Evening star., 1922-11-19
Heard and Seen

without his nat, the AiSS eiiiiS
meet him underneath brim- you
may have q hard time recalling him.
Thus 1t was with a local news
paperman. who happened to be stand
ing on the front steps OF his once
one morning last week, when an au-
tomobile drove up. piloted by man
with bushy white hair
A lady got out, and entered the
Office. while the man at the wheel
began to smile at the man On the
steps
The latter took a good look, de-
cided he did not know the man in
the automobile, and looked away. The
man at the wheel smiled more broad
ly than ever. Finally he started
Later in the day the newspaperman
found a note on his desk asking that
he call a certain number In the De-
partment Of Labor. Then 1t came TO
him. The man in the car had been
Ethelbert Stewart. commissioner Oh
Say" called the news gatherer,
over the telephone. That was the
first time l had ever seen you with
q hat on, and couldn't place you,
"Har. har." LAUGHED the genial la
commissioner. That was one on
you" -,
why didn't you call my name?'
asked the newspaper man.
"Har, har, har"' roared Stewart.
"That was one or me"
* X
II you want to see positively the
reddest carpet in Washington, walk
into the office of Postmaster General
Work.
There it lies, a supreme creation,
recalling the palmiest days OF the
Victorian era. when red carpets. red
curtains and red plush WED with one
another in making living quarters
colorful.
His lieutenants say that DR.. Work
is fond Of the color. The new car
pet out-glows anything in carpets
ever seen in the department. IN the
recent democratic regime Mr.: Burle-
SON had a red carpet in this outer
office, but 1t was not in the same
class with the present covering.
With soft, dark green curtains al
ready at the windows. to diminish the
glare Of light from the large panes.
and the walls to be painted soft
gray. to tone down the carpet. the
Postmaster Generals anteroom short
ly will take its place as one of the
rfchest-looking rooms in official life.
y.
Looking at some children on a
playground, a man who grew UP here
few decades ago without any such
play place. recalled the days Of his
youth. when the streets and vacant
lots were the children's only play
grounds.
"They were enough, too" unused
the man. "In those days vacant lots.
many Of them practically whole
Of tho city. No, it wasn't very long
ago. either.
"The lots were covered in summer
with tall weeds. and in this children
could play Indians or jungle ex-
plorers to their hearts content, until
chance by. The creature usually put
an end to adventure for that day.
Then remember the rock battles.
OF course. children magnify every
thing. but as I remember them, they
were real battles, with big rocks sail
ing through the air. and sometimes
bricks. How it was nobody ever got
seriously hurt I do not recall"
X
"It seems to me-" continued the
same man. as. he watched the chill
dren on their swings. ."that the kids
of my day led a more fearsome life
than those Of today. mean just
what say. that fear entered more
into the daily life Of children before
and after the spanish-American war,
for instance, than It does today"
"As recall it. no neighborhood in
Washington even in the northwes;
section. was free from a number OF
Of teasing from children. upon whom
they turned with great anger.
1T got to be that children, and,
especially the smaller ones; were
afraid every time they saw these
half simple creatures turning the
corner. I remember in my neighbor-
hood the pet terror was known as
old Booze The mere mention OF
that title in his hearing was enough
to set him after even the smallest
child with Q great sickle which he
"The children Of today are more
fortunate. believe. with. theiI
gwtngs, and their hand ball. and
bssket ball and other diversions OF
the arc. In taking the children out
Of the street, you are taking fear out
az fhefyi heafta Il - = good thing
1RI,Es II TRACEWELaL
! n =! e. sssS e