Chariton courier. (Keytesville, Chariton County, Mo.) 1878-current, 1884-08-01
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our regular correspondence
july %, 1884.

| OOLI <O, 1OOf-
Washington has the appearance Of
a tropical city, because everybody
here lives out of doors in the summer
time. The whole population, rich
and poor, take to the parks and
squares so literally scattered about
the city. There is not a section of
the city more than five minutes walk
from one of these pleasure grounds,
which are utilized and enjoyed from
4 O'Clock in the morning until mid
night, when the authorities clear the
parks and lock the gates. An era
of fellow-feeling sets in about the
middle of June and lasts as long as
the pleasant weather. All, day long
the nurses and children congregate
in these resorts. At 5 o'clock PM.
the government employees appear,
and at twilight Africa and Ethiopia
pour in their swarthy cohorts. After
dusk you will see Hon. S. S. Cox
and wife in Dupont Circle. which is
near their elegant residence. A
number of friends will probably be
with them enjoying an outdoor
party on the benches and grass. On
the next settee to them may be a
workingman and his family, having
as good time and conducting them
ooI,,o. ,r,;+l, nc ,,,,,ob dooort,ra n fhoir
distinguished neighbors. Senator
Sherman may be seen in Franklin
park smoking cigar by the foun-
tain, which splashes under the shade
trees. Opposite the Franklin is a
large family hotel, which turns its
guests loose to roam as soon as even
ing comes on. Lafayette park, in
front of the White House, is the
largest, coolest and shadiest of all
these bits of country set in the midst
of town, and the President often
strolls through it at night with a
friend.
Boating is a favorite pastime of
the young department clerks, and
nearly every one who can afford to
pay the dues belongs to boat club
here. At 6 o'clock the Potomac
river becomes lively with single
shells, four and eight-oared boats
and barges. The female depart
ment clerks furnish the ballast, and
beer and crackers are the refresh
ments.
Mr.. Cogswell, of San Francisco,
the gentleman with passion for ice
water fountains, has recently put
one up here on public square. 1t
is granite, surmounted by a stork
six feet high. At first he wanted to
put statue of himself instead of the
stork on top, and was disposed to
sulk when the district commissioners
declined to allow him either storied
urn or an animated bust. A COM
promise was finally made on the
stork, and an ice company, which
Secretary Folger says can afford to
be generous, on the strength of max
ing four hundred per cent. out of all
its sales to the government, gives
the ice to keep the fountain going
High up on terrace on Massa-
chusetts avenue is Senator Bayard's
house, and beside 1t is that of Sena-
tor Edmunds. They both have
plain, comfortable residences, either
Of which could be placed In the draw
ing-room of Mr.. Blalne's grand
mansion without inconveniencing its
occupants. Senator Bayard has a
large family, and his wife being an
invalid, never goes into society. The
Delaware statesman has never thriv-
ed on politics, and is comparatively
poor.
The sanitary condition of WASH
lngton has so greatly improved in the
last few years that residents realize
the uselessness of flying from the
coolest, cleanest and most healthful
city in America to the discomforts
of fashionable resorts. Many miles
of decaying wood pavements have
been taken up and relaid with sound
material. The great work in prog
ress of reclaimlng the Potomac flats
steadily improves the health of the
city, and now the one great question
agitating the municipal authorities is
how to secure the best results from
the liberal appropriations recently
made by Congress to complete the
sewerage system of Washington.
For years there has existed neces-
sity for some more plausible inven-
tion than malaria to account for the
often infirmities of Congressman,
who on coming here leave their good
habits with their constituents.
The White House has assumed its
summer air of quietude. The car
pets are up, the mating down, the
furniture draped in cool linen, and
the President has his trunk packed
for a short jaunt to the Kaaterskill.