Evening star., 1945-11-20
This and That
By Charles E. TraceweU.

Henry James, whose wonderful stories
Americans are rediscovering, had one
about man to whom nothing ever hap
pened.
Sometimes this appears to be the state
OF affairs at the permanently estab-
Hshed bird feeding station.
1t will go along for days. without a
new species, without a hawk flying in,
without disturbance of any kind
Certainly that is an ideal state of af-
fairs, IN such world as this, but equally
it becomes boresome
The watcher wants something to hap
pen.
If only new species would fly in!
Even big dog, after the suet, would
be something
The observer might as we'll make up
his mind that nothing may happen for
a long period, especially after he has
identified the so or so species which
commonly come TO suburban gardens.
He will know, from experience, that
checking up on these species took time
They did not fly in, one after the
other, but came one or two, and then
another, sometimes with weeks between,
so that his total required perhaps as
much as three or four years.
He got to know them ALL
He must get himself into the good
attitude, that it is the unexpected he is
watching for, now, and that this NAV
occur any time.
Just the moment he gives up, some
thing will happen!
1t is usually that way in all phases of
life, and at the bird feeding station no
less
So settle down by the window when
ever you feel like it, not to see something
new, particularly, but just to watch
them as they are
The something new" may not be as
valuable as the usual, and there is no
place better to learn this lesson. With
out doubt, the desire for change, for
something new is at the bottom of bad
things as well as good. Wars come
partly, because people are "fed up with
the usual. That feeling has something
to do, too, with the discovery of Ameri-
ca. q good thing.
At the feeding station it is well to mas
ter this desire, and learn to accept what
is present. In this way a valuable les
son may be had which may do much to
soothe other walks of life.
The excitement of war DAYS must give
place to the comparative placidity of
peace days.
Instead of longing to be made minis
ter to Albania, the uneasy one would do
better to buckle down to what he is.
The place where one is can be as ex-
citing as any, provided the mind is
satisfied with questing close to home.
Watching the birds will enable any
one, we believe to get some bit of this
philosophy firmly fixed in place, so that
it will carry over into life.
Content is continual feast, some
one said.
1t Is just as possible to be contented
with little as with much, provided the
mind makes it so. We are so creatures
of the mind that it is impossible to di-
vorce ourselves from its prominent
place.
Even diseases can be created by the
mind. School children whose palms
break out into a sweat at examination
time sometimes have itching hands.
The experienced dermatologist knows
that there is nothing really wrong that
simple lotion and mind won't cure.
At the bird feeding station long estab-
hshed let us take things as they come,
not longing too much for something
new" but trying to be satisfied with
what is-and what will be-
As long as there is an 'is." there is
bound to be will be-" too
Happy birds, at the undisturbed feed
ing station!
Drink in that happiness, along with
them, and know what the philosopher
meant when he said. Content is con-
tinual feast"