Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-10
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

popular belief, q door often performs
Its best work when 1t remains still.
Opening or closing Is not always Us
most important function. sometimes o
door does Its best by q family when
1t stays shut. The irate father, now
happily going out Of style, bent on
kicking his own flesh and blood into
door can be held closed.
The closed door keeps many q family
row" safely on ice, where 1t may cool
OF at peace without either the StareS
or doubtful help of the neighbcrs. The
closed door helps thwart the invader,
whether Of felonious or social nature.
If the door is closed it becomes part OF
the wall, and what goes on behind walls
Is nobody'S business.
| The closed door is the symbol not
only Of exclusiyeness, but of the true
privacy which makes up the peace and
quiet of home life. Nothing Is more
hospitable than the widely opened door
held so by the hand of the hostess.
| Even the most careless and Indifferent
persons usually feel that the door should
be opened by the owner.
May we come in?" Is the usual In
quiry. The Sanctity of the home extends
TON fact. begins at-the front door
That is why the habit, unfortunately
growing, Of running In" without the
formality Of ringing the bell or waiting
for the door to be opened from within, Is
| wrong In theory and practice. Even the
best Of friends should respect the innate
privacy Of human character. Even the
smallest house may be q castle II every
one has the castle idea.
| y ~
The lock and key, therefore, not
the knob, may be said to be the vital
portions Of the door. Even the hinges
play q secondary part in the drama OF
the doorway.
It Is at precisely this point that real
| life differs from the artiflciality Of the
stage. The most superficial difference
Ia the pat answer which every actor
| gives, as contrasted with the hating
day life. On the real human scene even
the brightest persons are forever saying
the wrong thing, or giving an answer
which an hour later they could i'm
measurably better On the stage, how
ever, the clever Dr. Miller always says
the very thing to bring down the
| house.
In such little things as doors the
stage exalts an ordinary portion OF a
house to almost q dramatic role. There
the hinges become the important thing
The stage door permits exits and en-
| frances. It Is scarcely ever closed to
remain So but must remain In q swing
able state, in order that the heroine
may bounce in just in time to catch
the hero kissing the chambermaid.
IT haven't seen Nellie in 10 years
but here she comes now" said the old
| time melodrama actor. and, sure enough
there came the beautiful Nell. walking
through the paper snowstorm around
the church corner.
Ordinary stage doors have something
Of that same quality of the magical
about them. The all too clever play
wright somehow knows just when we
his audience, will want a certain char
acter to appear. or, at the far remove
just when we will have been lulled to
rest and will least expect the entrance
Of said character.
The duty Of the door, at such a crisis
is to swing and to permit him to come
in. Then we are satisfied, tickled with
that clevernesS, at once spurious and
genuine. which Is forever the paradox
and delight Of the theater.