Evening star., 1948-12-24
This and That
BIZ Charles Z. Trace,peu

What is one Of the most beautiful things in
the snow?
Not that we want snow. We believe no one
wants snow, not even the writer Of that song
about white Christ-mus."
Snow in and around o big city is q nuisance
and danger, and who will say otherwise? We
aim to tell the truth.
No matter what one thinks of snow. how
ever, it is quite likely to come at this time OF
year. Then we must look for the beautiful
to offset the nuisance and danger.
And then do you know what Is the prettiest
thing you will see?
Well, it is nothing more than q plain wire
fence
Just plain wire fence with climbing rose
vines on 1t, becomes o work Of art. The geo.
rnetrical arrangement of the wires and the
irregular vine pattern combine to make beauty
The snow does this It is q strange magician
1t brings to view patterns and arrangements
seldom seen. They were there all the time of
course, but it is not always possible to see them
without Jack Frost's aid.
Oh, sure, II you are an exceptional person.
you will not need to 90 anywhere, you will not
require prodding. Most Of us do. What is
this mystery of snow? Why should 1t make us
see what we could not before? Is it nothing
more than adding color and thickness? Simple
hearts that try to see things for just what they
are, not asking to know, are forever rewarded.
This is that perpetual reward of the seeing eye
s~~AN
sages Of old. No need has this person for show
or spectacle.
He who sees beauty where others see only
the commonplace cannot look out of his window
without receiving his reward Snow points up
the real beauty. The beauty snow accents was
there already. Snow shows us the essential
quality of the less. We have heard so much
about the more. Snow brings the less into
focus.
We are always ignoring something or pre-
tending to ignore something. We ignore death
by pretending to be so busy.
In the everyday life it is easy to ignore
beauty. We like to pretend that very familiar
cc-,,.- i..:'.5 to-''' r really beautiful.
The magic OF snowfall proves how wrong
we were, and that is about the only good thing
1t does, except help the crops. An old shed or
garage becomes q sort of palace; even tree
s.. I ,ccrc f--..1tools fcI pixie There
Is no common thing which remains untouched.
A garbage can lid rooted off in the night by q
deg becomes g great Caesars shield. But II
we sweep away this whiteness, as the sun will
ultimately, we see the underlying form is pre-
cisely the same. Shame upon us for not
seeing the beauty without a sugaring of snow
upon It'll
There they are underneath, with the same
old everyday virtues, the circular strength of
the lid, the utility Of the garage the picturesque
stump, the fine sweep of fence and vine. We
should be able to see every day the appointing
beauty OF telephone poles, the long strands of
wire, the symmetrical arrangements, the CLINT
Of sunlight on insulators perspectives of streets
and avenues, the sweeping curves of roads, flow
of ordinary brown fences, beauty at any time
Of the year.
Nor do we need the coating of snow to see
the beauty in faces, human faces, dog faces,
cat faces, even pig faces. Why not? Pigs
live too Cat least until the butcher cuts them
down. Perhaps these are not the beauties
OF magazine covers. Each one speaks squarely
OF itself. Let nothing be covered up. Little
sharp eyes too close together have a certain
look OF thtir own. Some people may even
find eyeglasses beautiful. They have sym
metry, fitting the head, the nose, the ears and
the eyes. They sit close but do not touch,
true in line, straight across, whether the shafts
are at the middle or at the top What more
enhancing gadget than this? Surely all
people secretly long for eyeglasses else we
would not see so many pairs. Is it possible to
believe that this young fellow needs spectacles?
Or this beautiful young lady in the insolence
Of the teen age? Beauty is everywhere, II we
steadfastly refuse to be diverted from it, II
we are willing to believe that interest is sort
OF beauty We can be our own magicians, II
we will, and make our lives in part sublime
by no more trouble than refusing to be put
OIL by the wise guy who says we must 60 some
place or pay something to have what In reality
Is only spurious beauty. after all. The beauty
we find everywhere, II we look Is the real
beauty. Snow helps, somehow but the real
thing Is there underneath all the time.