Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-06-21
SPIRES OF THE SPIRIT
The Drum Major Peril
BY DIR. FREDERICK BROWN HARRIS
Chaplain United

parade. A great modern
prober Of personality declares
that he believes the desire
for recognition. the wish to
be significant. the passion for
applause, Is the dominant
impulse in human nature.
He ranks what has been
called the drum major" In
stinct as stronger even than
that Of sex. Carl Sandburg.
the poet. looking with UNDER
standing eyes at his fellows.
puts 1t bluntly. I'VE all want
to play Hamlet"
How the frailties and follies
Of children Of larger growth
are often strikingly revealed
In the nursery rhymes! For
instance, we are seeing more
than Little Jackie Horner
when that boasting lad. eager
for attention and applause.
buries his hand as he probes
into the succulent pudding
and brings out on his sticky
thumb a delectable plum, and
who himself gives the signal
for the expected applause as
he exclaims. what q good
boy am l." The drum
majorette, goose-stepping in
the front ranks Of q colorful
parade, dexterously manipu-
lating her baton, gets what
she Is after. the laundering
applause Of the sidewalk
spectators. 1t is all very hui
man, and who among us
does not understand because
OF inside information the
gathering desire of frustrat-
ing circumstances to excel in
something. of being applauded
as a somebody. The current
volume by Vance Packard
entitled Status Seekers"
makes that driving impera-
tive abundantly clear.
Ann Greenwood has caught
the drum major urge in a
humorous way as she pens a
verse about an ordinary
housewife who wanted to
write a book. Here it is:
'Taint that I Ddnt the money
or fame tChen I'm dead.
But Just because ! get so tired
OF just compostn' bread,
ia like the folks in Plainptlle
to read some magazine
An see 1t i0rit In printin'. "A
Poem.' BY Sarah Green.
Yes, ! can cook, but mercy. a
body's got to cook,
That's Just the pery reason I
Udnt to Drite a book.
The longing that this
woman might rise from
bread to books is OF course
understandable. She Graves
to be noticed. But much of
the hypocrisy which curses
society. the affectation, du-
plicity, chicanery and pre-
tense-can be traced to an
inordinate desire for ap-
plause. People say things
which they do not mean,
express emotions which they
do not feel. praise when they
secretly condemn, in order
that other people may agree
with them. applaud them.
Sometimes the desire for it
and the inebriation that it
brings is so overpowering
that the victim comes to a
place where he is ready to
say. MY kingdom for APP
plause."
In the matchless Sermon
on the Mount, Jesus warned
against letting ones giving
and praying be done with
ears tuned to applause
staged on street corners to
be seen and heard Of men.
There are those in posi-
tons Of prominence who
will never prophesy what
people do not want to hear.
They are opportunists. They
qualify and hedge and put
ditto marks under the be-
liefs OF those with whom
they deal. After making an
address to an applauding
crowd a certain public speak
er confessed that he had
been but a sounding board
for the passion Of that audi
ence, hurting back upon
them to their own delight
the opinions they already
held. He realized that he had
only confirmed the ideas