Evening star., 1945-12-17
This and That
By Charles E. Trdce1DeH.
ARLINGTON, Va.


"As sa constant reader of your column
for a number of years allow me to
make a plea for the squirrels.
II live across the river in Arlington
and have large yard and trees. For
Is years I have fed both birds and
squirrels summer and winter.
1T is a lot of fun to watch the baby
squirrels in spring, with their wide,
innocent eyes, running around your
feet. but they soon get worldly wise
and climb the nearest tree at the least
noise.
Some seasons nuts and acorns are
very scarce, and these little creatures
come out to hunt for food.
How are they to know that food
put out by bird-conscious people is not
for them. too?
why not follow my plan and enjoy
birds and squirrels all the year around?
1T is very simple and easier than
greasing poles and devising all kinds
of tricks to outwit the squirrels.
Il use medium chicken scratch, found
at all feed stores at reasonable prices,
as I cannot afford more expensive food,
and they learn to eat it.
Il have four or five places I put
this out early morning and again in the
afternoon, as the cardinals are the last
birds to feed before dusk, and I always
see that they are not forgotten.
II would rather put out enough food
for all than expensive food for few
birds. We have a great number of
cardinals, as usual.
Very truly, P. NJ"
X + = Il
This method of feeding undoubtedly
is easier on mind and purse and helps
more living creatures.
1t means that all hungry things will
get fed, whereas under a system of
trying to withhold food from some,
notably the squirrels, an incomplete
job is done.
Feeding them all as they come surely
makes for more satisfaction of the eat
ers. at the same time it gives greater
satisfaction of mind to the person who
puts out the food.
This satisfaction comes, of course,
only when the mind is in agreement
with the idea. Until this state of mind
is arrived at the presence of unwanted
animals and even birds will prove a
stumbling plOcK
Life is full of these stumbling blocks.
They are often more mental than
physical. They come in all walks of
life. There is scarcely an occupation
or an avocation in which something is
not constantly cropping up to cause
a petty rawness of mind.
Often if we examine things carefully,
we see that the fault is entirely in
ourselves. AS one goes around town
and keeps his ears open he hears men
discussing their jobs-"shop talk" as
it is called-and soon realizes that much
of their worry would be nothing at all
if they would forget it.
II have had many Worries" said the
old man, most of which never hap
pened."
In feeding the birds there are certain
standard worries, the chief of which
seems to be the gray squirrel.
1t often happens that the newcomer
to bird feeding feels very indignant
about the squirrel and permits that
rodent to spoil his state of mind.
If he would do as our correspondent
suggests and forget about the festive
rodent he in time would come to know
that squirrel hunger is quite as acute
as bird hunger.
But above all he would realize that
what hate does to the human mind
is worse than many squirrels.
The world today is filled with strik-
ing evidences of the corrosive effects
of hate. We\ still cannot listen to the
radio without hearing about them.
Too many tend to forget that it is
just the same sort of hate, although in
lesser degree, which blossoms when one
gets red in the face over the plain
fact that squirrel is eating food which
one puts out for the birds. OF course
he is eating it! He would be fool II
| he didn't