Evening star., 1922-04-23

Nj the song. "A Policeman's
" Lot Is Not a Happy One"
he must have had in mind
the traffic officer of today. for this
individual leads a life that soon
brings gray to his temples and
razor edge to his nerves. Some day
when you are particularly discon-
tented with your lot in life spend
twenty-four hours with a traffic cop
and you will come to the conclusion
that the vocation you are following
is n double-barreled. copper-riveted
lead-pipe cinch compared to that OF
the man who either directs automo-
biles and pedestrians on busy cor
ner of the city's thoroughfares or rides
a motor cycle after joy-riding yaps
or a plain bicycle where his sturdy
muscles are the motive power.
Play around awhile with this poo
liceman and you will speedily arrive
at the conclusion that the general
public are deep and intensive per-
sonal thinkers - personal because
their minds appear to be centered
upon some great and weighty prob
lem that affects them only. They
think naught of the safety OF comfort
of others. and they drive or walk with
the same mental abstraction that
characterizes some nineteenth assist
ant secretary at peace conference.
With bowed heads and furrowed
brows, they pay no attention to rules
regulations, signs. whistles. gestures
or exhortatious. and that more OF
them are not causing insurance COM
panies concern or sojourning in a
hospital is one of those problems that
would puzzle even the originator of
the theory OF relatively.
y y
DROP down to the corner OF 14th
= street and Pennsylvania avenue
some afternoon about o'clock. the
hour when transportation problems
are eravest. There you will md an
alert. quick thinking. muscular young
guardian Of the peace. man who
earnestly endeavore to be courteous
to all and at the same time enforce
police regulations-a man in whose
pedestrians and motorists six days in
the week Stand over on the corner
for an hour as the government de-
partments give forth their crowds OF
workers; watch him as he turns this
way and that way; observe him as he
end.avors to keep the flow OF trafhc
moving with smoothness and dis
n Observance
YOU will not only have a more kindly
feeling toward the traff1c cop than
you ever had before, but you will
have a headache from the nervous
strain of seeing a hundred or more
people nearly run over as result OF
their own carelessness and a dozen
or more cars just saved from crash
ing because their drivers are mentally
"balloony."
without disclosing the fact that he
was to be quoted. the officer of this
section related. after his arduous
hour and n half of strenuous work.
some of his trials and tribulations,
to wit:
This is a great life here on this
do weaken you are gone. and SO is
the public You know what Sherman
said about war-well. this is worse.
Stick around some afternoon and
watch me, At the end of that time
YOU will see that old man Job was a
piker compared to those of US who
have to contend with jay-walkers,
who don't seem to realize that any
body walks any more, and when tell
YOU that this condition exists it is
no fantasy engendered by the fumes
of the poppy, it's not pipe dream
not by any manner or means.
Take it from me that the boys In
the trenches never had buster hour
with the little playmates that got In
the seams OF their clothes than ] do
standing up here on this tweny-fou
inch platform. My family say that
1 am a changed man since I landed
on this job. Just how I am changed,
they haven't said. I guess they don't
want to hurt my feelings. Watch
them now as they come across. Here
they Gomez
FROM up 14th street came an army
Of Young men and women; from the
same direction came the trolley cars
also n,vvers, touring cars and sedans
From down 18th street came SINH
lar array, from north and south on
Pennsylvania avenue like deluge OF
humans came. likewise an equal num-
ber of cars. automobiles, trucks. etc,
while switching in from E street were
other trolley cars. All appeared to
be intent in pursuing their per-
spective ways irrespective Of any one
else's desires.
+ X
THE onicsr blew his whistle. the
stop signal was set across Penn
sylyania avenue. Half Of the ma
chimes ran over the limit reserved for
pedestrians, screeching of brakes
sounds like the wall Of the witches
at a caldron. and despite the fact that
the stop signal had been set. pedes-
TRANS deliberately ignored the ges-
ture Of the odicer. the peal of his
..h;.,io .ra thn facf that yehicnlar