Evening star., 1932-02-25
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEVELL

Those who think that "the American
temper" is something new, unknown
before the present age, should read
what Emerson wrote in his journal IN
the year 1852.
"The head OF Washington hangs In
my dining room for few days past,
he wrote, land cannot keep my eyes
of 1t. It has a certain Appalachian
strength. as II it were truly the first
fruits Of America and expressed the
country.
THE heavy, leaden eyes turn on you.
as the eyes of an OK in the pasture
And the mouth has gravity and oeptn
of quiet, as If this man had ABSORBED
all the serenity Of America, and LETT
none for his restless, rickety, hyster-
ical countrymen."
So the reader knows what one OF
the great intellectuals Of past gen.
Grafton thought of his fellow country
men In the privacy of his journal.
what would he think today, II ne
could see America awheel, If he could
have read the draft statistics as TO the
physically UNIT, If he could have VIII
messed the receptions TO hyers?,,
Such criticisms are beneflclal. not
derogatory. It will not do for any one
to stand on his hind legs ana yelp
the moment some one says something
with which he does not agree.
Emerson was one of our wisest men
in his day-maybe he was right, atter
ali. when he contrasted the serenity OF
washington with the actions OF the
majority Of the men OF 1882.
Those pre-war days were trouplous
times" indeed, which any one gan
sense b. looking back on them III ms
tory books. Even the calmnesS ot
hack type on fair white pages cannot
hide the beating hearts tne restIess- -
ness Of those days. 1t Is no Wohoel
that some of it seemed hysterical
*
II Is interesting to note that the head
of washington which hung in Emer-
sons dining room made exactly the
same impression upon him Whlcn II
makes upon us OF today.
That calm majesty, that gravity and
depth Of quiet" which peers out at one,
even in cheap reproductions Of the best
nortraits of Gen. Washington, has al
ways held the attention of his coun-
trymen.
these precise features are what makes
the head of Washington such a good
postage stamp. Even In these minia-
turesSwhich is what a good engraving
ON a stamp is-the great worth OF the
man Is apparent.
The sage of Concord surely meant no
disrespect to Washington when he
spoke Of his eyes, "the eyes Of an OK
in the pasture" You see, Emerson had
a high regard for the ox-for animals
in general.
He did not view the brute creatures
as unworthy, but merely as different.
He knew. as did Walt Whitman whom
he admired very much), that there is
something fine in animal eyes.
In putting his words as he did, in
the saactity Of his own private
thoughts, he not only paid tribute to
the eyes of the hero stating succinctly
what particularly distinguishes them
from trivial eyes, but also he did honor
to the depth of natural quality in ami
NAL eyes.
The poet honored animals In the fol-
lowing lines:
"I think could turn and live with ami
mails, they are so placid and self
contained;
I stand and look at them long and long.
They do not sweat and whine about
their condition;
They do not lie awake in the dark and
weep for their sins;
They do not make me sick discussing
their duty to God"
The animals, in other words, do not
talk one way and do another; they are
what they are, and this sureness Is evi-