Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-21
M D S U M Err NOTES,
Some of the Things to Be Thankful for in
hot Weather.
ADollinarfs Parties fn the Senate aAl
Front Door Parties In the


ate galleries. In the chamber itself all
seems hot and uncomfortable; Senators
lounge about IN their seats clad In combi-
| nation suits OF seersucker, serge, linen and
flannel with occasional dashes OF uncom-
planning hot black. tanning themselves
vigorously and talking TO each other OF
everything on earth except the tariff.
There seems to be nothing In sight 70 make
LIE worth living. The compensation Of
5000 a year. with sundry perquisites and
emoluments. fades into insignihcance when
this aspect Of dangerous hardship is con-
templated. The senatorial existence has all
the appearai ce OF an unmitigated bore, and
even the presence OF pages 10 run errands
and clerk and messengers 10 attend 10 cor
respondence to receive callers and blum
constituents does not alleviate the visible
suffering OF the statesmen. The air is dead
and quiet. and the summer silence is broken
only by the monotonous tones of the Sem
ator delivering a tariff speech. or the clerk
reading IL for him. Occasionally from q
group Of legislators comes a laugh caused
by some good story. Yet the air 10 dead
and quiet
Significant sound.
Suddenly from the doors OF the cloak
room comes this cheerful note OF summer
tide. 1t is a short, sharp sound, such as the
small boy makes when he inserts his fore
finger into his mouth. pulls away with all
the force OF his lungs and then snaps his
digit into the air to make a ringing pop.
The sound is also produced occasionally
when a pint package OF ginger ale is opened
Tor purposes Of consumption. Champagne
bottles VIXEN filled with proper materials
have likewise been heard To produce the
same aur1cular effect 1t is not an unusual
sound, though a very pleasant and refresh
Ing one to those within tasting radius. To
the thirsty people In the gallery of the Sem
ate these popping noises are but tantaliz-
Ing. To the Senators they are appetizing.
And there is more reason than rhyme in
| this contrast, for tariff debating is a very
thirsty job. and senatorial endurance is not
great at the best 1t must not be supposed
that the pops-which are not to be confused
with Senators Allen, Kyle and PETER
which emanate from the mysterious depths
OF the cloak rccms are caused by small
| boys, ginger ale or champagne. Small boys
are vigorously excluded from these pre-
cincts, ginger ale is beneath senatorial
taste, and champagne is reserved for occa-
sions OF greater relaxation.
A Generous supply.
No. the bombardment is caused by thu
not infrequent opening OF pints Of apol-
linaris. that delightfully."- innocuous bever-
age whioh 50 greatly raises the market
value OF plain, unassuming lemonade. IL
! Is this combination that follows the pop
ping in the cloak rooms. When the hot
day seems imminent there are brought up
from the depths of the Senate storehouses
/ OF cOmmOolOUs
capable of supplying, perhaps. a score Of
thirsty men al one filling. which are care
fully busted and washed and quietly
ried into the cloak rooms in the dusk OF
| morning The lemons and the apollinaris
are bought at wholesale rates out OF the
contingent fund of the Senate. IL is esti-
mated that the difficulties Of maintaining
a quorum of the Senate during the summer
sessions reduced fully 80 per cent by
mesrs OF these punch bowls and these
pcppings. Some astute statistician has
even gone TO the extent OF calculating that
the Senate is really a gamer financially by
this free distribution OF liquid. When
the sergeant-at-arms has been directed to
secure quorum he is compelled to expend
sundry street car tickets, and mayhap
cab fares. in dispatching his emissaries 10
rout the slumbering Senator from his lair
to summon him into the august presence
Whether or not the balance between these
two items is on the side OF the commoner
is a question. but the spectators In the GAL
lery are wont TO marvel greatly at the lib
erality of the government
Front Door Parties.
Lesser lights than Senators have no on
cial aid in passing the hot days of the
season in comfort The soda water foun-
tain and the family refrigerator take the
place Of the cloak room punch bowl and
the deft mental who extracts the corks.
When night comes two-thirds of Washing
ton are on the front porches or in the little
parkings before the houses. seeking eagerly
for the least breath Of air. and making oc-
casional trips to the corner drug store or
to the kitchen pantry.
These front-step parties are as much mat
ter of daily routine life in Washington as
one OF the regular meals OF the day, and
loud are the blessings heaped upon the head
of the mortal engineer who planned the
city for his generosity in providing wide
parking spaces before the houses. WASH
ington has a peculiar advantage in this re-
spect over many other cities, especially
ny of rnsar 1r1aFl a
has necessitated the piling OF humanity in
layers. on the nat system. With one COM
mon street door serving FOR perhaps fifteen
or twenty families, il is. OF course, impossi-
BILE that all or even a small fraction of the
tenants Of a single apartment house should
be able 10 reach the open air by means OF
the front steps. The fire escapes which pro-
vide each fiat with a balcony. are thus uti-
lized by those who cannot get away TO one
OF the nearby resorts or 10 the parks. New
York Seems to live in the summer night
time on the outer walls OF its houses Roof
parties are frequent. In some of the better
nats of upper New York the Inhabitants
form small clubs to furnish the roofs with
Ratings, nat floors, and sometimes awnings
to keep tie sun from the surface during the
day. Flowers and plants are even provided,
and tie number OF these private roof gar
ccns, il is SAID, has increased tremendously
during the past two or three years. In the
tenement region. particularly among ths
great warehouses and mercantile establish
ments, roof sleeping Is far more common
than repose in bed.
Thousands upon thousands gasp out The
summer nights rods above the streets w.
ing unshelte-ed and uncushioned on the hot
roofs OF stores and houses In order to get
that slightly cooler atmosphere that is
found Cnly above the street Most OF these
downtown 'roofers." as they are called
are members Of the great working body OF
New York, and are compelled TO reach thei-
scenes OF labor almost with the rising OF
the sun. The inst rays OF morning find
them Fastening down through scuttles and
by ladders to their ordinary habitations and
thence. in - few minutes. hurrying to their
hard toll.
Plenty Of Breathing Spaces.
Here there is little or 10 necessity for this
roof life. for Washington is humanely built
to give nearly every family front step
and back yard. The trees keep the air
free and pure, and the geography Of the
surrounding country gives Washington
usually a night breeze. owing 10 the shape
OF the valley of the Potomac. The asphalt,
OF course, is a great deterrent upon the
comfort of the population. but with a llber-
al supply Of water and easy hose regula-
lions. IL is not difficult for each house
holder TO secure a cool atmosphere early In
the evening. Large parties OF men, wo-
men and children patronize the swiftly run
f6safr N