Evening star., 1927-04-22
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEW ELL.

say something. because he is actually
acquainted with his subject
How much CUFF does the world hear
every day because the takers only
think they know what they are talk
ing about
But a man who has patched the
cracks in his bathroom wall, and put
on his coats of fiat finish. knows what
he is saying when he advises certain
procedure.
The gentleman who shoves six tons
of anthracite into his furnace over
period of seven or eight months is en-
titled to hearing when he begins an
address on the proper way to burn
fuel
AS an orator upon italian or Rus
sian politics he would be a terrible
failure. but when 1t comes to the
topic of what's what about grass.
he veritably shines.
Airplanes and the causes of their
collapse in the air are subjects upon
which he is not informed, so he re-
spectfully leaves their considerat ton
to the experts" The theme of
home grounds and their care. how
ever, Is one upon which he knows
a thing or two, and he likes to talk
about it.
If he makes something of a nui-
sance of himself to those who reject
the home as a conversational topic.
is his crime any worse than that of
these others, who insist on telling
him at length of the funny happen
ings on the latest bootleg party?
One of the home lovers recently
embarked on an attempt TO find
bigger and better" place. Some of
his adventures he related to friends.
While he knew perfectly we'll that they
could not be as Interested in what
he was doing as he was he felt that
SO vital Il thing as a home ought to
prove almost as interesting to others
as the latest ACTIONS of unknown
criminals in a city a thousand miles
away.
Accordingly. he made his narrative
brief and tried his best not to mem
ton it. He had been bored himself!
Yet on one bright day, CHANGING
to remark that If he did not find a
house soon ne would give the search
up. he got the following remark from
a cynical acquaintance: Yves, you
must find one" The intent, he knew
from past experience. was that if he
did not he would bore his friends
past bearing.
So with the cynical friend, the
theme Of home is taboo. TO him the
home lover may not talk about
thousand and one topics that ought
to interest a normal person.
Are the women's magazines partly
responsible for this attitude on the
part of so many? Must male beings
forever be barred from discussing
home topics, simply because the great
woman publications have had enough
sense to see the value of such
themes?
Sophistication. more prevalent in
cities than in small towns and the
country, affects to regard the home
as scarcely worth honoring with at
tention any more. We do not recall
ever seeing 1t treated in the American
Mercury.
Smugness and cleverness, indeed.
find little place in the home. If one
puts on the superior attitude, and
prefers being clever to being true, he
may well put q disclaimer upon the
home and refuse to discuss 1t. To
such a man the prohibition amend
nent viii remain Of paramount inn
poFtance.
Let those who believe in the home
as all institution remember that to
talk about home is the best way TO
get people to love the institution.
Even in the face of the Chinese war,
let us insist on talking about paint,
and varnish, and rosebushes,