Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1910-09-29
WAS HE ECCENTRIC?
FIRST CONSIDER THIS MANS
POINT OF VIEW.
Goes to Greenland In the Winter and
to Ecuador In the Summer-LocaI
Color His Aim and He Got II
In That Way.

I'm always very careful about call
Ing a man eccentric or perverse," re
marked the amateur philosopher, "un
til find out just what idea he has II
his noddle. Some fellows who de
queer things have very plausible rea
sons to offer.
There's an artist who eats his
luncheon whenever he is In town al
the same little restaurant on the east
side that l have frequented for years
Yesterday he paused over a glass OF
Italian red ink and looked up at me
as solemn as you please.
1t will be a long time before we
sit at the same table again, he said
Tn going down to Ecuador right
away
"The thermometer on the wall said
90 degrees, and 1t must have been
close to 100 In the sun. 1t was the
warmest day of the summer, so far,
and his reference to a country that is
called after the equator wasn't exact
ly soothing.
""Ain't 1t hot enough for you here?'
l asked him, pulling out my handker'
chief. If you take my advice you'll
put of your trip for a few months.
Wouldn't think Of doing that he
answered. OF course. 1t will be hot
in Ecuador, but huh! that's what I'm
looking for. l suppose you'd prefer
Greenland, but what will you say when
tell you that Greenland was the coun
try where l put in mighty interest
ing winter three years ago?'
Most people would have at once
put him down as a crank, but took
the trouble to get at his motives. My
friend is an artist, and he was going
In search OF local color, or atmos-
phere, to use the patter Of his trade.
He did not think that the tropics are
at their best In winter. There are apt
to be tourists around, and other In
truders who strike jarring note. Be
sides that, the landscape itself Is less
characteristic. The foliage Is not 80
dense, and there are fewer flowers
and fruit. Similar objections can be
made to Greenland In the summer. If
one wishes to visit the far north why
not go when the aurora borealis Is at
Its best, the snow is deepest, and the
long arctic night makes 1t possible for
one to enjoy a really novel expert
ence7 1t was to this effect that he ex-
planned himself, and his arguments
seemed mighty good to me.
eft was the same point OF view that
led this artist to fight shy Of Niagara
Falls on a public holiday because he
iidn't want to be mixed up with the
sightseers, but to visit Coney Island
IN a crowded excursion steamer and
Ioin a personally conducted tour
through Chinatown.
when l accused him Of being In
consistent, he pointed out that when
me visits the Falls 1t is for the pur-
oose of admiring the solemn beauty
If the scenery, and the fewer distrac-
ions from outside sources the better.
-oney Island, on the other hand, is
he greatest amusement resort In the
World, and exists because Of the
.rowds that go there. To get the true
Ipirit of the thing, one should travel
With the pleasure seekers, who are In
eality more interesting than any side
how. AS for Chinatown, surely It is
study In human nature to be with a
,arty of Summers that can be fooled
" the exhibition that the willy Orien-
al prepares nightly for their benefit!
'Now, l put it to you, was my
riend. the artist. 80 very eccentric
fter all2"