Evening star., 1947-10-20
This and That
By Charles E. TrdceUeU.
"QUINTANA PLACE

"QUINTANA PLACE.
Dear Sir:
There was magnolia blossom fully open
on tree at the northwest corner Of the
Archives Building recently.
This tree shed its leaves early in the spring
and have been watching it with much interest
ever since.
Il don't know whether this is its swan song
or comeback
Thanks for your column, which I enioy
daily.
Sincerely, W. ". G."
Sometimes roses bloom at Christmas
Sprays OF forsythia show after frost; the
old-fashioned bridal wreath displays few
white blossoms
We can recall one Christmas eve when the
outdoor temperature stood at 10 degrees caus-
ing an infestation Of winged ants that came
out OF space between two bricks in the
sun porch.
This memorable Christmas eve was spent
busily swatting winged f1ies as they were called,
but nobody ever knew whether they were
termites Or not
It has been years since then and no signs
OF termltes have been discovered, SO it is still
supposed that they were something else
All OF these small wonders of nature are
interesting to the inquisitive mind.
How fortunate for the world it would be If
all minds could be content with such matters
But, instead, some minds-and this in all
countries, evidently-want to be interested in
compelling other people to do things they think
up for them to do.
The mind interested in the things of nature
is mind that asks nothing better than to be
left alone.
Since this is plainly" the last thing to be
granted by the strict political mind, the nature
lover is coming on increasingly hard times and
he might as well recognize it.
Like man doomed by some deadly disease
out who. nevertheless, is determined to get the
most out Of the rest of his life and so reads
his favorite books, listens to his favorite music
and talks to his favorite friends, the nature
lover will go about his daily business of never
failing to be interested in the clouds the winds
the rains the squirrels, the cats, dogs, cows
sheep, insects, barks of trees, strange creatures
in field and wood; he will 60 on this way as
long as he can and buttress his interest by
copious reading, waiting for that sad time
when the bombs begin to fall.
Science has two faces the good and the had
Nature study, one may believe, has but one
face and it good one. 1t drops no bombs,
causes no heart aches, leaves no residue of
hate behind. Some sadness there may be;
but sadness comes out of the nature of things
being the reverse of happiness. The flowers
fade and the friends in fur and feathers die.
but they have given much and left behind a
sweet memory. Some people refuse to be in
terested In animals, because they say they can
not stand the final parting, but when we realize
that each good dog or cat gives thousands of
days of happiness, for few of sorrow we
realize in the end that the balance is very
much in their favor
The study of the flowers, trees, grasses,
shrubs, etc., is nature study, too and never
has about 1t the inevitable tinge of sadness.
Even the extremely sensitive do not mind
pulling up living plant and throwing it aside,
They call it 'weed"
Life is full of weeds. There are weeds of the
mind. OF the SOUL of the spirit and of the body.
As weeds, properly speaking, are plants out of
place. so 1t may be believed that the weeds of
the mind are thoughts that should not have
arisen where they do. Much is to be regretted,
in this world by the sensitive they should not
add to their sorrows by insisting on regrets
where they do not belong.
The last flower blooming In the spirit Of
many. IL II TO be . sv4nsong, or comeback7