Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-29

teryiews. prophecies. forecasts
and all that in the haunts Of
men, that is is very pleasant to stray
of into the country and listen to the
eatbirds, jays, cicadas. crickets. katy
dds and frogs. These sounds blend
better than the voices of men and the
Rambler suspects that there is quite
as much wisdom and mature thought
In the utterances OF the crickets and
the frogs as in the utterances Of
large part of the men who today are
prominent in speech and print. At
any rate. it is less tiresome to listen
TO the crickets, katydids and frogs.
As to the cicadas. their noise is heard
only at intervals of seventeen years.
while there are men. apparently just
as numerous as cicadas who insist
on giving you their opinions every
day in the year. They get their
d. opinions printed, and they utilize all
the opportunities which banquets,
Sunday school picnics, state society
reunions, citizens association meet
ings and all other kinds Of meetings
give them to tell, in loud tones and
with flowing gestures, what they be-
lieve and what they don't believe.
i II *k
Speaking of catbirds reminds the
Rambler that once upon a time he
clipped something about these birds
and put 1t away among his personal
junk. II you will pardon him for a
few minutes. or a few hours he will
try to look it up. but without much
hope Of finding it. and he believes
that will dol
Of this narrative very long.
IAter--I have found it, 1t turns out
to be poem written by the Rambler's
agreeable and learned. or agreeable
though learned friend, Henry Oldys
who lives in Silver Spring. Nd. 1t
vas published in the Guide to Ma
ture in June, 1918. Here it is:
TAsu friendly lsiterer among the fringes
OF lawn and sarden, Or where grassy mead
Upon the thin edge Of the wood impinges--
That doth the profit Of my fruitage bleed
That tak'st thy way with strut and Rirt and
softer.
~ through the ballroom gitdes arch
csquette-
DOst seeld the cat. then mount the perch to
utter
4 song half carol and half lingering threat
It likes me well, thou art my summer neigh
b0r.
Usiag the stage my doorya ard doth provide;
Take resdy toll mine and natures labor
Thy spoil is narrow and thy bounty wide;
Stag thy grotesqne and ncoherent carol
(PifeFed in part, thou regue, from others
arD,
Aud scosd anon at will We shall not quarrel:
have thou tolerance. thou hast my heart.
Again let the Rambler say it is very
pleasant to stray far Off into the
country. lounge along lanes whether
they are shady or blistering hot, loiter
through tangled woods. wade little
streams that fret themselves to foam
in haste to join the old Potomac, sit
down on fallen log or pine stump,
smoke an old pipe, eat a sandwich
that is not too old, and lie down on a
bed Of moss, ferns or pine needles and
dream for an hour-if the ants and
gnats will permit. 1t is pleasant to
do all this alone. and it is pleasant
to do it with company-that is. with
sensible company, and perhaps SEN
sible company" might be roughly de-
hned as a man who will talk when he
AdS SohctnIuB soou 10 say ana VIII
keep mum when he hasn't.
Conversation kills enough joy in the
city without taking it along for
sunday ramble. OF course, there's
conversation and conversation. Cen
orally the right kind of conversation
proceeds from persons who know
something, while the other kind, with
which the world babbes over. prob
ably runs something like this: Now,
think with an accent on the y
Isn't 1t warm today? It's not so warm,
but it's the humidity in the atmosphere
Nike winter so much better than sum-
mer, don't you? 1t is my personal
opinion that Amt it terrible the
way they pack those cars. / can't get a
wash woman for love or money Good
ness gracious, another tie-up And the
1Ast girl had Yes, Mary Pickford and
Douglas Fairbanks. The very idea of
strawberries being so cents a box And
my grocer says that shoes are going to
be higher. If the cost Of things don't
come down l won't have thing to
wear" etc.
X X
1t il also refreshing to go where
the catbirds chatter, the crickets chirp