The New York herald., 1922-04-30

~ ETWEEN the exodus OK patrons
N of cheap restaurants and that
of the expensive kind there is
about an hour at dinner time. and that
hour is a busy one for the traffic cop
at Forty second street and Broadway.
He has to hold back on the curb thou
sands OF the former who are going to
the theaters firmly resolved 10 be in
their seats when the curtain rises. II
he holds them back longer than they
think necessary for safety they sulk
and make nasty remarks. At least
half of them cherish a grudge against
him on general principles.
And before he has got these people
safely over the streams of motors.
taxis and other kinds arrive in every
direction. The people in them are not
more patient over delay.
rs II smiles they give me?" said
the traffic cop, repeating question
asked him. 1T is not The smile falls
off when they get here. for if there's
wan thing the Amerikin objects to it's
the bein' held up"
Watching the crowds mass at this
center the truth of what he said was
demonstrated. AS the people came
down the block singly, in couples. in
groups. most of them were laughing
gayly. chatting loudly. and the few
that were silent wore a smile. But they
grew silent, laughs died out and smiles
faded when the time came TO cross the
busy street. At tha, instant an OBJ
server would have had reason to say
that the typical American is a
Crouch"
Everybody in London
Is Gium Nowadays
Once over. smiles, laughs, loud chat
return and one would have to reverse
this hasty judgment. A wider observa-
ton is necessary before one can say
whether or not New Workers are a
smiling. happy people.
In ondon a critic has lately said
that everybody nowadays is glum. that
all go about their business without a
trace of a smile. AS far away from Lon
don as Kansas City is critics are say
ing the same thing. Smiles don't stick,
these observers say. on the Kansas
face now. Why? There are advanced
certain res sons that will be given a
little later. meanwhile the INQUIRY set
ties alb ut rIe-y York Are its citizens
naturally depressed or joyful?
View the thf ongs on Fifth avenue
and the crowds on Broadway. Here
and there one detects among them a
face marked by care to an expression
of despondency. but it Is the excep-
ton. Nearly everybody looks pleas
ant and many seem to be really happy
II the day is bright happiness is dis
tinctly abroad and even when rain is
falling and otEer weather conditions
are unfavorable one is apt to overhead
scraps of gay conversation, to see
smiling faces. and If for a moment all
other sounds were to be suddenly
hushed except laughter then the streets
of New York would still have plenty
of noise.
Yes, the London look and the Kan
sas City expression may be downcast
We do not say that they are-but
the New York glance is gay.
Taken as Joke by New Yorkers
To Be Deprived of Anything
New Yorkers take things they are
deprived OF as a joke. They are en-
titled to them, but they laugh about
these failures. Take the subway for
gross instance: how many persons
really complain of the crowds and the
inconvenience they are compelled to
endure. except whimsically. In his
heart the genuine New Workers. is se-
cretly proud of the fact that wher-
ever he is going. by whatever con-
veyance, there are twice as many peo-
Pile as ought to be going the same
way. too. 1t fixes in his mind the
immensity of his city.
All progress in New York is a head
on collision. You can't get off any
thing without pushing aside somebody
who is trying to get on. You can't
go up any stair without meeting some
body coming down. Life in the city is
just one locking of horns after an
other.
But do New Workers cry about these