Evening star., 1923-10-28
Heard and Seen
These are furnace DAYS.

Now come again hours of wrestling
household apparatus. Without the
furnace or some sort of stove winter
would be a time Of terror.
1t was not for nothing that Dante
made the lowest circle Of his hell a
place of bitter cold. The hottest
summer days are more easily stood
by most of US than the slightest bit
Of cold.
Wherefore the furnace occupies
such q prominent place in the
thoughts of thousands of city and
town dwellers these early autumn
days. From the old hand, to whom
running a furnace Is commonplace, to
keeping the house warm. all give a
lot of thought and attention to the
humble furnace.
We can get along without as much
food and drink as most of us COM
monty stow away, but without the
miserable existence. If any one
doubts this just walk into a govern
ment department on a cool fall day,
just before the heating plant Is put
into operation.
The chief clerk will tell You that
scores of complaints have been made
by the force about the lack of heat.
The battle of the windows wages
without ceasing. One faction believes
the office is warmer with all windows
down. The other declares that plenty
of fresh air Is what Is needed.
In the average home there Is a
battle between the desire to be warm
and to save money. Usually the lat
ter wins for several days, maybe sew
eral weeks. The family sits around
rptU ot 10 he Of
the house throws caution to the
winds and plenty Of coal into the fur
mace.
Then life becomes pleasurable
again. Smiles break. out. We are
living at last.
Yet what perverse thing a fur
mace can be to the novice! .
1t is much like dog. II you show
yourself afraid of the brute it will
bark and maybe bite. So with the
furnace. Go after it gingerly. 1t will
run up to the danger point one hour
and down to the extinguishing point
II one is afraid to put coal on it
goes out. If. scared of 1t going out,
one shovels in coal the furnace works
overtime, sending the thermometer to
tremendous heights.
Once the machine is mastered,
however, 1t behaves very nicely there
after. = b.. ..
y
Dogs have a great deal Of sport at
all seasons. -, ..-s -
But perhaps In autumn the CANNES
outdo themselves in sheer. enjoyment
Of living.
Bulldogs. collies. terriers. all breeds
and brands cavort, run. and cut sun.
dry capers through the fallen leaves
Maybe it is the rustling leaves that
put zest into their existence. Per.
haps It was that fine bone recently
acquired. Anyway, just let a dog
get loose on a sidewalk covered with
Watch him kick his way through!
He does a tremendous amount. of
snufflng at the leaves, as he plows his
way down the street. giving an excel
lent demonstration OF how to enjoy
life.
Radio is giving opportunity for any
amount of pretense to knowledge on
the part Of those who have had bit
Of experience with it. ,..
They talk glibly of the fundamen-
tails of the science as IL they UNDER
stood the mystery, when, as a matter
of fact, nobody really can explain it,
They know how to make 1t work.
and are able to explain in words why
it works. Yet the words explain moth
ing, really. neither the how nor the why.
More frank Is three-year- old
child who had pair of receivers
placed over her head and adjusted to
her ears.
She got" the bedtime story. no
question of that. But somehow it
didn't seem to. interest her much.
She fidgeted.
At last she removed the head set.
placed 1t carefully on the table.
bowed and said:
Excuse me. please; I have to leave
now"
The next day she listened to music.
She heard II. but did not know where
it was coming from. Talk of ether
would not have helped at all.
Take me out to see the people who
are singing" she said. ~
CHARLES E, ,TRACEWELL