Evening star., 1923-08-05
Listen, World! By Elsie Robinson

n oCND three-N entE has just
- received his third poke in the
jaw. his eleventh kick in the
shin and d neat jab on the
west ear. and is countering with loud
yells for his mamma.
No, this is not a report Of prize
fight. I'm simply giving you some
inside information on scrap I've
been watching from my studio win
dow.
Across the way there's a patch of
green which sprouts crop Of young
sters daily after school Mostly lit
j tie tads. The bigger boys go down
to the base ball lot For the last
week I've been noting the adventures
of five of them. Four of them. husky
sun burned small savages. have held
forth there since school began. The
fifth is newcomer, a slight. serious
young person. by name Wentworth
Sturtevant. He looks il. There is not
the slightest doubt that the Benet test
would prove Wentworth TO be of
much higher intelligence than his as
sociates. As if this were not enough
of a handicap. the poor child is one
of those unfortunates whose ears are
always clean. stockings neatly CART
cred and hair unmussed. 1t is
simple matter to see where young
Sturtevant. aged nine. will get off
with his fellow man.
! have been watching his career
with interest. Wentworth is con-
sumed with a passion to be one of the
gang. His pale eyes fairly bulge with
longing as he watches their scrim-
images and listens to their lusty darns
and hang-its. 1t is probably the first
time in his life that Wenty has been
within smelling distance of a fight.
He would give his immortal Sturte
want soul to be their leader.
When he started he evidently
thought the matter would be an easy
one. He had a wonderful play plan.
1t was really a good sort of a game
Robin Hood up to date, as il were
and had someone with the requisite
freckles, warts and dirt proposed it
it would have gone over big with the
original four. But the plan from
Wentworth was received with jeers
In vain he explained and cajoled and
politely argued and tried to meet
their criticisms. All he got tto quote
the gangs expression) was "a bust on
the chop"
A VERY few of such busts suf-
n feed for Wentworth. His spirit
crumpfed. One spirited poke in re-
turn would have convinced them that
he could take care Of himself. and
would have sold" his plan. But he
wasn't sure enough of himself or the
plan to give the poke. So there you
may behold him acting as the COM
munity foot ball, bitterly bewailing
their cruelty. but making no attempt
to quell it
1t is not difficult to foretell Went
worth's future. Intelligent. amiabIe,
polite, always trying to intrench
himself in the good opinion of his fell
low men-and always failing. End
ing at last an embittered nonentity
with no comprehension of why he
good enough ideaIs-but he couldn't
sell himself" to the gang.
/ do not know who you are. my
friend-tired business man, worried
housewife. school girl or boy, lady of
leisure or man about town. But
whoever you are, you have something
to sell. That something is yourself.
Upon your salesmanship of that one
most vital commodity depends all
your happiness.
One desire is common to all men
and women, however diverse their in
dividual occupations-the desire to
gain power over other men and wom-
en-to make themselves necessary,
|desirable-to be loved, admired,
feared. deferred toto sell them
selves, their personalities, their view
points. That is the desire of little
Wentworth Sturtevant. That is the
desire Of King George of England.
And tho same -rulaA which make for