The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-09-10
BY ESTHER GRIFFIN WHITE.



BY ESTHER GRIFFIN WHITE.
Why are people afraid at night.
Some give one reason, some another
and still others no reason ut all. The
servants out at Earlham. It Is said. are
afraid Of the barberry bushes which 90
charmingly decorated the landscape
near the entrance
Away with the barberry bushes. then
declafms whoever Is in chargc-and ii
Ia said that the latter dread official
Was formerly the man who ran the
engine in the basement-and so the
barberry bushes have been torn QUA
root and branch and thrown. on the
brush heap.
Also the trees are being trimmed as
high as Hayman hung and II 10 thought
by residents Of the National road that
other improvements are to be institut-
ed. including demolition OF all the
shrubbery on the campus.
Because II people can hide behind
barberry bushes and jump out at you
and boo and nearly scare you to
death. what's to prevent 'em hiding
behind other kinds of bushes.
Certainly Earlham college official
dom has q strange idea of the fitness
of the man for the place, II the first
act Of the one put in Charge OF the
grounds Is to ruin the landscape ef-
fects which have been .striven for. Of
recent years, by the supporters of that
institution. No doubt this custodian
10 an excellent person OF high moral
characterize writer knows nothing
as to his identity-but such outrageous
defacements OF the landscape are van
dalism of the worst sort and should
not be permitted to continue.
What If it WAS dark round the en-
trance. And not SO dark either. But
In any event why not string up . few
more electric lights and make 1t more
consoling to the timid ones who shud-
der at q shadow.
Another reason given for the de-
struction was the plant that the build
ings were not visible enough from the
road. This is ito laugh" as the say
ing goes. The setting OF the buildings
is the largest part of their effective.
ness, for with all due regard for our
ancient school of learning, 1t must be
said that its architectural manifesto
tions are not those which will take 1t
laundering down the ages.
What affair is it Of yours?' asks
somebody or other.
1t is q fact. however. that the land
scape is everybody's affair. And also
a further fact that . lot Of people in
town gladly and recently contributed
toward the payment of Earlham's H.
nancial obligations and that these peo-
pie strongly object to the mutilatfon
and general slaughter of trees and
shrubbery on the Earlham campus.
EArlham is one Of Richmond's
strongest decorative, as well az educa-
tional. assets. and the city is not in
terested in seeing the former quality
rendered null by the action Of ignorant
and unfit custodians.
The Psychology Of fear is intricate.
1t is curious how many women are
afraid to go out after dark. Many and
weird are the tales one can hear OF
dour chasings and narrow escapes.
The escapes, however. are always the
definite finale. The thing escaped
from always vague and shadowy It
generally Jumps out from behind q
lamp post or q tree or out OF the
mouth Of some murderous looking NJ
ley.
And often the heroines of these wild
narratives are ones who by no posi-
bility have ever been similarly afflict,.
ed In daylight. And for obvious rea-
sons. No doubt there are wicked and
depraved wretches prowling round at
night. But it IL an open question
whether many of them skulk In the VI
entity of Earlham where everybody 10
safely locked in by ten o'clock
Or anywhere else. For six months
at time the writer has been escorted
home at any time between midnight
and two in the morning from . morn
ing paper, a connection with which
writing at night, under
the valorous protection OF a.messenger
boy and never saw anything worse
than policeman. And, with all due
respect to our efficient and gentle
manly system. only on very rare and
distant occasions encountered Que OF
Its representatives at this hour.
The truth is that whole lot Of non
sense is current about the danger of
being out late or early in a town OF