Evening star., 1932-07-18
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.
Conservatism is one Of the old stand

Conservatism is one Of the old stand
bys in human character.
A conservative is man who prefers
to use an old, scratchy pen instead OF
smooth writing fountain pen.
He likes high-seated chairs, the sort
he was brought up on, in his younger
days, instead of these newfangled low
lying ones.
If he is of certain age, he dos not
take kindly to telephones, especially to
the dial type, or these cne-handed ar
rangements.
In his garden he sticks to the old
flowers, preferring them to any OF the
novelties.
He reads old books such as the
novels Of Dickens, and even those OF
Bulwer- -Lytton.
In his house he likes best dark-col-
ored walls tans, greens, and the like
Older types Of furniture secure MS
appreeiation even II # he .;, has to go back
None of this "modernistic stuff" for
him.
He is, above all. suspicious of color,
and gladly eschewS 1t.
On principle he Is instinctively afraid
Of new things, new ideas, new scenes,
lust because they are new.
1t will be reaEzed that here Is q very
common type of human being, in which
some OF the good points and some OF
the bad points Of humanity are
wrapped up.
No two conservatives are like. that
is why 1t is rather futile, and somewhat
silly to lump them all off as "conserva-
tives." alone, as If there were some
deadly stigma attached to the very
label.
Many a conservative is more radical
than a radical, and, conversely, many
man who prides himself on being
radical" Is really at heart an ultra
conservative.
There has been a great deal Of loose
thinking and talking in America with
the one word radical occupying the
center of the verbal stage. Often those
who scream radical the loudest
haven't the slightest idea what con-
Stitutes radicalism. In their own very
hearts and minds they may harbor
ideas at which they would be Mortified
if their true nature could be pointed
out to them.
What these people need is better def
milton, so that they will know what
they are talking about, and just how
far they go when they use words. II
is an old need, not a new one, nor
one confined to one word alone.
In ordinary conversation the word
progressive" is a much better word
than radical" 1t fits better as the
antithesis of conservative"
But the joke of the matter Is that
there is no such great cleavage at all;
the very man who is so tremendously
radical about his neckties, glorying IN
loud ones. is one of the most con-
servative men alive when it comes to
his politics.
The true conservative. utterly aside
from things political, is he who believes
in the things that have been, not
things as they will be, or might be.
He does not like to experiment.
He likes the present lineup, which
is more or less satisfactory to him.
Surely he has right to his views.
II not sitting as pretty" as he would
like to be. at least his position is not
bad. and he feels with an old char
acter that perhaps it is better to hold
fast to that which he hath rather than
rush into matters of which he knows
little or nothing.
In this attitude it must be submit
ted that the conservative has divine
right; no smirch can fairly be plas-
tered upon him because he chooses to
regard matters in this light.
His rewards come in familiarity. al
ways pleasing to men of his type.
Lacking the experimenter temperament
he finds old things much more pleasing
to his sight. In them he gets his
reward.
The true conservative carries his at
t;tude much farther into the smaller