Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-08-21
This and That
BIZ Charles E. Trace1DeH

Templeton Jones put on the best imitation
he had Of a sneer. Sneering, even In mild
FORM does not come easy to Jones. 1t is, as we
would say, foreign to his nature.
But when some one insisted, in his hearing.
that no bird bath could equal the formal, eX-
pensive pedestal one, Templeton Jones sneered.
at least mildly.
"Bosh!" was what he said Youngsters may
wish to know what "bosh" signifies. 1t is an
od-fashioned expletive, often used in the gay
90s to indicate scorn or contempt Of some
statement.
"Bosh," said Jones, and he meant just "bosh :"
He explained why.
II have been bathing birds for many years, I"
he said land never yet have bought them .
fancy bath. =
yet nobody has had more splashing robins
their bread In the baths provide for them.
Generations Of sparrows have tapped their
wings, and now and then q redbird has come,
although not often.
II see no reason to put much money into
such baths. Money Is too hard to get is worth
is too high-after 16 years of Democratic
rule" GA Republican, evidently
mo, SIR" said Jones, ignoring the hostile
glances of one lady nearby.
Il give my birds nice baths, but make them
myself"
Asked how he did it, Jones became voluble.
Il just use any old thing have around the
place. Once put out a big saucer for a flower
pot. Oh, it was no small one to be sure, but a
sort of super saucer at least IL or IA inches
wide. never measured it. What difference did
1t make? Too many people today want too many
exact facts The point was, felt, not the exact
size of the saucer, but whether it would hold
water. That was all the birds were interested
in. Birds and beasts know nothing of meas
urements. They have no bureaus of standards
They have no Watches clocks or chronometers
no ringing bells. They simply exist. Sometimes
think that must be the most satisfactory way
of living, after all. There are some scientists
I am told who believe not only that man Is
mistake, but that the discovery Of America was
a terrible thing, at least for the Indians
If the Indians had been left alone for
another 5000 to 10000 years, they assert, they
would have been able to achieve civilization
far better than ours. They say that the
Iroquois, for instance, had wonderful ideas on
government. that the best we have stolen from
them The poor Navajos would have come into
their own with culture to make modern
civilization, with its deadly rockets, airplanes
and atom bombs, seem a sinister dream.
THE birds and the beasts, all the feathered
fiict when they do battle Undoubtedly that is
the best way. There is some glow Of achieve
ment to knocking an opponent down.
mo. my birds have no snobbishness. They
do not mind what sort Of q container they
battle in, just so the water is there.
THAT Is where so many well-intentioned
people fail in summer. They put out q fine
bird bath. costing much money. and expect
1t to keep full Of water all by ITSELF
"A garbage can top, sunk In the ground If
kept filled, will do as well as the costliest
bath"
At this point, Templeton Jones stopped,
flushed slightly.
I'm the interest of truth" he said with his
classic smile. my garbage can bird bath was q
complete failure.
Not bird came to 1t. finally lined 1t with
concrete, and now q few drink and bathe in
it, but not many.
Maybe in time they will come. Or. do you
suppose, after all, birds are just bit snobbish?
Can it be that they prefer the bath with the
tag that says 11assF"