Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-31

Three business associates who liv,
In the same block we're talking to
gether In the rear compartment o
q public bus
II think it Is remarkable thing,
said one, that after living in thu
same neighborhood for 3 years W.
still are on speaking termsr'
The other two agreed heartily II
the statement
one of the men got to thinking
afterward what could be the cause
that such a feat should be so highly
regarded In a city. Why was 1t thai
what would be only normal neighbor
hood relations in a small country
town should come to Nbe held unique
In large city?
TOO many contacts" said the man
to himself, at last.
He was right. The main trouble
with modern city living is that one
is unable to get away from others
unable TO live TAT peace with the
world and you," as the song writer
put 1t.
Daily the city dweller is thrown il
contact with a thousand and one men
whom he cannot by any means
escape, even If he would, and otter
enough he does not realize that there
is any necessity for so escaping.
This is the tragedy of the city, that
man needs some aloofness, some
being alone, some portion of solitude
and so often does not realize it.
X 4 x X
So thousands upon thousands throw
themselves into A mad whirl of &C
tivity, thinking blindly that so long as
a thing is thoroughly exciting II must
be thoroughly good.
They race up and down the roads in
motor cars, they whirl from one card
party to another, they roar from
theater to eating place. and from eat
ing place to theater, attempting to
achieve the impossible.
Satisfaction in life is what we are
all after, and one VIII find 1t one way
and one another. according to the in.
herited bent of his mind, his bringing
up. his education or lack of education.
There can be little doubt, however,
that the thoughtful portion of hui
manity. In every age, has seen the
necessity for some solitude on the
part of the normal human being.
The perfectly abnormal human may
live cluttered up with a dozen, like
college boys in fraternity house, or
soldiers in a barrack. who are essen
TALLY leading abnormal lives in so far
as their living quarters are con-
cerred but the perfectly normal hu.
man being wants TO get away from
others at times, he wants to go by
himself, to be alone with a chosen
few. TO live a life of few contacts at
times.
The city we have ever with us. 1t
Is easy enough to go into it's mad
swirl when the fancy prompts. Even
the man who for one reason or other
owns no motor car can take any one
of thousand and one street cars or
buses, and in half to quarters
of an hour. at most. be in the very
vortex of things.
There Is no difficulty about making
contacts to the hearts content, when
the urge is upon one to do so The
difficulty is TO get away. to be by
ones self. to live alone at times.
Therefore those fortunate ones who
possess plenty of money invariably
purchase for themselves tracts of
land at some remove from the city.
and build thereon stately mansions.
with adequate landscaping of the
grounds, so that the charm of cultiva-
ton is given 10 the glory of Nature.
Here. surrounded by beautiful
gardens. the possessors live life in
harmony with nature reverting to