Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-02
Even Rome is 0utolasssd by Kansas
City, Mo.
BREEZY WAY OF TIE WESTpRNERS
They Extend a HospitabIe Greeting
to Convention People.
CURIOUS SIGHTS FOR vISITORs


Special From STAFF Correspondent.
KANSAS CITY, July Rome, with her
seven hills, was nothing, as a Typographical
marvel with Kansas City. With seven
times seven hills, Kansas City gives Rome
cards and spades and beats her out, with
few hills to spare. 1 mention this first
because if this convention is to be treated in
regular order, the hills are the first things
up.
In fact. they are always up, and never
down. You start for given point and toll
up hill all the way. with the thought that
it's down hill on the homeward trip. But,
no. Somehow. You find that the hills are
still in the path. Distance is measured by
hills, not by squares. They say such and such
place is five hills north, or six hills south.
or go down two hills and turn to the left
four hills. Horses raised here have their
front legs shorter than their hind ones, to
equip them for climbing hills. Kansas
CITY man said he was never so tired in his
life as the last time he struck Washington
and walked on the level. He said his legs
were always reaching out for a hill.
1t takes the tenderfoot some time to get
used to the method of navigating these
hills. He boards cable car, it rears up in
front like bucking broncho and starts up
dizzy height at a seeming angle of about
eighty-five degrees. Pausing for an instant
on the crest, your brorcho lowers his head.
up goes the rear and you start down a to-
boggan slide. The bells ciang wildly, chill
dren, pedestrians and vehicles dodge the on
coming train in some marvellous fashion
while the tenderfoot passenger hangs on to
his seat and wants the tragic end to come
quickly You approach cross street with
block of buildings directly in front of the
tracks. The train whizzes around the cor
ner, splits through press of traffic with
out hurting anything. and up another hill,
and so on, ad infinitum. ad nauseam.
Poor Original Selection.
The man who selected this bunch OF
kopjes and gullies of the site of a
city deserved to be crucifed The
people who have handled nature
in this fashion until they have shaped
up city with streets and buildings
deserve immortality. To the stranger, the
proposition of the construction of Kansas
City seems something like this: Here were
fearful difficulties to be overcome; here
We're men with money and energy, and they
simply mauled unwilling nature into sub
servlence to their ends The result was
that some ludicrous antitheses are encoun-
tered. You find, in the heart of the city,
surrounded by costly buildings, pinnacle
OF rock rising like the palisades of the Hud-
son, between two structures This was
where some fellow gave up the struggle
with mother earth. and it stands as mon
ument to the original conditions which have
been so creditably overcome
The natives have a way of lodging the
nils in some of the downtown streets in
the elevator, walk down hall and emerge
on another street at the top of the hill.
Such hill they call easy street"
When one has surmounted the hills laid
down his alpenstock and unwound the life
line which secured him to the guide, he
strikes the hotels. Here is where he begins
to wonder. Kansas City has three hotels.
either of which is as good as the best one
that Philadelphia afforded She has many
hotels which will rank with Washington $
caravansaries. The structures are built
on broad-gauge, western lines immense
lotbies, wide halls and ample rooms. The
western visitors with wide-brim hats and
open shirt bosoms see to fit them.
When they bring one a steak at table.
II OF true western proportions-Iong and
wide and thick-meat enough for six men.
Hut one does not want to shy at it, Fin
fcky appetites are not appreciated