Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-14

There are few times so good as a
rainy evening for studying Nature
| around the home The minutes be-
| tween 5 O'Clock and dark come then as
perfect BACKGROUND for life. For life.
after all, is what one is interested in, is
it not? The trees, the grass. the shrubs,
| the evergreens, the fiowers--these are
growing, living things. Dogs, cats,
| squirrels, birds-these are life.
| 1t is the phenomena of life, silhou-
| cited against life, which intrigue the
mind and heart on a rainy evening.
! The vantage point Of a window puts
enc in a theater chair, as 1t were, from
which to watch the drama of nothing
much. This is q theatrical enterprise
which has the most magnificent pro-
scenium arch in the world. The horizon
is there. even if blotted out by houses
and trees and all the things of civiliza-
I ton.
There is drama here. too-ruthless
drama If one watches closely enough
The old play of the jungle goes on here.
A stalking cat leaps upon an unwary
robin and bears 1t away amid the clat-
ter of robins left behind. Through the
shrubs bursts the cat, prey in mouth.
head held high, eyes cleaning. expert
encing all the excitement of the famous
human warrior after the slaughter of
thousands of his fellow men. Why
blame the cat 50 much? What il does
Is Nature, too.
Shall we turn around and lecture
Mother Nature for what she permits
her children to do? Well, we may. if
we wish, but we can be very sure that
Nature will not hear us, as she has not
heard q word from the mouth of kind
ness over these thousands Of years.
4 +
A cold, drizzling rain OF mid-August,
a rain which ought to be in Autumn,
but is here ahead Of time. fianked by
gradually deepening shadows
This is the moment an entire city
prayed for as relief from humid heat
which made every lung breathe heavily,
every mind perplexed. Now that the
relief Is here, in the form of cool
weather, down to 50 degrees, there are
many to quarrel with 1t and to long as
fervently for return of normal Sum-
mer weather" Surely it is very small
range in which the human skin re-
joieeSi The band of comfort is not
more than IS degrees at the outside,
and less for sensitive souls.
This yagary OF the skin does not af-
feet one If sitting comfortably behind
glass looking out at the calm drama of
the descending night Dusk Is one of
the most interesting times of the day,
even more SO than dawn. Somehow the
fading light, the deepening of the shad-
ows the gradual blocking out of dis
tant sights, tend to ease the spirit and
make the cleaning time all its own in
beauty.
One has time, at this period, to note
the small changes which have taken
place in favorite trees and shrubs Yon-
der tire leans bit more than usual, does
it not? That is one trouble with the
locusts Honest trees, all, they yet have
short span. Despite their tough
wood, said to be the best in the world
for fence posts, they are very brittle,
and huge limbs break off in what do not
seem to be very severe winds.
Yet tree is a tree, and here IN the
gathering twilight while flower borders
become DINNER second by second, the
great feathery locusts look every inch
the trees they are. Not all trees can be
oaks. How slowly the oaks grow! It
is well that there are in the world fast
growing trees to lend their shade and
beauty, If only for a time. to the sub
urban scene. With trees as with men,
not all can live to be hundred, but
all can do the best they can, and Ma
ture asks no more of them.