Evening star., 1926-10-23
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

+, search for simplicity. After awhile,
whether long or short. the mind sees
! the futility of decoration, or, at least,
of the vain search for satisfaction in
elaborateness, and turns to the simple
| as the ultimate expression of life's
| longings. Undoubtedly, one of the ap-
| peals Of the Christian religion to NOR
tails has been its simplicity. AS taught
by its founder. Christianity is the es-
sence of simplicity, simplicity is the
essence of Christianity.
| The real ornaments Of life are seen
| to be hugely simple, whether one con.
siders the realms Of mental or physi-
cal activity, whether one turns to
horticulture or physics, whether one
searches for good tobacco or fine lit
| erature. In each case the unadorned
is found to be the best. The law of
| gravity took no more than a falling
| apple and an uplooking mind for it's
discovery. Lovelier flowers resulted
| from the application of a great sim
| pie man, Luther Burbank, working
| wonders by working with Nature.
Good tobaccoS are not too sophisticated
| with sauces. The great books are
those that read right along, so that
when one has finished he wonders to
himself, Now why could I not have
| thought of that MYSELF"
Everywhere one sees the same
| thing. The great sights of Nature
are simply such things as a river
pouring over q precipice, or the
| grand stretch Of ocean or rolling
| prairie, trees in their elaborate sim
plicity, little children with their shin
ing hair. The underlying compli-
cations Of things must not for mo-
ment be thought to initiate against
! the fundamental simplicity of which
we speak. From one standpoint moth
ing is simple. Modern science has
shown the atom to be divisible, and
the electron to be more elaborate in
construction than the atom used to
be thought. These essential compi-
cations Of things are inWrought by
the Creator, and their contemplation
but brings us face to face with the
simplicity of which we speak. For
simplicity Is a state of mind," as the
wise man said.
X x x X
This good state of mind leads one
to value lightly strivings for effect.
such as one finds in certain writer's
who imagine that the unrestricted use
of adjectives will make their work
"peppy." 1t accounts for the aban-
donuent of the old gingerbread
atrocities Of the sos, when thes more
facades that could be put onto a
house the better house it was regard
ed. This state of mind resents any
striving for an impression in Oratory,
any flag waving" as it is called. 1t
demands simplicity in thought, action
and speech. 1t values honesty of pur-
pose and takes with a grain Of salt
the otherwise good aphorism, that
nothing succeeds like success" 1t
is because more and more this state
of mind has come to America by rea-
son Of widespread education and
greater leisure that men and women
are refusing to be led into discussions
of matters which simplicity has set
tied for them beyond the necessity Of
argument.
Our own Emerson said that moth
ing is more simple than greatness;
indeed, to be simple is to be great"
and thereby enabled all men who ap-
preciate simplicity to feel that, to this
extent at least, they are great. Sure
ly a most satisfying thought. He,
then, who lays aside his elaborately
carved meerschaum for a plain,
straight brier is a great pipe smoker;
he who reads "Alfce in Wonderland"
no matter what his age, is great
reader; he who loves the gentle
Christ. a great worshiper.