Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-09-18
THIS AND THAT
BY C. e. TRACEWELJ.

legs, dragged Itself along 10Th street
between c and Little b streets. It's
piteous cry was the only lusty thing
1t had left.
How 1t had gotten into such a con-
dition was hard to say, in view of
the abundance OF food just around
the corner in Wholesalers row on the
street with the diminutive prefixed to
| its proper designation.
Women turned away with a shud-
der, after one glance at the tendons
showing through its NANCY coat. 1t
| was not a pretty sight. One wondered
why, If not even sparrow falls
without being seen, this tiny thing
was dying here.
! Its about gone" said an elderly
man. speaking from his truck wagon,
nodding at the withholding crea-
| ture.
What could one do with it? The
thought came to get 1t some milk,
| and place 1t in an old box somewhere,
to give It one more chance at life
before the spark went out into the
unknown.
How foolish. came second thought
Here is a starving kitten, which you
would not have known existed had
| you come along a minute earlier, or a
minute later. Think of the millions of
| starving children the world over.
and go thy way, worrying not over
beast.
II think it is terrible to treat these
poor chickens So" protested a large
| woman. after shuddering at the kit
! ten, which fell over on its side at
| every other step.
1T is horrible, the way they pile
these crates on top Of each other. and
scare these poor things So" contin-
ued the tender lady, who no doubt
wears a coat in winter made of 100
coats of squirrels.
II do not see why they allow such
cruelty. And look at that poor calf
over there, believing its poor little
heart out! ! think there ought to be
law against such things
SO saying. the woman went on to
market, where, no doubt, she pur-
| chased a couple of nice chickens to
fry for Sunday dinner. There is a
| difference. you know. when the chick
en- is nicely picked. and hung up, and
when it is alive and a brutal man
| grabs it by the heels, pulling it
squawking and protesting from the
| coop.
This nice horror at mistreating
! chickens on 10th street and on Little
Z street is all bunk.
| Every now and then somebody pops
! up with protest at this alleged
cruelty. but it seems like straining
at a gnat and swallowing a camel.
! AS long as human beings eat chick
ems and calves, how dare one protest
at a little preliminary mistreatment,
when I'm the end the creatures are to
! encounter the great mistreatment-.
| loss of their lives to satisfy the ap-'
/ petites OF other creatures?
Whether one likes to admit it or
/ not. the ultimate end of chickens,
COWS, pigs, ducks and other creatures
consumed as human food is cruelty
! 20 animals and nothing else.
If one can stand to eat them. when
the butchering is done out of sight.
! he can stand to see a little prelimi-
| nary cruelty in his own sight Not
that unnecessary harshness can be
! ,ondoned for second. 1t ought not
| 10 be; but when it is. do not be SO
| tender, unless your conscience is very
clear.
! Walking toward the National Mu-
| scum, one comes quickly into the
! chicken belt. The charact eristic odor
is over all. On the sidewalk. just
| above street, one encounters a
I
those who care for sea food.
! am not sure that ii is not cruelty
| to eat fish, when you get right down
| to the ethics Of the thing. Cruelty to
! fish, however, is something one sell
dom sees mentioned. One can yank
them around on hooks without the
| the slightest qualm.
| Next to the fish stand is store
whose front is piled high with auto
mobile tires. Next is a barber shop
almost hidden by gigantic plants
commonly called elephants ear.
These specimens are growing in
! tubs and doing very nicely. Tall sun
| flowers, standing in absurdly small.
narrow boxes Of dirt, turn their broad
] blossoms to catch the sun.
The lowing Of a calf dominates the
| street.
| Above the. cry of human beings
| cackle Of hundreds of hens, roar of
| passing automobiles, the whole hurry
and hustle Of the gateway to the
market areas, one small calf is heard.
Leaning an ear to winward def
| nitely places the creature as behind
! the screen in yonder wagon. This is
| quite a journey you are embarking
| upon. young fellow, and you will do
| we'll to get out of it alive.
| There is a sort of pump at the cor
| ner of Tenth and Little B street. I
! say sort of pump" because it has no
handle, in the strict sense of the
! word. You press the top down, and
| the water flows out, much as out of
an old-fashioned pump. Maybe this
| is the last of the pumps. Perhaps
there is an old creek below here.
| So this, then, is Little b street.
wholesalers row. with it's crates of
chickens piled on end, its proprietors
standing. white aproned, in front of
purple striped silk shirts contrasting
pleasingly with their aprons
| This is a wide street, for all it is a
| short one-hence it's name Little" in
| contrast to big, or regular street,
I suppose. The history Of its name
| does not interest me in the slightest
| What interests me is the life of this
place, it's craftsmanship, its chickens,
| it's fruits, smells. it's colors.
One smells Little B street perhaps
| more than he sees it. These white,
| gray and red hens, packed in their
narrow crates, piled so close together,
give a characteristic odor.
Negroes like longshoremen reach
| in, grab out brace OF hens by their
feet, drag them protesting forth.
There sits a stocky girl, her eyes
closed, her head leaning against a
bunch of we'll ripeuAA bananas
This Is tho banana belt Hero the
banana smell offsets, for the nonce,
I the chicken odor. But chicken
| feathers and dust are in the air here,
| too. These people who work here
must be used to it. The air is not
distinctly fresh, but 1t does not seem
| to affect these folk. No one could
look healthier than they all do.
Grapes and peaches, spread out for
dfsnlaY in boxes bearing bright