Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-07-31

nNE of the least mitigated Of pests ia the
~ man who comes back from an early va
cation and goes about town voluminousy
describing the delights and wonders OF ms
trip. The usual retort IN such case Is 10
remarlt
al can stiil look forward to my days on
while yours are over and gone
But any Vacation that is a vacation mas
three partsi anticipation vacation and re-
membrance So what's the use OF brag ana
envy and repartee? Besides, one mans meat
Is another mans poison, or, being Interpreted,
no two men can possibly have the same va
cation. fhey may 20 to the same place and
do the same things, but their vacations
differ 1t depends of course, on the men
themselves. Phiosophicnlly stated, Vaoa-
tion is subjective and not objective There
fore It is arrant folly-or arrogant II you
like that better-to tell o man how TO va
cate" The nearest you can come to rule
is to paraphrase Horace Greeley's advice on
specie payments and say, "The way to va
cate is to vacate."
Some asseverate that this can be done by
staying at home. / will not dispute them,
though my wife would gladly do so; neither
will deny that railroad travel is tiresome
I had to pay more for my tickets than ever
before, and it seemed as If baggage agents
were never so exasperatingly fussy about
rules and regulations. This confession may
be a tribute to baggage agents, but It's moth
ing in comparison with the pecuniary tribute
/ paid to one of them in consequence OF a
hot day argument. BY the time certain
member of their fraternity had explained, TO
my great dissatisfaction, all the rules ana
regulations on file at his office and had
reached the question what is the value of
your trunk?" 1 was ready to shout, "one
thousand doIlars!" I did shout It, too The
moral is, don't exaggerate. 1t costs money.
The worst of the matter is that false valua-
tion of baggage is a criminal offense.
"Aint Nature Grand!"
But all the trials and tribuations of travel
are forgotten once you arrive at Silver Lake.
In fact, Silver Lake is 10 miles from the
nearest railway station, while Philadelphia,
New York, Boston and Chicago are millions
of miles from Silver Lake. Good rddance'
And don't lay the fattering JUNCTION to your
souls that the difference between Philadel-
pha and Silver Lake is the difference be-
tween city and country, Those ingenious
urban sentimentalists who sing of the coun-
try in terms of little rivers" and "heecy
clouds and green pastures and helpful
hills" who, in short, praise scenery" and
'the ministry Of nature" have fallen into
that sort of egotism which thinks that all
these things are provided for him who has
been long in city pent" and by nobody else
are duly appreciated Their mistake be on
their own headsl "Ain't nature grand!"
Such people may not know 1t, but country
life is quite as intensely human city life,
only the modes OF 1t are different; and as
for scenery" rural folk are by no means
deaf and blind to it's appeal 1 could tell you
of a farmers daughter who often at close
Of day climbed to hilltop near her home to
watch the beautiful process of sunset
could tell you of country boy who knew
the Joys of little rivers and fisherman's luck
on equal terms with Henry Van Dyke. 1
could tell you of country parson who drove
his Morgan span through the neighboring
towns and counties with as much pleasure at
getting away from his study and the viii
lage and the tasks Of his parish as the banker
who runs away to Europe to refresh his
body and soul This was the very parson-
now abiding in mansion prepared of old
for his coming--of whom Robert Hildreth
tells remarkable yarn:
Conducting morning prayers in front of a
lakeward looking tent he overheard a whis-
per among the group of campers. There's
that loon out there by the point
"'Amep!' was the next word spoken and