Evening star., 1877-10-20
SOME CAPITAL CONSIDERATIONS.
HI.

| newspaper writer must frequently employ
that IL the dream of this city's founder aud
| OF Its permanent Inhabitants is to be fully
realized; If the culture aud intellectual living
| that are desired and expected do find here the
| congenial home they must have; IL the Uni
versity OF America does arise If the older and
more homogeneous cities of the east Boston.
New Haven, New York, Philsdel phis. do
| ever look TO Washington for any aesthetic
| light worth mentioning, these eods will be
achieved through means which appear a.:
| nrst, al least to superficial observers, To be
opposed TO such euds; through state o.
| things which has not been coveted by tho se
VINO have held the dream; through the bu Id
ing up of a wealth producing people, whose
own private life snail furnish the inspira
tion. people which will regard the tre suras
| OF the government as comparatively value
less I'LL indigenous hands and brains shall
have shaped the institutions that must ar
| the lrult. III has been held that q pow warfui .
1ndeI endent, seli-supporting, wealth prciuc-
ing city is Indispensable. Ii has been held
thst me cnie1 oostscte TO the growth OF sucl a
city is the lack OF community in education
using the word education, OF course, in ITS
widest sense. Ii has been held IN al tue gen
eIal government is almost as greatly inter
ested as the other party in the growth OF sucl
city, having no.hing 20 lose Or fear Iro u Il
ana much TO gam.
There Will 10, be staguation here, certainly
or lack of virllIty in blood. The physic Al
basis Will be kept good unless wAntoIiy de
strOy6d. Diversity of thou ght a nd feeling z
1t has beeh in the past. This diversity, not
wiihstanding what can be accompi shed
through the schools, the churches, the Chris
tian associations. the clubs of literary anna
teurs, the labor exchanges, tue taX-pstI-
TONERS, etc, must be mainly overcome by "A
Grange OF proportion In tue mixture; by an
Increase OF the permanent element unLil il
so far outweighs the temporary that it can
fashion itself; by such an encouragem mt OF
material industry That immigration will not
contine itself to government servants; by
MI ttata.,
who comes will fad II necessary TO go. To
get unofficial inhabitants and keep m I'm is
the drst step even II this augments Tor a
| time the diversity OF thought ani confusion
OF action.
With a very numerous unofficial popula-
tion pTrJitdbip enlpb yed-sure as IL would be
OF steady inIusion of new olocd-the inst
tutions necessary for the most fruitful intel
lectual living would not be long in taking
productive shapes. few of The conditions,
IS has been SAID, are we'll given by the gov
| ernIdent service, but their fncompleteness
makes them delusiOn. In all the Conditions
except q homogeneous. numerous, wealth
producing population, Washington is the
most favored city Of the country. Few cities
can contribute so much epj ynent to the
| eye. Outside of buildings aud their conte lJs.
grass ard foliage and flowers in proIusion
soften what is poor and harsh; aud coaspicu.
Gus on every hand are a broad expanse OF
| good composition, atmOspheres and lights
that permit the loss of no suotlety of tinI or
nobility OF form, skies OF Infinite variety,
| and sunsets of magical richness. Tnere will
ever be much to cOuuJeract the impoverish-
| ment of heart and brain that comes of exces-
sive action, and 10 favor the repOSe without
sluggishness SO necessary TO serenity of ex-
| preston and dignity of mental attitu 'e.
There Will ever be abundant inducsmens
lO-breathe.
Washington's own polite society ct the
present time, while naturally mucn colored
| by that which is more conspicuous and aom-
lIally above II, SEES too much of the world
| 10 be narrow, is less snoooish than the mul
titude that comes aud goes. is full of chacity
| and has heretofore cared little for money
basis OF respectabIlitE. While the lack OF
community IN its education mas not perm T.
! sd the attainment OF the hisncst excelienc.
| in any one direction, the same condition
makes II richer in the co mmOner &C III q lalt
| lies, preserves an even worth, and sho aid
| prevent IL from becoming the property or
| victim OF any class. IL is bright, kindly,
| aud agreeable. Wnile aSsimiiating what l.
| woith having in the official circles, its chief
| danger is in initiating what Is out OF pls e
| when reproduced. The catholicity that pre-
| walls opens temptiog field Tor Mrs PDii-
| pbar. While The temp orary and per na nsnt
populations need 10 Iaingle all they can, il
| must Lot be forgotten tuat mutual bsnedt
arises only out OF their differences. A '-recep-
| lion" may be an admirable steppiag-stOae
| 10 on acquaintanceShip, but for a reside II
| hostess to make II an end Is to slight ner pre-
| rOgauve. Washington would give her v, sit
Ors something besides them mselves. WHAT
| opI ortunities she has for hospitality-(if she
| could afford it,; for profiting by observation;
| for transmitting TO the four corners OF the
world, in the hearts of an endless succession
| OF grateful guests, whatever she desires to
| have remembered of herself! And what
| temptations she has to extinguish her indi
| viduality by false estimate of the official
| pageant which passes, through clouds OF in
cense ard countless worshipers, continually
AS in the life OF an Individual, so in the
life of a community, true philosophy con-
! sists an Wrestling from calamities tls secret
very clemens OF defeat that tn sy win sue
cess, in Transforming the burdens of the back
| into stepping-stOnes for The feet Now in
| stead of the burden of unemployed paupers
which has led to the abor exchange being ia
| reality misfortune, To Oe treated as such,
| the part OF wisdom is to make I an instru
| ment. And il can here be made a precious
one. Washington is Ia truth the most fortu-
! nate city in this respect 10 be- found in The
! country. II seems as if Providence In this
matter had special care for US. Tue situs-
| tion is as IL should be. Here and now is a
| golden opportunity. The army of ldiers that
| appear such a dead weigat. being mo ,tly
negroes, are OF all Creatures the oneS 20 trans
| form the marshes OF the Potomac and A la-
costa into wealth, and relieve the capital OF
It's Two greatest nuis sSnces. Such of them as
do not wish to do a reasonable amount of
work for living should be thrust forth 10
| starve beyond the District IL possible. But
| most of them can bs made to work, sni to DO
What nobody else can do so We'll Fortu-
| natey they are the kind of labOrers needed
| for this task. Fortunately again they stand
| begging for bred. Fortunately again the
task is one whose doing is of the most vital
| plishment Of ii enTiches whoever does ii.
fortunately again here is the chief engineer
| OF the army, whose bureau can be invoked
| to prevent selfish jo6bery. In Heavens
| name what lnckier Combination OF cireum-
stances could any community desire or eX-
| pect? One who doubted that God rules coIld
| hardly dOuOt longer on seeing how per-
fectly, lin this matter, He has brought to-
| gether a. the hight place and time the condi-
tions aud means of saving our lives, re-
ward ing honest labor, benefiuin2 the un-
fortunate poor, developing the public
spirit and unity OF purpose which the city
needs. and Offering another common ground
on which all classes, ffom highest to lowest,
can pull together for the good of all. The
gentlemen who have organized the Labor
Exchange deserve admiration and assist
ance. They are Substantially, and in the
main, on the hight track. Let them expel, IL
they can, every maL who dou't want to
work Lei them then transport their sur
Plus OF laborers to the banks OF th ,se two
iivers and no further. If any one suppo .es
that these marshes will be reclaimed In this
generation, unless tte city does put its
shoulder to the undertaking, le. him remem-
Der the old canal. OF course, deliberate plan
ming must be done, riparian rights must be
attended to, titles must be considered, ways
and means must be provided until results
are obtained. But these are matters of de-
tail which will melt RAPIDLY before the right