Evening star., 1925-01-06
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

1t was a shabby room, a large room.
a room sparsely furnished and made
to appear even larger than it was by
the lack of furniture. There was
dirt everywhere.
A shabby wooden bed stood at one
| side, while on the other were two
small wooden chairs of the kitchen
type. A half empty bottle of milk
rested on the floor.
Dirty clothes were strewed around
as If the wearers had allowed them to
remain just where they had fallen
when taken off.
The bed was rumpled with soiled
linen, which was heaped upon 1t,
rather than spread out. This bed
had never enjoyed the luxury of be-
ing made up in its long life, II one
could judge from its present appear
ance.
There was an air of dissolution
about the big room that bespoke
general untidiness on the part of its
Inhabitants, for a room cannot get
into such a shape without having
received continual and long neglect
from those who live in it,
Now there was no necessity for
that room looking so dismal. A big
bucket OF hot water, cake of good
grease
would have transformed IL in an hour
little work with a broom would
have worked wonders, too, follow
ing the removal of the clothes to the
closet, and the articles of food to the
kitchen.
One left this dirty room with a feel
ing or relief. After all, poverty
needs no excuse, except to the hard
harted, but uncleanliness can never
fOrRiVPn 1Dn
with soap and water. Dirtiness is a
state of mind, rather than of body or
habltation. Show me where a man
lives, and, no matter how slickly he
dresses. l will tell you what he is
Be clean.
Certainly that is one of life's hard
est lessons. We consider 1t Sth in
our series of 10. in this column, but
| in reality 1t needs foremost consid-
GRAFTON by all of US.
You see 1t Is not so much a matter
of taking baths and wearing clean
| linen. although IL is that, too. Proba-
bly, the foundation is physical clean
| illness.
Lucky is the person who always
looks as If he had just gotten out OF
| a hot bath. Some fortunate persons
are that way. Their blood stream
| flows so close to the surface that 1t
gives them roseate hue. a gentle
flush that most OF US acquire only
after indulging in our bawth.
These lucky folk can be as dirty
as pigs, but all the time appear clean
| er than angels.
Right here let me digress long
enough to put in good word for
pigs. Pigs are probably the most mis-
| judged creatures in the world. In
my limited acquaintance with pigs
| have met some fine fellows. What is
the fairness in feeding a creature on
slop. then knocking him for being
! filthy?
Most OF us would be dirtier than
very hogs If we were put into a mud
| puddle and fed out of a garbage can
In the wild forest state the pig is a
not uncleanly animal. even If he does
turn scavenger now and then.
| The pig seldom appears in litera-
ture, but when he does, he gives a
| good account of himself. Adventure
Magazine about year ago carried a
story entitled "Fretful Muncher,"
| which had a hog hero.
| To get back to our subject: Those
| few who naturally appear clean are
very fortunate; the rest of US will
| have to continue to scrub and wash
| away as if our very life depended
| upon II, lot, as q matter or 1aCt, our
! enjoyment of life largely depends
upon our being clean. physically, mem
tally and spiritually. list those three
| divisions because 1t is the best way
| to express it. No two will agree on
the meanings and limits of the sub
divisions. especially that third one,
| but all must feel that they represent
| realities. You may know little about
the spiritual things of life-very few
| do, even the ministers--but that spir-
| ituality is a reality, the same as