Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-23
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES 3. TRAcEWELL.

May we suggest a child-calling con-
test for mothers, as q variation OF the
epidemic of freak competitions which
seems to be sweeping the country, es-
pecially among the juvenile population7
AS far as we know this Is q brand
new idea. but almost any neighborhood
could put on a snapp| contest, one
which would be to tn credit OF both
mothers and children.
The feminine voice, when properly
attuned TO the actor should 1t be
deed?-of calling Johnny. Mary, or
Jane, takes on peculiar vibrant prop
erty
There is no other sound in nature
exactly like the call of your average
mother to her young hopefuls as they
play loose in the neighborhood.
1t must be high pitched, to carry to
the farthest roaming limits Of the
urchins, and it must be vibrant, to be
able to hop over the tops of houses.
Sounds may not exactly hop, as 1t
were, but perhaps that best describes
the flexible quality of mothers voice
as it issues forth on the clear though
hot air Of evening.
~
"Johnie-
Every mother has trick of her own
in prolonging one or the other Of the
syllables of the child's name.
Most often it is the last.
The variations which women can give
to their little ones first names are
marvellous.
Some rather cheat upon their COM
petitors by prefixing the standard syl-
liable Jaw" to the sound which appriSes
the roaming youngster that dinner. Is
ready.
Jaw, Janie-e-e-e-e!" goes ringing
over the tree tops.
Just why the exclamation "aw," a
curiosity in itself, should be put to the
name, is somewhat of a mystery.
Jaw" has no good standing, either
In dictionaries or in these high-brow
books which attempt to elucidate die
tionaries.
Yet there is no other term, unless 1t
be Ger" more used by English-speak-
ing peoples.
with Jaw" and "er'' many a man or
woman "gets by" as another curious
expression has it, without either answer
ing questions or giving any precise in
formation when they do speak.
In connection with the calling OF
children, the syllable law" seems to be
a confession on the part of the mother
that she is perhaps bit reticent about
thus appearing in public.
Her Jaw" is public confession, as 1t
were, that she regards her loud voice
scarcely justifiable. although highly
necessary.
She uses Jaw" as q sort of spring.
ing board for the projection Of star
tlingly clear voice through space. From
it she leaps at once into mighty roar
of "Maryl" or Margaret" or
Bill-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e!"
An appropriate child-calling contest
might be put on best at one of two
important times, dinner or bed.
Since this is a mothers contest, it
may be stated with some conviction
that dinner time is the best time, for
the average mother Is intent that her
young nopefuls' (full of the negative
"nopeo) shall eat plentifully ow dinner.
We believe the average mother is
mistaken in her determination to make
children eat. We believe that they
would eat, If they were hungry and
needed the food, but we are aware that
some medical men disagree on this
point, so we will say no more about 1t.
The interest Of the child in the call
really has little. If anything, to do
with It,
Its response" as the psychologists