Evening star., 1934-08-03
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES z. TRAcEWELL.

the evening hours, and especially so
after dark.
Not q drop of such water Is evap-
Grated. but remaAns where 1t falls to
keep healthful vigilance there. II is
a case Of one natural thing being met
by another natural thing, each helping
the other, for It must be believed
that the plant somehow helps the
water as much as the water helps the
plant. How this is. none may know.
but it is a mystic thing commonly
associated, since the beginning OF
humanity, with such natural forces.
There is mutual help in them. pro-
vided they do not grow to the point
of destruction. Maybe the same can
be said Of human beings, there Is help
one TO another among them. except
when one grows to distinctions point.
The heavenly vision is for all to. be
like rain and plants. helping each
other. never hurting each other.
A%&
In this respect 1t is interesting TO
note that few garden creations are
harmed by water, no matter how large
the amount, or however violent, pro-
vided they are given an interval for
drying out.
Veritable deluges harm such open
blossoms as lilies and the like, COM
paratively fragile, but the plants
themselves are not harmed. Only IL
the rainfall continues for days on
end will the roots suffer.
Certain plants. such as the Ger
man iris, are said to need Midsum-
mer bake" but If rain intervenes
1t hurts them not at all.
There is tremendous latitude
among plants in regard to water. The
amateur gardener is forever worrying
himself about watering his plants. He
thinks there Is some mysterious for
mula the old gardener knows which
he does not, but there is none; the
old hand simply has had more expe-
rience and has observed more, and
better, and knows how to associate
the experience with the observance.
He waters his plants only when they
need 1t, but the important thing is
that he knows when they need it.
The rainy Sunday keeps the eyes
of the garden-minded upon their
plants, but this will not interfere with
their ears, in their perfect recep-
ton of the music of the falling water.
For this is music second to none
in the world, If one hears it Alright
and has not mind dulled and stulti-
fed with living. Life often does
harmful things to minds, to hearts,
to entire human beings, but surely in
nothing does 1t take away more than
when it deprives an average human
being of the power to enjoy the little.
often unregarded, phenomena of Ma
ture. The average man or woman has
none too many joys as it is: surely
this is too cheap one to miss, with
nothing ever put in its place.
No, there is nothing to take the
place Of such quiet Joy, just as
there is nothing which will compen-
safe a human being for totally losing
contact with the great art of music.
Charles Darwin was great man, but
he admitted in his later years that
he wished he had taken the time to
enjoy some music every day. He did
not mean, however, and no one can
mean, that he wished he had listened
to music all day long, as many persons
do, by means of radio, thinking they
are very musical. The truth is that
such persons are scarcely musical at
all; better had they played one tune
with their own hands, motivated by
their own minds and hearts.
Enjoyment of rain is happiness over
Natures music. 1t is not a little
thing, but large thing, on which
may hinge q great deal more than at
first glance seems. And when 1t comes
but seldom, as during a season of
Of novelty, no less desirable here than
elsewhere.