Evening star., 1924-10-16
THIS AND THAT
BY c. E. TRACEWELL.

Pleasantly wasting time is one OF
the real pleasures of life. Despite all
the copybook moralists may say
against 1t, idling is indulged in by all
successful men.
One never looks at the buns loaf
ing at Seventh street and Pennsyl-
vania avenue without feeling that
fundamentally they are one with their
richer and greater brethern. Their
loafing Is just more obvious, that is all.
Time is golden" said the old
maxim.
, In no way is time more golden than
destiny that he can use time as he
pleases, pleasantly wasting some of it
upon something that interests him for
the time being.
Think of the poor, craven souls so
bound by fear of wasting time that
they cannot stop for half an hour to
watch riveters throwing their red
hot bolts on construction job!
Yes, there are some people like
that, but not many. Go up to any
new construction job, where there
is building activity, and watch the
lines of prosperous men, well dress
ed. well fed. gold chains on their
vests, helping the construction along
with their presence.
There they stand, minute after
minute, head back, eyes up, survey
ing the placement of a great girder.
They are on their way, and they
know where they are going, too, but
there is no hurry about it.
Any hour OF the day will find them
there, enjoying watching others
work. They are past masters in the
school of everyday living.
Watching construction work is one of
the grandest little ways of loafing in the
world. 1t was too bad steel buildings
had not come into being when Robert
Louis Stevenson wrote his Apology for
1dlers." He could have had added ma
terial.
1t is one of the standing mysteries
of city life. just where the men come
from who daily stand in solemn, silent
rows. watching the construction gangs.
Practically all of them are well dressed,
evidently successful men
The crowd is always constant in num-
ber, although its component parts
change from hour to hour. At o'clock
in the morning there will be so men
watching. at noon there will be so men.
at 3 80 o'clock SO watchers will be on
the job.
Truly, it Is a fascinating thing, this
watching big building going up! Men
just like ourselves swarm like monkeys
up and down dull red girderS The
average watcher wonders how those men
ever get up enough nerve to do it.
Yet, upon considering the matter, he
realizes that those workers do it as a
matter Of earning their bread and but
ter. in a casual way that comes with
familiarity, not as stranger would
who might suddenly be carted aIoft.
stood out on a beam and told: 4,
Now walk!'
In the back Of the heads Of the watch
ers lies one dread possibility: Maybe
some one will fall, No one will admit
this. but undoubtedly there is nothing
else to account for the faithfulness of
these steady watchers
Many men, successful and otherwise,
pleasantly waste a great deal of time
each day waiting for street cars. Those
who own automobiles escape this classi-
fication, of course. They idle running
around town.
Men are better idlers than women
Witness their pleasure, waiting for
street cars. in looking at the passing
show of ladies', 1t is impossible for
women to idle so successfully while
waiting for street cars, for they are
only interested in the clothes of the
passersby. while the gentlemen are in
terested in the passersby themselves
So do men go to the heart of a matter!
Men lose lot of time. too. waiting
for elevators. They might walk up, of
course, but very few of them do it
Every now and then some inspired
writer on physical culture advises men
to walk up and down steps.
1t is the best exercise in the world,
if used properly, they tell us. citing
cases of old men who have rejuve-
mated themselves by climbing up and