Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-09

Keeping up with the Joneses" is
phrase in universal use to describe
well known set Of actions and re-
actions.
The set Of circumstances and condi-
tons included In the meaning are re-
garded usually as rather inimical tt
the peace of mind and well-being OF
those concerned.
The keeping UP" is mostly, accord
ing to popular conception, q thing OF
money expenditure. and, unfortunate
~, money spent unwisely, as all money
is which does not pay for genuine
need Of the purchaser.
Purchases made through imitation
envy of others, desire to outshine an
other, may be called unwise, since they
violate the fundamental precept OF
modern salesmanship, that the pur-
chaser must have a real need for what
he purchases.
There is one way Of keeping up with
the Joneses which costs little money
wealth, not only of ones own, but OF
the community, city, Nation at large.
II more people would strive to keep
UP with the Joneses" in keeping prop
erty, including house and grounds, in
tip-top shape, there Is not town or
city in the United States which would
not be better OF.
Raggedness, q distinctly American
vice, is feature Of our landscape. A
hovel appears alongside o palace, an
unkempt lawn adjoins one neatly trim
med, muddy terrace used by thought
less children as slide lies next to q
fiawless grassy slope.
W \
Here the Jones family is being blamed
around the world for pushing every one
else into vexatious expense, when one
Of their great merits has hitherto
escaped mention.
Yes, the Joneses do keep up their
property.
They take a pride in the appearance
of their grounds. The Jones kids, as
healthy, normal youngsters as ever
lived, have been taught to respect prop
erty, their own as we'll as that Of others
We phrase 1t that way around, for
no children can be expected to have
any respect for the property of their
neighbors unless they first Of all have
decent, dignifed, wise respect fol
that of their own father.
Let the world give Mr.. and Mrs
Jones credit. The two Jones boys
could wreck the community overnight
II they wanted to.
Those muscular little legs, like steel
springs, could bound down every terrace
roll across every lawn on skates, un-
doing in few hours. or days at most
what careful and prudent householders
had taken months and years to accom-
plish.
The Jones boys, however, have been
taught better, as the old-fashioned
phrase had 1t. The Jones boys may
forget, now and then, but on the whole
they conduct themselves in keeping
with the old American attitude Of pride
in property.
Let the sneerers decry this attitude
as bourgeois. The latter is one Of those
good French words for which there Il
no real translation. The best one can
do is to say that "bourg' means town
and that bourgeois" means towns
people, and thus refers to actions,
thoughts, dreams, ideals, aspirations OF
town jewellers. We may pass up the
distinctly French meaning of member
Of the shopkeeping middle class.
Pride in property Is strictly bourgeois
wherever it may be found It is based
, solidly on an instinct in human beings
veritably as old as the hills, to admire
and envy those persons who are above
them in regard to class and worldly
goods. The French people are q direct
but glamorous race, In whom greed
combines with dreams, often to their