The Holbrook news., 1910-11-04
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 1t
 in That Way.

I'm always very careful about call Ing man eccentric or perverse," re- marked the amateur philosopher, ''un- til I find out just what idea he has in his noddle. Some fellows who do queer things have very plausible req sons to offer.
 There's an artist who eats his luncheon whenever he is in town at the same little restaurant on the east side that I have frequented for years. Yesterday he paused over glass of Italian red ink and looked up at me as solemn as you please.
 It will be a long time before we sit at the same table again, he said. I'm going down to Ecuador right away
 The thermometer on the wall said 92 degrees, and it must have been close to 100 in the sun. It 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 it hot enough for you here? asked him, pulling out my handker
  put off your trip for a few months.
 "'Wouldn't think of doing that he answered. Of course, it 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 I tell you that Greenland was the coun- try where I put in mighty interest ing winter three years ago?
 Most people would have at once put him down as a crank, but l 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 batter 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- itruders who strike a jarring note. Be sides that, the landscape itself is less characteristic. The foliage is not so 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 it's best, the snow is deepest, and the long arctic night makes it possible for one to enjoy a really novel experi- ence? It was to this effect that he ex- plained himself, and his arguments seemed mighty good to me.
 Tt was the same point of view that led this artist to fight shy of Niagara Falls on a public holiday because he didn't want to be mixed up with the sightseers, but to visit Coney Island On a crowded excursion steamer and join a personally conducted tour through Chinatown.
 "When | accused him of being in consistent he pointed out that when one visits the Falls it is for the pur- pose of admiring the solemn beauty of the scenery. and the fewer distrac- tions from outside sources the better. Coney Island, on the other hand, is the greatest amusement resort in the world. and exists because of the crowds that go there. To get the true spirit of the thing, one should travel with the pleasure seekers, who are in reality more interesting than any side show. AS for Chinatown, surely it is a study in human nature to be with a party of summers that can be fooled by the exhibition that the willy Orien- tai prepares nightly for their benefit
 Now, I put it to you, was my friend. the artist, so very eccentric after all?"