The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-11-02
~ ESTHER GRIFFIN WHITE.
What is q safe and sane Hallow

What Ia safe and sane Hallow
e'en?"
You hear q great deal about safe
and sane" things nowadays.
There might, by the way, be some
perfectly safe things that were not al
all sane-like building out your hail
or sleeping ON the roof (although up
on further reflection sleeping on the
roof is not at all safe), or 1.-The Magic
Horse" say.
"(Excuse me!)"
On the other hand there may be
sane things that are not at all safe
like marriage or Joining the church or
making a will.
One of the truly charming things
In this world is the. uncertainty of ev.
erything. The stars may be shining
at night and you say well have a fine
day tomorrow" In the morning, it is
raining or sleeting or showing. You
say to yourself, "Ill 60 over to see
paper you read that Blank has moved
to California. You think you'll be nice
to somebody, maybe, when you meet
them again. And perhaps they go
abroad or die before you get round to
it.
Uncertainty is the tang of existence.
Nothing 50 stales and pals as the
absolutely sure.
1t has been said that we tire Of ev-
erything and nothing sooner than that
we like best.
A realization and acceptance of this
ironic truth would go far toward max
ing a safer and saner" social inter-
course. II everyone would recognize
the fact that no person Is the same
every alternating half hour much re-
elimination would cease. You may
like one person one day and the next
look at them coldly and critically and
wonder what on earth you ever saw in
them. Having no consciousness of
violent change the other person natur-
ally resents your lack lustre manner
when he rushes forth to meet you re-
your cordially of the day
before.
Maybe, however, he hasn't changed.
Perhaps it's yourself. Perhaps he
never was within a thousand miles of
what you thought him.
These observations, however are
possibly neither safe nor sane.
And for obvious reasons.
The success, however, of the cele-
bration of Halloween under civic aus
pieces, as was done in Indianapolis
Tuesday evening with such brilliant eff
feet, is becoming so generally recog-
nized that it is being adopted by even
the smaller towns.
Troy, over in Ohio, in instance, has
Tor several years made Halloween a
sort of street carnival, with prizes for
offered by the merchants
If the city, and it is said in Greenville,
90, something of the same character is
n vogue.
The spirit that animates the exploit
ltion of this festival-if it can SO be
that Of that Irresponsible
" which is more or less deepseated
n the human entity. OF certain pri.
nal impishness,, mischievous destruc-
iveness and childish love for the
vierd and uncanny which is found in
,very individual makeup.
In short that love of masking inner
mt in the race.
For we all wear the mask"
But under the frankly assumed pa
Yer one we tear off the real. People |
will, in the latter guise, indulge that |
atanic curiosity which is the main
pring of social intercourse. They |
an throw off the restraints of conven- |
ion and, under the clever masquerade.
10 the thing they think Is themselves !
rankly because of the freedom of |
heir incognito.
In other words they can give rein
o the caprice and impulse of the mo-
nent without the fear of the charge !
4 inconsistency.
For everyone is more or less con-
cious fraud. We 60 about grimacing |
nd Sinking and pretending and max
ng believe until we would give our !
lope of heaven to go out into the open |
md apostrophize Fate.
Halloween affords an opportunity |
o give way to that passion for act /
poOCCooAoAA
and in the aggregate. Par
'doxically it gives an opportunity to |
ct and to be natural Eat one and the |
anne time"
More and more are the old festivals |
'eing celebrated. d, Is the feeling for |
he revival Of the traditions in art and |
ociety obtaining. Is the blind CROP
ng for the beauty and meaning of |
lie prevailing. |
Weary of the sordid reality: of the |
moke and CRIME and SCOT of the |
narts Of men; of the eternal strife be-
ween the senses and the soul: of the
mock of gold and the lure of ambi-
lon: Of the never ending succession
t days: OF the monotony of habit; Of /
he melancholy obcession of death; Of
he nightmare Of ourselves: Of the fu-
Ility Of effort; Of the faulty Of human
ttachments-tired Of the flat, stale,
II