Evening star., 1948-08-20
This and That
By Charles E. TraceUeU
WV "Stk
DARLINGTON, Va.

ARLINGTON, Va.
Our neighbors and myself have been watch
ing with some interest what I suppose is an
albino robin. He Cor she) has the usual red
breast but all his back feathers are white
There Is no doubt, after watching him, that
he is robin
Il suppose it is not too uncommon, but this
is the first we have ever seen or heard of.
Very truly, E. T. G.
"P. S-After re-reading the last sentence, I
could not resist the temptation to quote my
fathers quotation (origination unknoWn) as
follows:
"a proposition is bad word to end sem
tence with
Anyone who does so should be made an
example off,"
****
Woodrow Wilson, great master of English
prose, often used such sentence endings
He also liked the split inflnitive feeling that
many times its use Lends effective emphasis
The use of a proposition at the end of
sentence, while sometimes frowned on has some
good points, the chief of which is that it is
eminentlv natural
Good writing is like good speech 1t depends
great deal for effectiveness upon whether it
is clear. and this often depends on whether
it is quite natural
If We think clearly and are not harassed
by emotional upsets of any kind, we can speak
to the point.
we speak without thinking. in a sense, but
that is because most of the thinking has been
done in advance, over an entire lifetime
That is the main difference between honest
speech, which must always be impromptu, and
writing. Even the hastiest writing does give one
a chance to think!
But, still, effective writing must depend very
much on naturalness. Stted writing has its
uses, but they are few and far between.
The best writing is that which is as natural
as daylight. To write so is to have ''the pen
OF a ready writer"
And as often as not such writer will use
proposition at the end of a sentence if it
comes naturally at that point.
He will not, in other words, be afraid of
rules. He is larger than rules That is because
his beloved native tongue is larger than words
1t is, indeed. as big as thought. And thought
can rule the world
SANDY SPRING, MD.
Dear Sir:
while I am lover Of birds in general, I
have all my life looked upon the lowly English
sparrow as totally destructive and an unmti-
gated nuisance.
Yesterday, however, saw mother sparrow
feeding one Of its young which had fallen out
Of its nest prematurely.
"She was feeding it japanese beetles and
made trip after trip to our lace vine, where
she found them in abundance.
She even caught some of them in the air.
To-day she had two of her offspring lined
up on the framework of our porch glider and
was again feeding them beetles as fast as she
could catch them.
II never again will think OF the English
sparrow as useless. Now if some one can say
a kind word for the much-maligned starting,
perhaps can feel kindly toward them. =.
Yours truly, r. B. T."
1t Is really not necessary for any one to say
kind word (although many thousands of
them have been said herel on behalf Of COM
mon sparrows and starlings
Careful observation will do
1t is impossible for any one to watch these
birds honestly without coming TO see that they
are birds, as well as any, and also have their
places in our economy.
Both eat obnoxious insects, while the English
sparrows consume vast quantities of weed
seeds,
Each has become a real foe Of the obnoxious
Japanese beetle
Each is magnificent specimen Of its kind.
1t is true that both of them have become in
certain situations something Of a nuisance.
This cannot be helped. 1t Is true, more or
less, Of all living things. Let us hope that
some observer on q star sfar will overlook
In u.s. too. what he does not like and speak
only Of those things he admires. That Is the
only hope of mankind for our sins are grievous.