Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-24
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

We received recently the following in
teresting letter from a business woman
who favors open windows in street cars
and buses. As the problem is peren-
NAL one, we present the communication
as a timely contribution:
Dear Sir: Would it be possible for
you to devote a small portion of your
most interesting column to the promo
ton of Open Windows in Street Cars
and Buses? At this time of the year
to the lover of fresh air-comes the
never-ending problem of how to exist in
the terrible atmosphere in which he is
daily doomed to spend at least two
hours in order to reach his Office or
factory.
Being one of these same suffocating
people, / assure you 1t would be q real
service to mankind if you would harp at
intervals on the necessity and absolute
harmlessness of the one free thing We
have, namely, fresh air.
Every morning one enters street cars
and buses, not one window open; the
air being positively putrid from the
many patches of passengers That had
suffered before us. One pulls and tugs
at the window-if one is fortunate
enough to be sitting down and near a
window-but after running our internal
arrangements, we give it up in despair.
The windows were never meant to be
I'D. They are Theoretically Se2led.
q, = after terrific tug, with perhaps
the aid of a nail file or scissors, carried
in our purse for that purpose, we do at
last get a breathing space, we are
quickly warned by the coughing, sneez-
ing and struggling of our fellow pas
sengers that fresh air is not as agree
able to them as it is to us, and we once
more shut out the freshening breeze.
These same passengers, coming to
the end of the journey, step out blithely
into the morning air, most of them
never even buttoning their coats. Why
is it that they seem to fear the air only
in crowded quarters where they surely
need 1t most?
During the epidemic Of influenza In
1918 1t was made compulsory In the
city of Washington to have the street
cars and buses well ventilated. IF
fresh ar tends TO cure disease, why not
60 1t one better and use it as a pre-
ventive, and not wait till the enemy
is upon us before trying to rout him?
I'VE love to read about your garden,
we follow you with joy in your book
loving tours, and we would not for a
moment have them discontinued, but If
you could digress occasionally, or at
least work in a fresh-air theme now
and then, you would earn the gratitude
of many whiting working woman who,
like the undersigned, Is walking miles
daily to avoid being stided.
Sincerely, c. P"
X X X
The question of fresh air is always a
moot one where several persons are
gathered, whether in public vehicle,
Office, theater, hall
Human beings range all the way, In
this respect, from the 'fresh-air fiends,"
who once occupied the center of the
stage, to the timid persons who never
have q breath of fresh air" in their
sleeping quarters at night.
The joke of it Is that often the lat
ter are as healthy as the former! One
distinguished member of the Senate Is
on record as saying that he had never
had q window up In his bed room in his
life. Yet he Is a remarkably healthy
looking individual.
The peak of the "fresh-air craze"
as 1t was called, was reached in this
country about 20 years ago. We were
advised to sleep In a draft" even, and
to run around in the snow IN q bathing
suit.
Pneumonia and other respirational
diseases were treated by yanking the
patients out of their warm rooms and
faxseed jackets and putting them on
sleeping porcheS, where they were SUD-