Evening star., 1925-09-14
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

Idiot Man" Is The title of d new
book announced for publication this
Fail. / am going to look up that vol
ume, which has an alluring subtitle
The Foilies OF Mankind" II seems
to me it ought to prove interesting.
Man in a crowd. especially. 10 some
thing Of an idiot. He neither acts
nor talks normally, and is At the mer
cy of strange whims and vaEariet
which In his saner moments would
have no particular effect upon him.
A very good example OF this sort oi
mob mind" was given the other
afternoon in front of one Of the elec
trio scoreboards showing the progress
OF the Washington base ball club In
the game OF the moment.
A gentleman and q scholar--he was
all OF that--watched the board Tor
some time from the crowd directly in
front OF the flashing affair. with its
lights appearing now here, now there
indicating physical movements OF
some is men In a distant city,
After being thoroughly satisfied that
the Nationals were winning another
game. the gentleman left the crowd
and wended his way across the street
A steel rope had been stretched along
the sidewalk, so that spectators might
have their room TO stand and passers
by their place to walk.
Our hero Gn this little drama OF
everyday life In Washington carefully
inserted himself beneath the rope
prodded a few vicarious base ball
players gently In the ribs, wedged
himself In the space achieved, went
his way to a restaurant overlooking
the athletic scene.
+ II 4 X
So far. SO GOOD, and the reader may
wonder what all this has 10 do with
man. idiotic or otherwise.
We are getting TO that, swiftly
enough. now that we have got the
gentleman into his restaurant. We
watch him consume q cup OF coffee
then saunter out again, intent on TAX
Ing anal look at the scoreboard be
fore leaving for home.
This time he stopped Just outside
the wire. on the side devoted to pc.
destrians. The watchers crowded up
to the very wire. packed ono and one
Just on the other side. with back to
our hero, stood a small shrimp in a
blue serge suit and a straw hat.
AS the coffee drinker took his sta nd
on the wrong side of the wire. the
small man in the serge suit deliber
ately turned and gave him a malicious
look, so full Of venom over nothing
that the other was forced TO take cog
niZance of 1t.
Now I wonder what that shrimp
has against me?" he asked himself
as the other continued to stare at him
utterly forgetting the scoreboard, and
the events of the game.
Realizing that he had in no way
offended the little at-faced fellow. the
other decided to stare him out OF
countenance, In turn. Now, under or
dinary circumstances, this man would
no more have thought OF resorting TO
such tactics than he would to a
thrown brick.
In the crowd, however, the gentle
man calmly surveyed the offensive lit
tie fellow from shoes TO hat. conclud
ing his visual tour with quiet smile
The plan worked nobly. The shrimp
lowered his eyes, then turned them
back to the scoreboard.
At this moment a policeman strolled
down the sidewalk.
will you move on, please?" he
asked the gentleman, courteously
enough.
The little man in the blue serge
came to life with a start.
He made a derisive noise with his
mouth, a sort Of cross between a