Evening star., 1925-10-09
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEVEIL.

No man is so poor he cannot
swagger.
No one is SO ugly he cannot strut
well OF himself.
These thoughts came the other day
as l watched a streetful of people
go by, some east and some west, each
In the way that he thought best.
1t was just an ordinary, everyday
Washington street scene, not as
crowded as in some less fortunate
cities. but still bustling enough. with
hurrying pedestrians, swiftly moving
automobiles, slower moving street
cars.
All around me was in commotion.
The sun had come out, for the first
time in a week. and men and women
seemed to respond Immediately to it's
genial touch. The small number of
children was noticeable. The little
ones of Washington do not flock
downtown as they do in smaller cities.
They stay home and annoy the
neighbors.
or all the men who passed me
scarcely a one there was but swag.
gered, strutted, or in some way so
conducted himself in a physical rlan.
ner, as to show a pretty good per-
sonal opinion OF himself. And these
outward signs were manifestations Of
inner thinking.
Some one may ask: "How Is 1t pos.
sihle to tell. by looking at another.
whether he thinks we'll of himself? ?
And. If he does. what's the harm?''
AS the questions are pertinent, I
Will do my best to answer them. In
the first place, 1t il quite possible
for any one keenly interested in hls
fellow human beings. to discern the
conceited man from the poor in
heart as the Bible puts It.
This is not a matter of Ina gina
ton, but Of fact. 1T should be recog-
nized that there are. in general, two
main types Of men. the observant and
the non-observant. The former can
not help themselves from looking on
life as something of a spectacle. and
all those they meet as players in it.
Shakespeare phrased this idea in
immortal words In his lines begin.
ming. THE worlds STAGE" etc.
Such spectators of life look upon the
players in an objective manner. They
include all writer's, ministers, edu-
Gators. sociologists and others whose
business in life 1t is to observe as
well as to act.
The players" as we may call
them. include the great generality of
mankind, the so-called man in the
street, the woman in the home, the
man in the mine--or out OF the mine
as the case may be-children of all
ages. etc.
Which OF the two groups is the hap
pfeSt, no man can say. Indeed there
is no such hard and fast division as
our discussion might lead the unwary
to think. for every man. at times. Is
something Of a loOker-on, as we'll as a
player in the game.
The matter mostly concerns habits
of the mind. II one belongs in our
first classification. he will find him.
self. as he walks down the street.
looking somewhat curiously at those
who pass.
He then will see that scarce a man
but has IL in him 10 strut. II given
the slightest opportunity. This uni
versal capability OF men for thinking
we'll Of themselves strikes one at
every turn.
One man has swagger TO his
shoulders, another holds his head a
bit too high. another Tits his hat at
an angle. another manages to get out
OF his automobile with an air OF pride.
still another man achieves it by a
mere glance.
/ once knew a man who could thank
a store clerk with such unbeara BILE
civility that the clerk felt like murder