Evening star., 1920-08-08
THE RAMBLER WRITES OF OLD CHURCHES
ON VIRGINIA. SIDE OF THE POTOMAC RIVER
Old Pohick Church and
Neighbour ood-Some
Words About Words and
Thoughts While the Ram
bier Sat on a Log. in the
Woods on a Rainy Day.

iTHIs is being written after a
long tramp through rain and
mud. The roads were soft.
slippery and sticky and the
woods were wet. Rain beat through
the foliage and dripped from the
leaves. Often it fell from them in
hard showers as wind gusts swept by.
The woodland undergrowth-grass
weeds and vines-was wet to the
was comforted by the thought that
fair weather always follows foul. and
that gray, glum sky gives way to
one of golden brightness. You might
think of this even though you are
not out upon the road or. in the
woods on a stormy day; you can think
Of this in your office or your home
when troubles come and the future
seems wrapped in gloom.
But before Is Rambler jots down
what happened on this walk he wants
to ease his mind of a few thoughts,
If you will permit him to apply that
word to those little things that rattle
and play tag within his skull These
thoughts are not of old farms. old
families and tombstones, but are of
words, which are the messengers of
our thoughts. A few Sundays ago he
wrote of that word. "Expediency,"
which has been given such a COM
manding place in the lexicon today,
while that very old-fashioned word,
conscience" has been forced to find
for itself a place in small type on
the back page of the dictionary. and
even there it seemed to be marked
Obsolete
Words are very useful things in a
N tn 0p1r rivr
any one of them to the point Of ex-
haustion. There are so many words
that. if the burden of conversation
and of writing were properly distrib-
uted. no word would have it's back
broken by overwork. One of the sore
ly downtrodden words which cries
out for help is "camouf1age." Nobody
ever says that a thing is spurious,
counterfeit. deceptive or disguised:
nobody says protective coloration";
nothing is any longer pretense or
"a deiusion and a snare; fake"
'snide" and ''phoney" have disap-
peared. "Camoufiage" holds the stage
and fills the mouth. This poor word
came to me while was sitting on a
log smoking my pipe in the rain, and
speaking to me in a sobful and tear
some voice. said: please let me sit
by you and rest awhile. Everybody
uses me! I am sputtered from a mill
lion mouths a minute. I feel that l
must be full of pyorrhea and tartar.
and perhaps carry with me the germs
Of rabies; Shades Of Chateaubriand.
Moliere. Boileau. Corneille and Ra-
cine. how have I offended that
should be thus abused! My own peo-
pie never treated me thus! Here,
people use me who cannot conjugate
'parler.' wht know not the difference
between the infinitive and the indica-
tive. who would not know the condi-
tional tense if it came down the
Avenue under escort of the Marine
Band, and who have never known the
terrors of the subjunctive. I am be-
ing done to death by millions Of
any better than they know French"
Then another frayed and weary
word sat down on the log and beside
the Rambler. II am Psychology" it
said. People used to say 'knowl-
edge of human nature or am in
good reader of character but now
everything is put on me. 1t Is a
psychological thing, the psyche
logical moment in psychological
sense and a Psychologist test 1t is
chol0gy of this and Of that: he Is "a
splendid psychologist or a profound
student of psychology Save me! I
am worn to frazzle! My father and
mother were Psyche and Logos and
they dfd not Dreed me up FOR any such
work as am now doing in the world"
And then another long. thin and
jaded word sat down by the Rambler
on the log. MY name is Efficiency"
it said, in a depressed and Anguid
voice. Have sip from my flask"
word that is more worn out than
you" True" answered the poor old
word. Il started out in this world
with fair prospects and the hope Of
being helpful. but now everybody
takes a whack at me. The store
keeper no longer wants his employees
to be skillful. or useful. or on the
job: what he wants is Efficiency He
could get along just as well with
Industry, Promptness. Faithfulness