The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-05-23
M, A. Y.'s Maytine Impressions of
Washington.

M, A. Y.'s Maytime Impressions Of
Washington.
To the Editor of the Republican.
''See Washington and die, u
might be the imprisoned exclama-
ton of every true American, as
"see Paris and de-" is the national
axiom of every true son of fair
France.
One of life's most enjoyable ex-
periences is to spend the month of
May IN this city. By that time
Congress has usually adjourned
and the feYered tide of politics has
ceased to roll; the hollow round of
social and official festivities are
ended, and llfe's restless pulse has
assumed more even beat, and the
minds eye becomes attuned to the
harmonies of nature and art, spread
out with such prodigal liberality on
all sides, to the gaze o. the beauty
loving onlooker.
A week of continuous rain the
first part of May this year, followed
by almost tropic heat, made one
"Half believe they heard, the leaves
and blossoms growing" In few
days each smoothly surfaced street
was a cool, shady arcade, rooted
over with tenderest green, and every
square, circle and triangle was gem
med with the splendor of tulips and
hyacinths, ard shaded with the
dainty drapery of the fringe trees,
the smoke trees and the vivid fire of
the Towering ounce, overtopped by
the purple trumpets of the Paulonia
lmperialis and the creamy cups of
the deep throated magnolias.
An hour spent IN Jackson Park
or Franklin Square on some sunny
day is a joy to the eye and a feast
to the soul. Mere existence becomes
supreme delight and life Lotus
eaters dream. The soft song of
newly mated birds, the silvery
tinkle of cool fountains, the gentle
sigh of the sportiye zephyr as it
lazily losses the tassels of the larch
and the pine and sways the graceful
boughs of the willows and the elms;
the half revealed beauties of marble
statutes, and palatial homes, and
oveararching all, the fawless beauty
of perfect sky; all this, and more,
makes picture that can be paral,
lelled only in Paradise-a picture
that limns itself forever on brain
and heart and fingers within, like
holy benediction,
Washington is the ''half-way
place" for northern people going to
the South in the fall and returning
to their homes in the spring. They
stay their flight here for a few days
and hurry hither and thither, seeing
the sights. In the early weeks of
spring thousands of excursionists
are brought on for ten days stay
by the Pennsylvania and N. Y. C.
railroads, and the street cars and
hotels are filled with the hustle of
the hand satchel brigade, then in
few days more the "ships hail and
sail apart" and pleasant faces one
has become familiar with 60 from
the gaze to be seen no more.
Washington has always been the
Mecca of the newly married. Any
day numerous couples can be
seen wandering dreamily through
the Capitol or sitting sentimentally
in the parks with that look of new
ness on their habilaments and
silly happiness on their faces
which Enthusiastically stamps the
newly welded.
No city on the continent has so
many points of interest for nearby
excursions. For carriage or car
ride there is the Soldiers Home,
with its beautiful vistas and villas,
its masses of shade and dense
shrubbery, the winding roads and
the famous statue of the founder of
the home seemingly taking in the
view of the city which lies beyond,
like white, enchanted dream.
In the opposite direction CLEANS
the pale gold Of historic Arlington's