Evening star., 1928-11-26

Johnny likes his new wagon" she
said. why, he hasn't ruined 1t yeti"
Thus little sister, in two short SEN
tences, epitomized modern childhood
A philosopher, going along the side
walk. might have paused to wonder
when boys and girls of this era are
Fever to secure a sense Of property valu-
alton and care.
Parents being too busy to be philoso-
pliers, take childhoods destructiveness
as part Of the game, and prefer steel
toys as likely to stand the most strain.
Care Of personal property seems
natural to some people, unnatural to
others, so that perhaps there is no hard
and fast line to be drawn in the matter.
Yet to many, carelessness and indif-
ference in this respect seem crimes of
the first water.
Proper care of the home, the furni-
ture, the car. the radio set, clothing,
books-this seems to such persons COM
mon sense as we'll as a keen pleasure.
Order in the daily life is one Of the
good qualities which many feel to be
vanishing from American life. yet there
can be little doubt that it still exists in
thousands of families where good living
Is an integral part Of existence.
X X X X
The sad truth is that many persons
no longer seem to know how to live,
in the best sense of such phrase.
Their mentalities have been so warped
bv the pleasures and excitenents Of our
palpitating modernity that they profess
to regard care Of property as extreme
fuSsinesS.
AS a matter Of plain fact, only those
persons born with the proverbial silver
spoon" in their mouths can afford to be
Indifferent to such things, and even
the most casual survey shows that such
persons are exactly those who are never
careless or indifferent in such matters.
Nor. on the other hand, can poor but
honest people be accused Of gross neg
lect of property. The trouble seems to
come in the great middle class, broad
and indefinite term. sure enough, but
one usually understood by most.
II is said by house-to-house canvass
ers that this is the easiest class to
work" since they have money to spend
and are readily accessible. The rich.
1t is pointed out have servants at their
doors; the man trying to sell something
from the doorstep never gets to the
man with the money.
The poor. 1t is explained, have no
money. The great hunting ground OF
all those trying to sell from the door
sill is the community peopled by the
comfortable middle Grass.
Usually the LADY Of the house" does
her own work and answers her own
doorbell And, what is more to the
point from the vantage ground Of the
salesman, is that she has plenty Of
money to spend.
y
To live In a hectic, careless and in
different fashion does not seem to meet
the demands Of truly good living, ac-
cording to the standards Of those who
disapprove Of such ways.
Time, they believe. has set up Ger
tain standards which obedience or dis
obedience In no whit lessons. The
standards stand sure. no matter what
treatment they receive. This seems to
be an idea, or ideal. which is foreign
to many. Because they disapprove OF
something, they think that their very
disapproval does away with what they
disapprove Nothing could be farther
from the truth. AS the artist said to
the ignorant man who disapproved of
masterpiece, The painting judges you,
not you the painting" A woman, look