Evening star., 1925-02-09
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

police patrol wagon came hum
ming along busy F street at the very
busiest time of the afternoon, wher
shopping was at high tide, the side
walks crowded with women and girls
as the thoroughfare was with auto
mobiles and taxicabs.
Just as the patrol, going west
started to cross Eleventh street, the
traff1c policeman there switched the
20 Go sign to stop Stop.
whereupon the police vehicle halted
with the remainder Of the traffic
curious pedestrians looked into the
patrol wagon to get a good look al
a real live prisoner 1t is not Otter
that the average cultured woman oil
girl gets a chance to give q real law
breaker the "once over"
They saw back in the wagon, seat.
ed with policeman on either side
OF him, roughly holding his arms, 6
middle-aged man with gray hair ant
red face. He wore a black coat, bu1
had no collar on, the neckband OF
his shirt standing up in all it's glory
OF shining gold ront-button.
The prisoners iron-gray hair wal
rather rumpled, as If he had resisted
the officers of the law a bit before
they managed to bounce him up tha1
pair of steps at the rear of the
wagon. where now a cop stood.
As the women looked curiously a
the prisoner, that culprit returned
their gaze, principally because there
was nothing else much to do; and
perhaps. he was somewhat curious
in his turn.
They were on the outside, Iookinl
in, and he was on the inside, looking
out. 1t made quite a difference, die
1t not?
There, but for the grace of God
goes John Wesley" said that grea
churchman, as he saw man being
led off to the gallows.
u X
1t does make quite a difference. il
this world, whether one views Z
thing from the inside or from tn,
outside. / have always thought tha'
what We need is not so much thu
power to see ourselves as others SET
US as to be able to look at matter.
from both sides.
I'D rather be on tho outside
a-looking in, than on the inside
a-looking out" went the popular sons
of some 20 or more years ago. Blu
that, like so many popular concep'
tions. is only partly true, being
stated to fit the particular exigence!
OF the song, which probably haC
something to do with colored mar
seeing some Of his friends raided
placed in that patrol wagon, maybe
When a man gets to the point il
the conduct OF his life where he j,
moro or less able to view any mat
ter from the side of the other fellow
as well as from his own, he has done
more than most men seem able tt
accomplish.
The majority go through life look
ing at. men and affairs from a terri
bly, narrow standpoint-that of thei1
own precious mind. They seem un
able to view a policy from any bu
the individual position and that po-
sition usually a very selfish one.
Right and wrong never rules such
men, but simply expediency. and tha
expediency, it must be stated again
an expediency of narrow, petty indi
vfdualism, as if mankind and, indeed
the whole world centered in one be
ing.
Napoleon failed because he would moi
look at Europe from the outside, but in
sisted on seeing it only from the inside
and from the interior Of France in par
ticular.
If Napoleon had been able to lool
upon mankind with broader, more
humanitarian policy, his name would be
remembered today even more widely
than it is, with a stream Of books about
him still pouring from the printing
presses, and his famous snuff-box por-
trait hanging on the walls Of homes
owned by men and women who in ac-
tuality would shrink from that incarna-
ton Of cruel self1shness and indiffer-
ence to the best welfare of others which
was Napoleon l.
These words are written. it may be