Evening star., 1925-01-26

oindlt uOyS VINO lnIeSt the nelgnDOrnoO0.
But he should remember that he, him
self, was once a boy just like those
young demons out there playing base
ball In the street. Just why they would
prefer to play in the street, at irnni-
nentr hazard to every window in the
neighborhood, is unknown. There Is a
swell lot around the corner where they
could throw and bat to their hearts
content But do they go?
Not on their Iifer They swarm on the
| sidewalk, pitch three inches from a
window. catch fouls tipped or the bat a
foot from q glass-front door, and send
up high fiys" which just miss smash
Ing the gas lamp into smithereens.
Motion Is responsible! The boys are
motioning' themselves, that is all.
n " \ y
Scores Of stenographers in business
life have learned how to motion
themselves. That is, they GO through all
the motions of being busy, although all
the time they may be working cross
word puzzle half concealed in the small
drawer of their typewriter table.
Picture scene In a busy depart
mental office:
The boss OF the room was exactly on
tims. Several others, clerks, are in
their seats. The wheels are about to
grind. .....- !,
They start At eos in floats Flossie,
the beautiful stenographer- -typist, to
use the precise but unpoetical name for
her given in the Civil Service Com
mission files.
Flossie is surely pretty-and knows it.
She Is all out of breath after her futile
effort to make her desk by the stroke Of
o'clock The touch of rouge she put
on her checks is entirely superfiuous.
Her hair is bit awry-but does
Flossie Immediately set to put 1t Alright
Bless her heart, no! For she has
learned the valuable lesson Of managing
to look busy when she amt.
Now. naturally. a girls first thought
Is OF her appearance. She tosses off her
small hat, hangs up her coat, sees her
hair needs fixing" but proceeds
straight to her desk
Floss thumps UP her typewriter with a
bang. rattles open a drawer, drags out
TWO sheets OF paper and a piece OF
carbon paper. These she fixes together
IN proper order after taking her seat.
Then she places them in the machine,
gives the roller twirl and looks around.
She fs all set for work, F1ossie is,
1t is grand and beautiful bluff, moth
ing more nor less, and even the boss
knows 1t, but even he Is impressed by
1t. In other words, the bluff works.
Flossie knows how to motion" herself
For now she proceeds to get up
leisurely, stroll by the mirror, fix her
hair, casually get drink at the. cooler,
and gently drift out of the office door.
She will be back, in maybe 10 minutes
or half hour-but all the time the
paper will impressively give the ap-
pearance of work at her typewriter.
You bet Flossie knows how to motion
herself.
When the division SUPERINTENDENT
strolls into schoolhouse, teachers wax
enthusiastic, pupils nestle behind their
books in tremendous absorption.
When the big boss walks into an
Office, booRkeepers bend over their
desks with feverish activity, clerks
hustle here and there, typists clack
away with renewed vigor Probably
they are writing, Now is the time for
all good, men TO come to the aid of
their country" but it makes no differ
ence. They are motioning themselves.
Yes, we have all got the motionitis,
and l am afraid we will never get
over it. ITO rest is to rust" said the
old maxim. and 1t is partly right, If
not totally so.
And yet, now and then, II is good
TO just sit and "do nothing" giving
ones self over to contemplation in a
world where nothing seems to stand
still or be, at rest, not even the very
chair in which We sit