Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-27
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

case Of the elderly man or woman who
hides several thousand dollars In a sock,
only to have such life savings stolen.
There is scarcely big city in the
country which does not have one or
more such cases every year. Whenever
they occur newspapers devote much
news space to them and editorial
writer's wax eloquent in pointing out
the foolishness of such boarding.
Yet the next year the very same type
of case occurs in the same city. Evi-
IDENTIFY the new victim did not read the
newspapers, or, II he did, Experience
taught him nothing.
It is curious how Experience never
counts until 1t comes home. Then 1t
comes home with bang, as the saying
is. Experience must be individual, per-
sonal, to amount to anything.
The troubles, trials and tribulations
OF others leave one cold, perhaps not
And, despite the claims Of some that
there Is not much intelligence displayed
in life, 1t Is certain that emotions do
not wholly occupy the human field.
The mind sees and digests and re-
solves to profit by the experiences OF
others, but when the situation arises
no one can say what he will do. Every
one has made his plans as to what he
would prefer to do II he woke up In the
night and found q burglar in the room,
but most people are willing to admit
that they are not sure just what they
would do.
He who has leaped up at the fash
light in his eyes and got bullet for his
courage may determine that Experience,
the dear teacher. has taught him q good
lesson. The next time he will lie still.
But there is no next time! That Is
one Of Experiences little jokes--one
which Is never mentioned when the
value Of her school is being praised.
+%*
Perhaps the chief fault one may find
with the School Of Hard Knocks Is that
by the time one has completed the pre-
Scribed courses he Is too old to make
any good use Of them
Perhaps there are few men who, II
their honest opinions on life could be
gotten, would not like to do certain
things over again in their lives.
The gist of their remarks would BE-
that they would do them an entirely
different way. Perhaps they would
take up another line Of work even.
Maybe they would adopt different
way Of facing the world, an entirely new
line Of action. especially in regard to
contacts with other men.
II you should ask them why they do
not take up the new line Of work now,
or why they do not at once put into
practice the wisdom Experience has
taught them, they would reply with a
wry smile and shrug of the shoulders,
IT am too old for that now"
Too old
That is LIES cruel little joke, one
| which Is made a double barreled affair
when Experience teaches her lessons.
They are wholesome lessons in many
instances. but the pupil has taken so
long in learning them that his long
white whiskers sweep the ground.
Under such and such conditions"
says Experience, wisely, you must leap
quickly to one side"
The old graybeard, whose muscles
must have long gone past the leaping
stage, smiles sadly as he looks at his
withered legs, but he says nothing.
What can one say to Life and Expe-
rience? And IL he says 1t, what good
will it do? The trouble with the School
of Experience is that it takes up too
late and finishes too soon.