Evening star., 1948-11-10
This and That
BIZ Charles E. TrnceneLl

Everybody talks about the balance Of nature,
but few do anything about It,. Theory and
practice are two separate things, here as else
where
One has but to start feeding the birds to see
the matter clearly. A suburban resident wor-
ried about pigeons at his bird-feeding station.
He thought them no good. They ate too much.
r Then he found that the pigeons ate up even
the husks that fell beneath the feeding station.
Everything was kept cleaner because of
them.
1t was natures balance in operation
x
1t is just in this way that the woods are kept
clean, that the sandy beaches are fit for bare
feet, that streams and oceans 90 not kill bath
ers. Despite various pollutions, there are vast
forces at work everywhere to keep things sani-
tary. The battle of the centuries is not man
made. 1t is this change, this interchange, that
is going on all the time. 1t goes on in the
smallest back yard. From bacteria to winds,
from microbes and germs to pigeons and squir-
rels. the sanitary police Of nature are doing
their work ttrelessly. There is something to
take care Of everything, with the result that it
is possible to walk where otherwise one could
not. There Is mental satisfaction in the con-
temptation Of natures resources. Sometimes
the city man worries too much over nature 3
processes. II he learns to understand some
thing OF her balances he will stop trying to take
interesting diversion to undertake to analyze
our worries, to determine which of them are
wholly civilized and which come from nature
Each person can make his own list. Those
who become interested in nature soon learn
the art Of acceptance. They learn that many
things deemed wrong or hurtful turn out to be
the very thing necessary.
It Is so with the squirrels, about which many
householders grow red in the face when the
active rodents come to their bird-feeding sta
tions
If the squirrels perch in the feeding stations
all day long 1t is because they are hungry, too.
They do not know they were not invited.
1t is almost hopeless task to attempt to
drive them away. Nor is 1t necessary. They
may eat considerable quantity Of food, but
who does not If he can get itP
Squirrels belong to the garden. scheme of
things. Try to get rid of them as some do,
and the next year there will be more of them
than ever. That too, seems to be a part of
natures scheme.
Many honest persons worry a great deal
about starlings. There is no need to do So
These birds have their good points They are
interesting, and some people find them beauti-
full. Certainly they are real comics which few
birds are We recall once placing plate full
of salmon on the back porch for feline wan
.derers. A flock Of dozen starlings discovered
the plate and swept 1t clean. Just as they
were finishing, hungry dog poked his head
above the top step. The haste of the starlings
to make a good getaway was most amusing.
The human observer who is not willing to ac-
cept nature as he finds it outside his window
should give up his interest in 1t and go back to
his books.
The wise person will see that we are guided
IN small as in large affairs by a wisdom we
dimly comprehend, and are helped by power
that never falters. All things tend to be made
secure by forces without which life could not
exist for a single second. The least and the
greatest of us are benefciaries of wisdom and
power which we only dimly understand. If we
worry more than We should, that is our priv
iege, but 1t is not good thing to do.
In every small garden or back yard, no mat
ter how bleak or prosaic 1t may look to Others
great forces are at work. One man discovered
more than 1000 different kinds of insects in an
ordinary city lot They, too, were part of the
balance Of nature. This balance Is not just a
phrase, but something very real and vital, and
the best part of 1t is that one does not have
to go on long journey to know something
about It. All that is necessary IL to look out
the Wilacw.