Evening star., 1949-02-11
This and That
BIZ Charles Z. Trdce,peI

From Greenbelt Md and Alexandria, Va :,
come letters about robins waxwings, spar
rows and the like.
One hundred robins were seen at the latter
place.
This follows recent reports Of robins at
Charlottesville.
K. M. L. writes
Il thought you might be interested in the
editorial from my home country newspaper.
out in the country on our wheat farm we
never saw the waxWings because we didn't
have trees bearing winter fruit.
However, I have seen large flocks in
Spokane. in neighborhood where the
streets were lined with mountain ash trees.
Headed Just Like People" the inclosed
item from the Tmes-Tribune, Davenport.
Wash. says:
THE berries on the mountain ash tree on
the Courthouse lawn are salvation for our
winged friends. However in watching them
1t Is apparent that they, too need some sort
Of civil rights program.
Some 200 waxwings and one robin re-
Gently quarreled around the berry tree, much
to the delight of the Courthouse crew. The
lone robin f1uttered to and fro chasing away
the waxwings and saving the berries for
himself.
Yes. the lone redbreast chased away the
200 waxwings. The episode was much in the
manner of civilized people. There were
berries aplenty for 200 waxwings and one
robin, but the redbreast chose to eat alone.
IF the Just desserts there has any basis.
we suppose the robin ate himself sick on the
berries and then folded into sadness because
he had no friends.
THE birds get cold reception here these
days. even from one another"
M. L. D. of Alexandria notes our recent
mention of robins and describes flock Of
100 in the yard. This was just before the
snow.
This correspondent wants to know the
identity of bird "a bit larger and fatter
than sparrow, rather round looking. long
perky tail. seemingly all golden buff, seen
last October
It might have been fox sparrow.
The writer continues: Your column
greatly enjoyed both by myself and my
mother, who is 9812 years old. We like your
varied comments and get chuckle from the
mishaps and triumphs of Templeton Jones.
Once you mentioned 'Spengler's silent men >
and I've had mental note ever since to find
the source"
Oswald Spengler German philosopher,
famous for his work, THE Decline of the
West" was mathematician who at one time
was said to have lived in an unheated room
in Munich. "subsisting mostly on strong tea"
In his book he tells how history moves
in cycles stating that dominant races go
through all the periods of youth, maturity
and senescence, just as an individual human
being does.
His book was put out in 1918 and revised
to it's most famous edition in 1928.
BY the time Hitler came along Spengler
was famous, and had more to eat than tea
and lived in nice set of rooms.
He fell into disfavor with the Nazis. but
they we're afraid of the famous old man.
evidently, because they did nothing to him.
His main book is hard one to read, but
it contains some famous passages. although
Americans will take it all with grain of salt.
The work very much needs some one to
condense it and keep the best portions. while
at the same time giving honestly the gist of
the thing.
Spengler. who was an intellectual himself,
had a very poor estimate of the thinker,
per Sc.
He believed (and this made him popular
with Hitler) that when "the great silent
men" came. they would simply push over the
cliff all those persons who insisted on trying
to think.
What Hitler wanted was obedience. But
he got little of 1t from old Oswald Spengler.
a true intellectual who wasn't willing to
swallow his own medicine when 1t came right
down to it. He was willing to sneer at the
thinking man, who failed to act. but he still
believed In him, in his heart, because he was
one himself.