Evening star., 1899-03-04
Nv II
Wiz = ~
IN &4%&
lANN &atsX
VsN~N@

,'The boys of the present times know
many things the boys of forty years ago
did not know" remarked a 18th street toy
dealer to a Star reporter. but In the way
Of TOYS they are far behind what their
fathers and grandfathers were. The boy
now is satisfied with a penny ash or poplar
top and with string for his top cord, and
he gets all the sport out of 1t that he seems
To want Now such a thing a painted
top would not be used in my boyhood days
here or in Baltimore, where L spent some
of them. In those days nothing but hard
turned dogwood, hickory or mahogany top
was considered the proper thing. The little
cast-fron plugs of the tops of today would
be laughed at then, and the boys would be
ashamed to be seen carrying such thing
or play with it on the streets. The plug
then d steel bolt was heavy, and was
strongly screwed in OF course, the top then
cost from ) to Is cents, but it was rgged
up to do service. and did it, too. Such tops
are not to be had now in the toy trade,
though now and then 1 have had some
turned out by the old man who made tops
for me when l was a boy, but the boys
won't touch them. preferring the painted
machine-made tops. The leather top cord
is also one of the things OF the past, and
the ordinary boy knows no more about il
than he does of the other lost arts Sew
eral of the old shoe cObblerS OF Georgetown
who were so famous for making top cords
have told that they have not made a
top cord for thirty-fve years, and that they
have not had call for them in that time.
The boys not only would not use the tops
x
Nearly all the committee work done by
the committees of the Grand Army posts is
done on the streets during the lunch hour"
explained veteran to a Star reporter "an1
the favOrite place for the committees to
meet is on 18th street opposite the Treas
TNav,-
work is very frequently done at lunch hour
at the corner of 17th and G streets, where
the War and Navy Department clerks sun
themselves daily for ten or twenty minutes
after they have eaten their lunches. Most
of the work of this kind can be considered
and agreed upon in very short time for
1t is an old story among the veterans, they
having been over it time and time again.
These two places are also the favorite
places for the veterans to gather to swap
gossip. fix up States for the post elections
and arrange programs for the post enter
tainments. The popular corner for the
downtown veterans is at the corner of 1th
and G streets. for the Interior and Post
Once Departments have almost as many
veterans in them in proportion to their
numbers as the pension office, which in
Grand Army circles is regarded a kind
of headquarters. The idea which prevails
in some minds that the veterans are jeal-
Gus of the heroes of the late war is far
from being correct. l not only attend my
own post regularly. but also the meetings of
other posts and. on my honor / have never
yet heard d word in disparagement of the
valOr and services of the soldiers of the
Spanish war We were barred out from
taking any part in the last war on account
OF our age, but our sons were very much
in evidence, and it is not natural that we
would deciy the gallant services of our own
sons and the sons of our comrades
=
I'm the matter of street car transDorta-
tion Washington just now is ahead of any
other city In this country" explained a
prominent street car ma gnate who is inter-
ested in a half dozen lines in New York
and Philadelphia, to a Star reporter, ''in
many respects, though 1 am not sure that
all the people here appreciate it. The long
est ride for a nickel can be had here,
Though it comes cheaper when tickets are
bought From the extreme end Of the Ana
costa linz. way over at Congress Heights.
into the city of Washington and through
the entiI. city all the way to Chevy Chase
by way of Pennsylvania avenue, 7th or 18th
streets. a distance of about twelve miles, is
what can be had for one ticket There is
no road or combination of roads that equals
II in this OF any other country for one fare.
L took the ride some days ago. and never
had such long ride for the same amount
OF money in my life. In jersey the same
roads costs three tickets or fifteen cents: in
baltimore. ten cents. and in Philadelphia,
ten cents To those who want a great deal
OF riding for their money, and there are
many who do, Washington is their heaven.
From end to end il is a very pleasant ride
and the time made is exc eedingly good for
with transfers and all it can be done in
about hour. Such a thing was not
even dreamed Of two years ago, and while
1 had heard of it, could hardly believe it
until l actually had the experience my
self
The Army Register for 1899 will be ready
for distribution in a week or So" said a
clerk OF the adjUtant generals office to a
Star reporter. being this year two months
late in getting out. For the past six months
It has been impossible to have even a tenn
porary register kept with anything like
accuracy. for the changes have been so