Evening star., 1928-03-09

the man who is trying to sell some-
| thing.
Most people wouldn't know, though
and most people would do 'enselvcs
good by watching us for awhile"
He said. 1t so earnestly that one could
not take exception to single word Of
It. Somehow or other 1t carried con-
yiction. No doubt every single person
In the world would be benefited by go
ing around to the dancing places and
watching and listening to this group Of
gay young fellows who took themselves
SO seriously.
We gathered that these were not
lounge lizards. as they were called at
one time. but boys who had a mission
| In life. and that mission consisted in
learning and executing the dance steps
with variations
| Our visitor exhibited his left foot--we
| believe 1t was his left. Maybe It was
his right. To one not verscd In the
art. the difference between left and
right Is not so easy.
Sec that foot?" he asked.
, Suspccting some catch. we did not
know whether to admit that we saw 1t
or not. Since 1t was so evident. how
ever. we did not see how we could get
out OF it. So the answer was In the
affirmative.
We'll. you have to bring your right
foot down over 1t, and give 1t . tap as
you do, and
You slipped. or something" we
hazarded.
Exactly" he replied, hugely graft
fed. Il hit 1t too hard, that was all"
Exactly" replied we, quick on the
trigger. You hit it too hard"
" " N N
Somehow all this about feet seemed
to put the conversation on an ex-
trcmely friendly footing. Before long
we began to think that. after all, we
had been missing something by not Wis
iting these interesting people. But
pretty soon we began to think that we
mad not seen the Hottcntots, either, and
the Hottentots are very interesting
| people. from all accounts. Neither had
we visited the kindly Samoyed people,
whose dogs are not supposed TO bite
ANYBODY and we had got along fairly
we'll
After our visitor had gone we de-
cided against the popular instruction
which he so kindly offered. 1t would
do us no good to renew the days OF
our youth in this fashion. Youth for
ever thinks 1t Is pulling" something
surprisingly new when it takes to queer
dress, strange dances and queerer
slang. The slang OF today varies con-
siderably from that of 20 years ago,
as that did from the popular patois
OF score OF years before that. but IL
is all alike In basic construction, prin-
ciple, application.
II our earnest young friend In the
bright tie would read his Theophilc
Gautier he would discover that the
gay young bloods of Paris many years
ago went In for bushy hair and huge
neck coverings. and that one (Gautier
llinselD almost broke up the first per-
formance OF Victor Hu.o's "Ernanie"
with vivid bright red waistcoat.
Those boys of long ago were interested
in play writing rather than dancing.
but the spirit Of their revolt was ex-
actly the same. They, too. thought that
they comprised All exclusive gang"
as no doubt they did in the last analysis.
Youth docs indeed run to extremes,
but time has way of cutting down
the edges. so that by the age OF 30 or
more years a human being begins to
see that much that he may have re-
earded rs essential In life Is only so
much nubdub. II he can come to this
realization without breaking too many
idols. and can keep with him the
carneStness which made even his
foolishneSs worth while. he will have
done great thing for himself and for
his world