Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-12-06

"It is better to travel hopefully than
to arrive" said Robert Louis Steven
son, in another connection, but he
might have meant hobbies.
Most hobbies are good precisely be-
cause there is no end to them.
One can come to the last mile in a
road, but scarcely ever to the end of a
collection. which is the form so many
hobbies take
There are always more specimens to
be gathered, and more branches to be
investigated.
The practical and theoretical sides Of
the subject, in all its ramifications, are
busy for the rest Of his life, If he uses
the essential moderation which adds
zest to all things.
Fortunately, there is no incentive for
making any sort of drive" in connec-
ton with the pursuit of a legitimate
hobby of any sort.
The very nature of the thing makes
for a slow approach, with plenty OF
time allowed for appreciation of its in
tricacies, its highlights, its good and
bad points.
For every hobby has its weak points
These, sure enough, often are turned
into features by the dyed
fan" the man who prefers lying to
himself rather than telling the truth
to himself, but that does not make them
anything but weak points, after all
There is no hobby which does not
have them.
Therefore the man taking up a new
enthusiasm is suspiciously on the watch
! for them, as he enters into his new do
main.
| Nothing ever goes wrong here, &C.
cording to the enthusiastic words of the
experts"
All is plain sailing.
In the heart of the rose lies a worm
at the bottom of every hobby there i;
some difficulty. some trouble, to be en-
| countered. do not be fooled about that
it would not be SO if it were not life
which necessarily GIBBS and flows. anC
which has triumph at times only be-
cause it knows failure more.
| In listening to the enthusiast tall
of his collections, whatever they may
be, the innocent bystander might think
that no problems were to be encolln-
tered, no difficulties met, no disap-
| pointmentS faced.
II he becomes Smitten himself with
the particular virus and goes at it with
the vigor of the apprentice hand, il
Will not be long before he learns thai
all Is not gold that glitters, nor any
picture quite as rosy as it is painted
| He will discover what he should have
known all along, that most human
beings only put their best foot
forward" whether it be in sports, en-
thusiasnis, or the more practical aspects
Of life, when talking to others.
They prefer to cover up the failings
Of what they have, not out of any par
ticular tenderness to the subject itself
one may think, but rather because they
want to appear all-perfect in their Sc
| lectionS.
Just why they imagine that they are
fooling any one it is difficult to say
Few actually have the wool pulled over
their eyes, in such matters, except by
their own pulling.
And right there one runs squarely
into one of the basic delights of hob
bieS of all sorts, especially those which
take the turn, as most of them do, Of
being collections of one sort or another
The primary delight of a hobby il
that every lobbyist, in first taking Il
up, anticipates perfection which he
knows does not exist, but which he
hopes is to be found there at last.
Perfection!
Every collector longs for the ultimate
and hopes to find it.
| II he is half a man, he will not be
too much disappointed when he doe;
not, however.
The trials and tribulations Of q col