Evening star., 1925-06-27
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

Sitting on the back porch, watching
the stars come out, we seem related
to all that exists, and all, somehow
related to us. Thus we are no longer
strangers in the world, but truly own.
ers Of our own homes.
have you never had times when
every one and everything seemed
turned against you, when street
crowds went their way utterly OBJ
ltvfous of your presece, when even
the dogs passed you by without sc
much as glance?
In such moods 1t is good to go out
on the back porch at twilight and
there. among your own folks, enter
into the mood Of relationship with the
world, which Is as much yours as the
wealthiest's.
AS much ours, Of course, If we will
try TO secure it; for this, like most
things in the world, comes the bet
ter for little effort on our part. II
Ia In no sense work, however, but
rather a determination.
determinations. with some people
are the hardest kind Of work. He'll
1t is said. is paved with good inten-
tons. But almost any one can muster
up enough physical energy to sit in q
chair on the back porch and enough
spiritual ability to commune with the
planets after a fashion
Having arrived thus far there is
nothing more to be done but to take
1t easy and watch the stars come out
each In its appointed place, without
fume or fret, without jar or motion
as far as we can tell.
Up there in the heavens they &c
about their mysterious ways, as in
different to our presence as if we did
not exist at all millions upon millions
OF miles down there, on a continent
IN a country, In city, on a back
porch,
There are earthly stars to bt
watched from the back porch, too
They are the lights in the windows OF
the homes across the way
Each one of those lights represents
a home,
Each light stands for what your
back porch stands for. 1t represents
work, achievement. duty. honor. de
cency, life, love and death. There
may be JOY behind yonder light and
sorrow beyond that one, but from ou,
porch each shines the same
Yes, the light shines the same from
the home Of joy and the home of sor
row, from the room where little chill
dren play (and sometimes bang each
other over the heads and from the
room where there Is bed of pain.
We, sitting on our porch, are as in
different as the stars above. We dc
not know, any more than they do
what lies behind the windows. The
light Of the stars shines down upor
man. and the light from the windows
CLEANS across the way
Bright munda ne stars of windows.
see you the world around, On ever,
street and in every alley, in every
city and in every town, you come out
each evening, and you go out between
3 o'clock and midnight.
Here, on this street, you gleam up
one by one. in the windows of a grea,
apartment building. Each light repre-
sents a family. but we must pass on
Every mans home Is his castle, wheth
er 1t be in apartment or separate
building.
The fading light gives strange rs
poets to the growing Gladioli down BY
the path. They seem to wave like
swords that have suddenly lost theil
temper, steel turned satin.
A form with a short ladder over his
shoulder scurries down the alley.
1t is the Lamplighter, whom the
dogs single out from all who pas.
this way as their sworn, specia