Evening star., 1924-08-03
AROUND THE CITY
-By Mamie Lancaster

| What he saw was sporadic stalks
| of greenery that had shot up from
the general level. They were putting
on little leaves. as If each stem was
in race to get ahead of the others.
I've been figuring out how it
comes that here there stalk
| should spring up from the growth
ahead of the whole, seeing that all
had an even start-an given equal
care-I can't understand it,"
The man of glasses beamed interest
| and voiced it:
| IF you could. you would know why
| it is that ere-and-there stalks of
| humanity shoot up from the average
masses to become geniuses of some
sort, without anybody being able to
| tell just why The only thing We
can safely bet on is that the thing
we call human nature has its domi-
| nance in nature as well as in man..
That was all there was to the small
matter except for the smiling philos-
| ophy of the man who seemed to think
| that eyes requiring two sets of spec
| tacles and one magnifying glass
| were nothing to bother about. And,
when you consider how the most OF
| complain.
| A MOTORMAN out in the suburbs
had just started his car. when
| little old woman who had missed
! it shuffied out to the track a few
yards in front of the wheels. She
must have been extra anxious to
| catch that special car. for she look ed
| imploringly at the motorman and
put her hands together like a little
| child at prayer.
| 1he motorman stopped his car and
the little old woman got aboard. For
| that one small second anyhow, he
uShad been given the power Of ON
/ n nnf Ar1 h Laxl
answer prayer.
| A FARMER-LOOKING man was one
of a batch of excursionists going
| through the White House grounds
! AS he filed along the graveled path
| he picked up a leaf and showed it
| to the couple behind him.
| Purity. amt it? I'm going to take
| it home to Jane. She'll admire to
| have it,"
To a passing native it seemed that
| any Jane who belonged to that type
| of farmerlooking man would admire
| more to have something substantial
| like, say. a Fall frock, than d leaf
that had yellowed owe" early-still,
| YOU never can tell. Maybe she got
| for sentiment. 1t is the only way Of
| accounting for the souvenir faker
| who begins with basket, sets up
| shop in the road of travel-and re-
tires rich.
| CHE was talking to another woman
- on the street. in the dusk
But. my dear girl. consider how
! much good YOU could do for others
/ there are 50 many shut-ins that you
! might read to, if only an hour a day
! or little garments YOU might make for
! children of poor mothers-or helpful
| missionary work, or-oh. there are so
| many things you could DO"
The dear girl didn't seem to see
| herself in the role of a ministering
| spirit for she wedged in a remark
! the first instant she got a chance:
That would be noble in me, of
course. but say, while | was taking
| care C the universe who would be
| taking care of me? Il have to work
| And by the tine | do my bit of house
| Keeping and mending and freshening
up I've got to rest to do justice to nav
| job-and, let me ask you something.
When you reformers shall have
purged earth of all it's weak and sin
| full people: when it shall have become
moral Gibraltar, or FiSke'S Per
feet Humanity. what will become of
you? Will you break your jaws with
monotonous yawning because there's
nothing more to do, or will you re-
form each other to death. d la Kill
kenny cats-huh?" ?"
There was more to it, but enough
is always enough.
If you want work read the want
columns of The Star