Evening star., 1925-02-21
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

| too, I wanted to get some Of that
mental rhythematizing and regula-
| tion." That's good.
| y X
| I decided to lay off a hslf-mile
| walking course which I could travel
in emulation Of Emmanuel Kant, the
| great German philosopher.
| Old Kant issued forth from his door
| every afternoon at 3 o'clock, sharp
| his cooked hat cooked. and a cane
f, in his hand. 1t is said that the
neighbors set their clocks by him.
| The street he lived on was exactly
| a half-mile long. This was in
| Konigsberg, in eastern Prussia, in the
days Of the great Frederick. Kant
| would walk the course eight times
| making four miles in all. During
| his solemn exercise he spoke to no
| body and allowed no one to speak
| to him. If they approached him.
he waved them away with his cane.
| He was busy breathing.
The old fellow walked this course
| for about 60 years. giving an ex-
ample of sticktoitiveness such as the
world has seldom seen. During that
| time he must have walked between
| $4,000 and 100,0 miles on that street
which Is still known as the "Philos-
| opher's Walk"
| With this striking example before
me. / got hold of a pedometer, one OF
| those watch-like articles for measur-
Ing on distances. set 1t according
to the length of my normal step, at a
| good gait, and started out
I walked around a corner, past a
great high school, across a street
and along by a row of houses.
Took, took, took, tock went the
| pedometer.
One wondered if fellow pedestrians
| heard the tock-tock of the instru-
| ment. They might think 1t an in
| fernal machine of some sort. Every
| time the wearer takes a step 1t lifts
a lead pendulum, which falls and
| rises. You have seen a company OF
| soldiers billowing down the street
| / tick-tocked past q long wall, on
which workmen were training ivy with
all the abandon of nature. Little tacks
and bits Of carpet showed the tendrils
where to fall.
1 tick-tocked to the gate Of a beauti-
full park, and bethought me that II
| ought to be nearly an eighth Of q mile.
| Taking out the pedometer. I found the
| dial had gone around just exactly half
| mile!
| So the course was laid out. All had
| to do, now, was to walk 1t. Down and
DdCk was one mile, cOOiC walk as
| many miles as / wanted by prancng
back and forth. How absurdly simple!
| X X
| This week / have walked / mile each
day. Next week l propose to increase
| the distance to 2 miles. The next week
ought to see me doing 3 miles reg
| ularly every day. By the Ides of
March I will be hitting off miles day.
Then, perhaps. ! will go Kant one
| better, and stretch II to miles day.
| Eight miles on the hoof would be twice
! as much as Kant did. But Charles
| Dickens took q 15-mile walk each day.
This walking, see right now, is going
| to be more of test of will power than
| anything else. That is where golf wins.
With its competition and fellowship 1t
gives the walker something to do with
| his mind.
| On the other hand. there are many
who swear that long walk is the best
| thing in the world to exercise the brain.
On a walk, they say. ideas come In
| flocks, like great white birds, and seem
| to fill the air with the rustling of their
wings.
1t all depends on the spirit Of the
| walker. The present pedestrian finds
| ideas come at the most unlikely times
| and places, and better indoors than out.
There is no royal road to them.
| Whether my half-n1ile track Is a road
| to a Goddess land remains to be seen.
From time to time / hope to give the
| readers OF this column bulletins upon
my progress. Then we shall see.