Evening star., 1928-06-06
Necessary things often are only nui-

Necessary things often are only nui-
when some bold person arises at
last to discard them, every one sees
that their essence was essentially punk.
Take that great institution the tel
ephone, for instance. For years SUD
scribers we're forced to listen to the
girls pronounce nine as mum ana
five as "fife."
This was necessary 1t was said, 10
prevent confusing the number "a' with
the number 20" Yet every one knew
that the thing was a source OF irrlta-
ton to mere male members OF society
One could not help reSentlng tne
idea of an unseen but very much heard
uirl deliberately correcting oneS very
good pronunciation OF perfectly simple
numbers.
Today all that Is changed.
THE Girl merely says THANK you
and let's Il GO at that. and no more
mistakes arc made. What has become
of that horrible necessity whicn de-
msnded that she blurt out such terrible
sounds at 'niun" and fife?
Every one now knows~-even the tel
enhone company--that what was re-
earclcd, in this case, as necessity was
only n blamed nuisance, not ony 10
the subscriber but also to the g,rl VINO
was forced to so butcher the ->AgilSh
language by official command
Perhaps If firms and individuals eo'
to looking into things they would dls-
cover that many firmly seated customs
are equally unnecessary.
Most travellers, for instance. nave q
Hat YNnrfGf'S
is not only totally uncalled for, but also
highly hotherSome.
He whiskS off the collar of your coat,
and the sides of ones trousers, when
both coat and trousers are Immaculate,
having lust been brushed with one
personal broom.
Yet custom has made II necessary
for one to tip the fellow with shining
quarter. at the least. The same custom
holds with the boy in the barber shop.
There are very few men who would not
prefer to put their overcoats on un-
assisted but barber shop manners has
made 1t necessary for them to stand
patiently while the boy yanks down
ones coat with the left hand at the
same time he pulls the outer garment
up over ones ears.
Come to think of It, tipping strikes
many of us as vilely unnecessary. Not
only is there something in the custom
un- American. it hits at the very scat OF
pride in every individual. At best 1t is
only a nuisance. Yet, because 1t CO.
incides with human nature. perhaps 1t
will never come to an end. 1t hits
man both coming and going. In n
literal as we'll as figurative sense: he
= ashamed Of 1t while he indulges in
it.
Every change that is made In affairs
either public or private runs the risk OF
showing the futility OF some prior
action.
How important the action once
seemed, ard how ridiculous now 1t Is
in this matter as 1t is in women's
fashions-what once seemed the very
height of style, today strikes every one
as absurd.
Habits grow on human beings, and
then sometimes wane so that the
necessary habit of yesteryear appeals
to the emancipated one as something
which some one else has done, not he
himself.
These changes are partly responsible
for progress. The modern automobile
offers an astonishing array Of changes
from engine to bodies, to motor fuels
and oils.
Step by step improvements have been
, made. here little there a little. the
! design of each year bettering that OF
the last Looking at the latest model
side by side with the first, one Won
ders why the makers could not have
Jumped to this last at first.