Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-02-06
would be one monotonous
world if all of US were made
in the same mold. like candles.
;o1 70 lady

world if all of US were made
in the same mold. like candles.
Which accounts for the lady
reformer. the other night. who took
the, responsibility of condemning to
perdition "aIl who handle tobacco in
any shape or form"-silver Offering
at the door.
The lady knew all about it: ITO
bacco is a vice. Vice is sin. Sin
is" But all of you know what sin
is. Furthermore, 1.-The Bible holds out
no hope of salvation for a smoker of
the filthy weed" 1t might be argued.
Of course. that the Scriptures show
no evidence of ever having heard Of
/ tobacco, butt anyhow.
{ While she was giving her talk an
other woman who had happened in on
the meeting Observation-Disclosures
dropped her little quarter in basket
| with no further knowledge than mat
any good cause is worth helping
along. But after the lady had fin
ished uD. the stranger within the
gates made the modest statement that
she wanted her money back. 1t was
treason and they made the most Of it,
but the donor stood pat.
CO. if you wish, but you couldn't ex-
pect me to give cent to help you
down what I uphold"
She got her quarter. Then she gave
it to a small boy among those pres
ent. Then she smoothed over her
rambunctiousness by joining in re
freshments" and singing of THE
Star Spangled Banner" which she
feels. but does not know and never
hopes to learn. And that was all
there was to it.
She was nice woman. understand:
earnest, and all that, but she knew
nothing Of the green splendor of up
shooting stalks topped with pink bios
SONS that the farmer calls "durn
suckers" in the same spirit that he
cusses a daisy because it is a weed.
Memory holds for her no fat worms
that look like jade until the turkeys
gobble them, nor under-J ungles OF
ground leaves that mean a new frock
or a very own pig to the child that
picks SO many for early prizing; Of
damp days in the barn when tobacco
stripping goes on to the rich, UNI
| studied melody of song and laughter
of the brown man; of the hauling
along deep country roads--with ruts
wharf, to wait until a steamer comes
along: of the prayerful expectancy of
what the crop will bring after the in
spectors get through with their prod
olng6
She ignores the millions whose lives
have depended on such crops since
Americas childhood. when tobacco
was colonial currency, and forgets
how tobacco planters helped to make
the laws Of this country and died on
land and sea in their defense.
Still. she was a nice, earnest wom-
an-only when it comes to turning
smokers out of heaven it would seem
that she might let ST. Peter attend
| to his own affairs.
CHE couldn't have been a pretty
girl. and she hasn't improved with
age. You notice. women never do
but:
| Seeing she has plenty of company in
| the matter Of looks, she keeps her
| philosophy on tap and manages quite
| cheerfully, except on such lamentable
occasions as. say, Tuesday.
| On that sunshiny forenoon another
woman met her coming out Of a At
| ting room, in a suit department Her
| face a map Of gloom-not crouch
and her ramrody figure SO crumpledy
looking that. naturally. the friend
wanted to know what had happened.
"oh. nothing. And everything! Fa-
| Their Time has Just been giving me the
third degree in there. in that chamber
of horrors. and won't get over the
| shock-ever"
| The other woman didn't ask for de-
] tails. She waited:
] IF I had my choice between buying
a frock and going to the dentist, give
me the chair every time! But I had
to have one. and, Of course, ! got
through all right. thanks to the pa
tient clerk and the filter who pinned
me up for alterations. but--honey-as
| / stood there with that sun glazing
| down. and that wall of mirrors
showing me up everyw hichway-front,
back and sideways from top to toe
! why. tell you right here that I was
| the homeliest mud turtle of a human
| I ever laid eyes on. I feel as II
| ought to apologize to everybody who
has to look at me-honest. mean to
make the filter blindfold me when
] she tries me on
| Which seems to show that progress
| has taken Bobby b. at his word, so
far as the giftie gle US to see our
sells as others see u.s." but:
! II the invention could be improved
| on to the extent Of mirrored room
| that would reveal souls instead of
bodies. there wouldn't he a movie
| star. or Greek god in the fame belt to
match the shining glory of some Of
these plain. oldish men and women
we SEQ going along who look like
human junk.
And at that. It may bet may be-
that some Master Grihith win some
dAv Dictupe the sshirth Of n nation"