins
that are closed. because they will bring
letter; some pick them up open to bring
great find for luck. Theodore Roosevelt is
said never TO pass hairpin by. He re-
serves his right vest pocket for the treas
ure, keeping ii for TWO weeks. when it must
be replaced by another. And yet Mr.. Roose-
welt declares he is not superstitious and he
will walk under Il ladder or sit down to
table with thirteen to prove his assertion
Has the Hairpin Hobby.
prominent Chicago business woman,
who has the hairpin hobby and confeSses
It. saves the outer pocket of her leather
chatelaine for her pins and keeps them al
ways. As consequence they always bulge
out of the top of the pocket and call forth
many curious comments. She is proud of
her collection and will exhibit il gladly to
any one who shows kindly interest. Each
pin has history, and. although they look
very much alike to the uninita she has
no difficulty in telling them apart and
connecting with them their rlghtful his
tories She picks them up everywherC-in
the gutter. in the theater, on trains-never
is she in too much of hurry or too conspicu-
ouSly placed to pick up a hairpiu-indced.
it has been said of her that the moment
she sees pin she forgets her surroundings
and her companions in her ready interest |
over the new treasure. Nor is she in the |
least embarrassed to find that crowd |
has gathered to witness her performance
IF ! want to pick up a pin | feel | have |
that privilege. and l can believe in them, |
too, if / like / would not be the only one |
who is so foolish" is her ready self-de- |
Tense.
And every one who stops to think of it |
must agree with her that she is not the |
only one believing. Else why ali these pin |
gathertrS?
Stick Pins in Their Vests.
Did you ever a man with a row of |
pins along the bottom of his vest? 1t is
ten to one he picked every one Of them out
Of the street. OF course. he would deny it
if you asked him, but wait and watch and
day
act
Walk down State street and watch for
pins. You will get your eye on a pin and |
make To pick it up, but some one will see it
before you and will tuck it out of sight |
with look of shame his face. If you |
concentrate your mind on the thing for
three blocks you Will ever after find your
self invo,untarily searching for pins. Half |
the people who pick up pins scarcely know
they do it, 1t gets to be second nature
and the first they know of it they have
row of pins somewhere about their cloth
ing. 1t is a very convenient row of pins.
for pins have constant demand and are
seldom to be had for the asking. In this
way the pin-collecting habit serves pur-
pose, but ii is no purpose which gives it
origin, but a stupid acquaintance with odd
sayings and a blind belief in them.
Police study Pin Gatherers
The policeman who stands at the corner
of State and Washington streets has made
study of the pin gatherers. and he saws !
they constitute 80 per cent of the people |
who pass his corner. He says there is no
end of pins dropped on the pavements near
the three crossings which he guards but |
that he can never find pin and that the |
SweeperS never pick one up. They have the |
pin habit wei the other people, but
they never have AN opportunity of induIg-
ing it. The pins all picked up before |
the swCepers get around. This policeman
has watched pins, and he says he never
saw one stay on The pavement more than
twenty minutes. He has seen people fall
in their cageTucss to pick one up-onc poor
tin pin at that.
When asked if the habit We're not a char
acteriStcaEy feminine one he laughed.
That's just where you are wrong" he said.
I'm sorry to confess il. but it the men who
pick up the pins III tell you another thing.
too; it's the Old men and the well-to-do men
who pick up the most pins They make a
habit OF it and they never let chance pass
to pease the habit. I've seen some of the
smartest ard richest business men in the
city stop this corner and pick up Il pin.
do IT. wonderful what they would say if
some one asked EN- what they did it for
The policeman eXtricated a woman from
ENLARGEMENT with a wagon and a street
car before he finally said It's a funny
thing: they've got most of the queerneSseS,
has women. but this isn't one of en-
Women don't go in for pins that's picked
up on the street. / suppose they're the ones
that loses most of EN-, but they seldom pick
EN- up"