Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-14
How do people act in a railroad sta

| How do people act In railroad sta
ton?
| Just sit around" some one is likely
10 say. But actually people do grea
deal more than that when they are
waiting for their train to come in--ol
go out, as the case may be.
! Probably almost as much waiting i.
done at Union Station, for instance, TO
those arriving on trains from out o
town as for outgoing trains. There i.
| scarcely any other way to account fol
| the hocks of people one sees there.
| Casually inspecting the good foil
seated on the big benches in the mair
waiting room. 1t Is rather difficult t
| tell which they are from their &C
lions. Usually, however, handbag OF
suit case settles their status.
In the main. there are two genera
types OF watters-those who just si
and those who wander around. The
latter class comprises especially those
VINO divide their time between sitting
ana walking and the children.
| Here come two small boys "playine
ihulan among the benches. Crouch
ing low, they skulk upon an unseeY
enemy lurking behind yonder bench
| AS TAR as your eye and mine are con
cerneo, the seat seems occupied by tw,
elderly gentlemen and two middle
| AeadiSS, w ilo dIc III no sense
olahs, or any relation to our SO -calleC
aborigines
To the eyes of the small boys, how
ever, these four travellers are Sioux. OIL
Comanche. or some other such war
rlors. Although the lads make no di
rect attack upon their unsuspectine
| enemies. they indulge in a great dea
or skuikipg, crawling and other scout
movements.
" hat would we not give to can
ture a bit Of the divine unconscious
| ness Of childhood!
1t Is interesting to recall that wher
me Bible wishes to describe the quail
ity which was lost through the dis
obedience OF our first parents, the
one selected Is this same unconscious
ness, called lack OF shame, | believe
Children, like animals, seem total,
unconscious of others when they are
playing. They will indulge in the mos,
absurd actions and the widest uses
OF the imagination, with the mos
straightforward countenances posi-
BILE
They will not blink an eve at "play
ing Indian" in the Union Station
where the only Indians ever seen are
those modern redmen who annually
make pilgrimages to the Federal seat
or government to pay their respects
to the Great White Father
Talk about the devil and he will
uppear'-well, II there do not come
two Indians, two real Indians, VIVA,
do YOU know about that? 1t is for
all the world like the melodramas we
used to see at the old Academy OF
Music.
Il haven't seen Nellie in 80 years
but here she comes now" And IL
came Nellie as the plot required.
Now Johnnie and Billie stand awe
struck, forgetful OF their make believe
at the sight of the two real articles
They are tall men, with good Shout
ders, lank black hair, hanging dowr
from five gallon hats. They have high
cheek-bones, dark compilations, etc
regular Indians in store clothes.
Their indifference is much like tina,
or the children. Do they, too. lacl
self consciousness? We will never
know by staring at them. What &
great deal Of bunk there has beer
written, to be sure, about the In
dians,
When one thinks of the pictures
drawn by our own Fennimore Cooper
and then Of articles by later writer's
calling the Indians every name tina,
could be thought of under heaven, il
becomes almost impossible for the
average person to know or understand
the Indians.
X x X
Now the two small boys are stand
ing. open mouthed. in the very path
of the alr2 Indians