Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-12

"How many attractions for us have
our passing fellows in the streets, bott
male and female, which our ethics
forbid us to express, which yet tnfust
so much pleasure into life. A lovely
| child, a handsome woman, o beautiful
girl, heroic man, maternal woman
o venerable old man, charm us, though
strangers, and We cannot say so or look
i at them but for a moment"
Emerson wrote those sentences ir
his journal when he was 80 years old
many years before Walt Whitman
utilized the same ideas in one of his
which unjuStly got him kicked out oil
one of the Government departments
here.
One does not have to be either q
philosopher or a poet to recognize the
truth of the sage's thoughts. 1t Is safe
to say that there is not person alive
who does not often feel exactly the
same way.
Few, however, are given to express
the feeling so frankly Honesty. above
all. is the mark of the great thinker
and the great writer. The sterling
honesty of thought and phrase OF
quality above all their others, which
crowd.
In this respect many lesser authors
err. They get the idea that utter
frankneSs is what is wanted, and this
leads them to excuses which transcend
the bounds of good taste.
1t Is to be noted that Emerson never
and Whitman seldom, overstepped the
fine line between this utter frankness
which is good, and the ruthless honesty
which forgets that the printed word is
one thing and the spoken another.
\ X X
Since Babylon, the streets Of the
great cities, beloved of the children OF
men. have been attractive to human
beings on this very accountant in
them one passes a great many of his
fellow human beings every time he
steps out the door.
Let It be admitted that there are
some few people to whom this means
nothing. They are the single-tracked
minds, the Self-centered men and wom-
en- who are interested solely in them
selves. They are fully capable of walk
ing for miles along city boulevard
without once noticing another human
being.
The great mass OF people, however,
are not so. and it is we'll that they are
not, for surely there is nothing in the
whole world quite so interesting as
other people. The great tide of human
ity flows for all alike, and every one
Is part of it.
The sea Of humanity has been rush.
ing around the world for centuries,
growing stronger decade after decade.
At times 1t has become too strong,
seemingly. and then great wars have
resulted in blood letting"
It Is in the great city that the sea
Of humanity attains its most stable
form. These wide thoroughfares, these
street lights. these buildings, parks,
trees all impress themselves on the
mind Of the average person as perma-
nent.
Life in the city takes on q character
Of solidnesS, II 1t may be SO called,
which it lacks in the country districts
Even the forces Of Nature seem tenn
pered in the city.
Hence the Individual finds along con-
crete streets an opportunity to be in
tereSted In other people, which Is
peculiarly the province of the huddled
city.
In the city, and In the city only, can
he find such masses Of human beings
that he is sure, by keeping his eyes
open, to find among them many Strik-
Ing specimens, Of both sexes, and Of
all ages.
Primarily this appeal Is to the ar
tistic sense. Recall what Emerson saw,
lovely child, a handsome woman, O
beautiful girl, a venerable man.
He saw those people on the streets Of