Evening star., 1925-01-03
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

approached the cashiers window in
| the real estate Office. How was he
to know the girl behind the window
had a crouch?
Here is a little Christmas present
for the flrn!" he cried, proffering his
check.
She might at least have given a
faint smile, even IL she did not relish
tho brand of humor offered with the
check.
1t was simply good business to
smile.
Just a faint smile-how easy IL
would have been to do, and how ac-
man who was happy with the Christ
mas spirit, and who only meant it in
the best possible manner!
The jovial boss OF the establish
ment would have smiled In return, or
probably laughed outright. had he
been behind the cashiers counter.
But he was not, and here was girl
who failed in one of the little essen
tial decencies of life.
She was just another case of lack
of ordinary hog friendliness. Some
people find 1t such q hard lesson, you
know, to be friendly.
x y X
Motormen and conductors often are
prime offenders in this thing of fall
, ure to display just ordinary civiiity,
thereby showing the world just how
hard lesson being friendly is for
them.
A woman tells me about this one.
Now she is a sweet girl. without one
trace of hauteur or any other quality
that could offend even the most SEN
sitive. of conductors. Nor is she, for
her part, at all supersensitive. Her
shoulders are much too pretty to bear
chips upon them. and she is beauti-
full and happy, to boot. So she has
nothing to resent.
Can you tell me IL this car changes
to Georgetown" she asked the con-
ductor.
That dignitary looked at her, turn
ed away. as IL he would not answer
at all, finally reiented. and, having
delayed his answer beyond that fine
point in time which marks courtesy
from dlscourtesy, replied sullenly:
"Of course"
This conductor had not learned to
be friendly. Contrast his manner
with that OF another operator on the
same line. A lady wanted to get off
at a corner, but her wits were wool
gathering. and she rang the bell
much too late.
The motorman stopped the car for
her in the middle of the block.
This is against the rules. lady"
he said, as he opened the door for
her TO alight. "The next time please
ring the bell in time"
This man had learned the lesson of
friendliness. I'll bet dogs come to
greet him with ,wagging tails. and
little children with smiles and shouts.
II were the president of his road !
would promote him for breaking that
rule.
Surely we ought to be friendly,
even at the cost of some of our sup
posed dignity, for friendliness Is
much more to be desired than dig
nifty, and bears fruits of hearts balm,
even in the midst of a great city,
where one can dwell through a long
life and never know the name Of his
next door neighbor.
II is true that often too much
friendliness Is worse than none at
all, but because a thing can be over
done or abused is no reason in the
world why It should be condemned.
Too much of anything is bad. The
golden mean Of that misjudged phi
losopher, Epicurus. holds as firmly in
this as in all the other affairs of
life.
We should be as friendly as We
may because Il pays big dividends to
ourselves and others. Civilization
has little meaning unless It has freed
us from the mere animal struggle for
existence and allowed us some op-
portunity to think more of others
than ourselves. A start along the
road is just being friendly.