Evening star., 1946-08-07
This and That
By Charles E. Traceuell
"R STREET.


Dear Sir:
while have enjoyed your articles
for many years, have liked especially
those concerning miscellaneous subjects,
such as chocolate sodas, promiscuous
sneezers, waiting for a bus, spinach, etc.
I am sure your readers would enjoy
your discussion of the following subjects,
which have impressed me rather for
chilly recently:
i. The disappearance (almost) of the
mans size umbrella, so familiar in by
gone days, and now men of all sizes
holding dainty woman's umbrella over
themselves and not necessarily with a
woman companion. The sight Is ludi-
crous in many cases.
'2. People thrown hither and yon In
buses and streetcars as they stop sud-
denly. One has to be an athlete to ride
or rather stand or walk in these We
hicles.
''3. People humping into one another
on the crowded sidewalks. Those in a
hurry are always finding some one just
in front of them either walking too
slowly or looking in some other direc-
ton, causing a collision of one sort or
another.
Thank you and best wishes for many
more years Of your column.
"Oh, yes, I have often wondered what
you look like-no doubt so have many
others. Please have your photo pub
lished In The Star real soon.
Sincerely yours, l.. T. s."
Men holding woman's umbrellas In
various shades of rose, green, blue, etc,
may look silly, in certain cases, but they
look rather sensible, we believe
AS the originator of this sensible GUS
tom. the writer here cannot be expected
to frown upon 1t.
Old-fashioned mems umbrellas al
ways were too large. They took up too
much parking space in cars and buses,
and did not give enough extra protec-
ton to make up for their clumsiness.
AS long as Is years ago this writer
deliberately purchased small um-
brella, but in all black, and has carried
it ever since. Today it Is frayed and
split, and at times it turns wrong side
out, but 1t takes up little room, is easily
hung on bus window and serves its
main purpose well, although we have
to be careful to get the largest rent to
the front.
Only custom or what is left of 1t
keeps all men from using these umbrel-
las. And now that the old, large bum
bershoots cost SIS, even when you can
get them, there is no reason at all for
ever going back to them.
After all, there is no sex in an UNI
brella.
AS for people humping into one an
other on the sidewalks, that Is some
thing else.
Recently we rebelled against this,
having grown tired of being pushed
around, and solved 1t in the following
manner:
Today we simply walk forward, rather
briskly, swinging the arms, often with
a briefcase-on that little umbrella
as If no one else was around. And it
works.
Instead of being bumped into, we find
people take good care to keep out OF
our way, even the careless and indiffer-
ent persons who have cluttered up our
streets during the past 13 years.
Many of them are small town people
and are utterly unused to city side
walks. They cape around, and in do
ing so don't mind whom they push.
We make 1t unpleasant for them, that
is all, if they insist on humping any
way. The edge of briefcase or the
handle end of a stubby umbrella Is not
exactly nice in the ribs.
AS for the buses and streetcars stop
ping suddenly, there is very little that
can be done about that Drivers are
only human, and often must make sud-
den stops. They don't like it any better
than the passengers. The main thing
is not to walk while the vehicle is In
! motion.