Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-05
An English Writer'S Impression of
This City.
SOMEWHAT CHANGED IN GA YEARS
Methods of Congress and ParIia-
ment Contrasted.
LONG SPEECHES THEN AS NOW
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
The reader who cares to step back sixty
four years may dip into a time-stained
copy of an English popular magazine of
1888, which lies before the writer, and fancy
himself in the Washington there described.
The author of the description is very char
itable-for an Englishman-in his judgment
of the founders of the city, but he cannot
help thinking that there was an important
oversight in their original calculation.
Washington is unique, he says, or nearly
so, in not having developed from natural
conditions, but being deliberately marked
for the metropolis of great and civilized
empire and its site selected and its plan
arranged with an exclusive view to that
destination. No city ever did become great
in day, he reflects, and it was a mistake
to suppose that this city would be an ex-
ception TO the rule; that the effect of
laying off the whole street and park plan
at the outset was to inspire a good many
property holders to put houses in streets
not yet filled up and to make a struggling,
uncouth, forlorn-looking, but pretentious,
village do duty a capital. instead of con-
centrating the work of development and
building regularly from the center. whence
the city might, in the course of years, have
extended itself in the manner contem-
plated by the plan.
For the Capitol. however, our English
friend has abundant praise. In those days
1t consisted of only the old main building,
nov sit NOT bsting haer edGed iii a zen
Grafton later. He described ii as "a large
and handsome building, excellently stu
ated upon elevated ground. In the
ne SnInre, ~ count ho,ds its eittiSgs bnt
with this exception the whole building is
appropriated to the legislative business of
me ohly great IepupIlc IN me Hoilu; re
go .ai 80 ~ Gov HI Of sal
h. ~. ~ 10 $50, of on amnbitbeate-
= ,,rra,,,,lIoa ~ t,,a,,t,.e;Y ,Crn,,,,,c
e.. mr. a.iIar,- fnr +bo nI,blic which IS
r.isod abort won't, foat aho,-a .ba moor
avta,3ds aIono The entira rfrc,,;t bel7ind
tbosa coJnmns In tho center of The chord
ta1a,,, ST. tbn S,,aakar f,,,n, y,boea char
soa -,assaaes roJiatn 70 The circurafar
ence nbiIn The rnan1bers cit in co1certric
80 fnn;r., tba e.1ralar tho nboIa ar
,o,Hc5arnant heins IN fnrrn not milk that
of baIf H. rreh of - s,1fdar a wide
$3.50 SlCir+s no hase of Tho columns he
tHar arat Of trbtcb +bara stands = sora
~ Ub;cb Tho ,onr,bars or encb strangers
o ha,-e The antro Granted then, Inv the
S,aa1[er wv, Innnoa or rbeir case ladies'
~ - adn3;+taG To cone I,non the door
af ,bo uomsa hn+ only into the gallery
Eors;gnarg arc uswaIIy accommodated in an
ax,celIsnt TIaca ar The hack of the sneak
49, chair Mace with comofrta bic seats
60 mo ranorters of naysnaners is also uro-
--;5ad In H., game ouarter of the House"
fhe " hispers anu hch"es.
The whispering gallery and echoing stone
aefacts of which the p1Iides NOW make so
-, =, .,,.-.;,,,r ,..ro,,o,o,., th-o,,,b ctot-
hiuch III 9HO"iiS 9tA0ils'i7
uary Hail. were then most uhconllortapiy
prominent Captain Basil Hall is quoted