Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-07
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

the door. and the people began to climb
In, while the two spare drivers, both In
blue, stood aside to allow the customers
to mount into their places.
Bus drivers evidently have certain
hours during the day in which they are
of duty, so go back to the barn to In
dulge in checkers or something until
the time comes for them to pilot big
vehicles into the stream Of traffic.
While the other fares" got into the
pus, our busy experimenter, with an eye
covertly upon his two subjects. solemely
SID his right foot across the first crack
up even with It.
Now. there was nothing about this
movement to attract attention--if the
others had had anything to think
ABOUT particularly. The devil, 1t is said,
always finds work for idle hands TO do.
III Is even more true that Old Nick finds
things for idle eyes to see.
The merry gentleman sidestepped
across the second section of curbing,
ana repeated the maneuver, bringing
MS right shoe across the second crack,
and swapping his left foot beside 1t.
| He was now on the curved section OF
the curb. and several feet from the door
OF the bus, to which he was now forced
TO make rapid traction in order to
mount inside before the door was shut.
The two extra drivers came up be-
hlnd him. exchanging amused glances
as they came. They had observed the
whole performance meant for their
| benefit They had not missed a move
| ment And 1t was more than they could
| stand. They may have heard of curb
stone experiments, but not of this sport.
ut must be game" one of them
said to the other. as the bus door shut
The other one grinned delightedly
n " " X
The experimenter, having a good
sense of humor Of his own, and loving
joke at his own expense more than
at some one else's, grinned in his turn
at the remark Of the extra driver.
1T must be game; indeed. it was
game; one in which Arthur Schopen-
hauer would have delighted.
Somewhere in the essays Of that
much misunderstood writer there is a
delightful bit upon this very subject,
dealing with the way in which many
men note variations Of all sorts from
the normal.
1t may be stated that Schopenhauer
does not handle the subject quite so
gently as 1t is here presented his idea
Is that truly civilized men shrink from
noting such deviations.
1t may be said, however, in favor of
such as are easily attracted by anything
out OF the ordinary. that they are act
ing In line with the great principles of
self-preservation and the preservation
OF the race, which are SO closely inter-
locked as to be one.
The unusual threatens mankind. at
least until 1t Is proved that the unusual
has no more harm in 1t than the usual.
Man is afraid Of the unknown. There
are so many things to be known, and
1t has taken mankind so long to learn
the little that he knows, that he is
afraid OF anything or any one who is
different.
To say the unusual. to do the un-
usual-this is to provoke ready resent
ment. and to put one into the ranks of
the eccentric" Every one should re-
member. however. that progress has
been made solely through the doing
and saying Of the unusual, and that the
so-cailed "eccentrics" have been the
saviors of mankind.