The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-05-28
THE TRAVELLING FACE.
BY r. L. GRAY.

1t is a dictum that travelling is dn
education. But that condensed cpl
gram of experience is related to the
shifting of the individual from the
scene of one rut to that of another, so
that, differentiating the ruts, he may,
in a sense and to his advantage, lose
his own value of his own importance
in his own personal sphere in broad
err knowledge of his own limitations
So far travelling is a delight IN that
il creates new impressions and llVe-
lier sympathy. But like most things
that are good in the end, the profits OF
the game exist in relation to the dis
comfort involved i'm the attainment.
Even at the best, surrounded by the
leather and springs of the most luXuri-
Gus of travelling compartments, the
act of getting from one place to anoth-
er is a bore. The use of life as we
are apt to figure out the mystery, may
be resolved into the expectation OF DO
ing something else or getting some
where other. Hence the act of at
tanning the change is an eclipse on
existence and we fret. The journey
itself is a means to an end which we
hold too constantly in view.
"Oh, that | might arrive!' is the
burden of our song and steam Is all
too slow to keep pace with desire In
consequence, tagging far behind the
mind projected to the end, progress is
a slow torture.
Little difference does it make as to
what is to be done at the end. The
thing is to be done with the journey
Haste is the word and it cannot be too
fast. however much we must lo1ter or
wait afterwards. The hour or the day
or the weeks that we fritter between
the legitimate mile-stones of life are
begrudged to the minute when II
comes to a matter of miles along the
earth. And the worst of this cond1-
ton is that it is one of the many TOOL
ish incidents of maturity. A child
has no such irritations. To him the
end is a regret rather than an aim.
He digestS the panorama, delights IN
the motion. runs riot in an magma
ton that is fed on constant change.
The man forgets these advantages of
a journey. 1t is thing he has paid
for. not as a commodity in itself, but
as a means. To the child 1t is all
gold, with an intrinsic value and a
definite return.
Watch a child on a train, preferably
a boy young enough to be unconscious
of the scrutiny of his kind. which
with the commences of travelling is
constantly approaching nearer and
nearer to the day of birth itself. The
eagerness of himl The wide eyes!
The inflow of new intelligence, the
consuming curiosity and the mystery
that lies behind common scenes in
new settings! X
The train slides across a gorge over
a trestle The boy leans out and
looks down into the simple thicket OF
the stream. "Aha!" he is saying,
with a mixture of dread at the idea
of the exploration, "Bears!" Black,
with shiny coats, are they lying in the
jungle awaiting some bold hunter to
rouse them from their liars! "Oof!' =
and he is up upon his hind legs, and
his wicked eyes are twinkling with
red lights in them and his yellow teeth
hang down below his protruding jaws
ooh, why did you ever come to this
wild place!" But the bear is coming,
and you hear his growls and you must
shoot to kill. What if you miss? No
time for that! "Bangn goes your
gun. there is an awful howl of pain
the hot breath of the beast is in your
face, you have missed a vital spot!
oh, that ever you should have come
to this place and disturbed this bear!
You give yourself up for lost, there is
no where to run, and you so young
and then. good and accommodating
bear that he is, he closes his eyes, lies
down in death before our feet and
world you will ever skin him with your
birthday knife. you find that you are
fishing from the bank of the pond
sliding out of sight behind the window
of the carl
And just as your cork is going under
and you are waiting to strike the big
gest club that ever was, waiting with
nerves set in tenseness that he may
swallow the hook, you hear your
81. \ rl.z Sc
pointing at the pond in which you
We're already about to hang the club
and squealng in Triumph That's
my water; that's my water!" And
you, with your pole in your hand!
mo, it amt" you say stoutly, but
with a sinking sickness of your con-
science, II saw it first"
Indignantly your sister makes pro-
test and you know that justice is with
her. "You had the bear forest!" she
cries and there are tears Springing tC
the surface. and you are very uncom.
Portable because you know that yoI
are wrong and the club has gone by
now, anyway.
Take your old water, then!" yol
say magnanimously and with rowing
eye you look the landscape Ger.
"Aha!' you yell VIGOROUSLY" that.
my pigeon house; they're my
DlScOilS.
''Stingy!' expostulates sister, bu
you swell with virtue and the knowi
edge of oast generosity.
HUH" you reply. Didn't / give
yor the water?"
And then the door opens and thu
porter comes in with swirl of dls
behind him: next Station, Choco
lateblockety!" he cries in a deep bas
voice and then the door opens again
and the conductor. blue and gold anC
with a superior black 'mustache come
in looking at his big silver watch anC
he walks down the aisle to see wheth
er you still have your blue check ant
he says. in a voice that makes yol
shudder if you should happen to mis-
understand when your station comes
'All off for Chocolateblockety!"
"Soons 1 git through school," yo,
tell sister with the superiority of you
sex. I'm goin' on the road and be
CONDUCTOR"
I'm goin' to be a conductor, too,
says Sister.
HUH" you reply. "Girls can't b
cOnductors!'
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