The times., 1900-04-01
ON WASHINGTON Streets
Characteristic sights of tn" Tho
roughfareS-N cudcrs of Thou
sand Articles. Their Cries aud
PccUIinrities-This city Para
disc for Children and HnukerS.

person has his idiosyncrasies; in fact, The
municipality is almost a person, If one
views it from a distant enough point
The streets the arteries Of the body cor
porate surging with the energy, wttn ;he
blood corpuscles OF gregsrIous life; the
houses ard buildings that line the streets,
the organs. and the tissues fed by the cor
puscles, wherein may be stored nealth Or
disease. without the knowledge Of the
community The similc. perhaps far
stretched thus briefly perhaps capable Ct
further parallel, is surely true in one re-
spect, the life Of a city 5 IL rs streets;
they are its arteries. The cosmop0ll.an an
city. bred of a thousand races, shows the
mixture in its blood; that is the varying
throngs on its thoroughfares; the inland
city. restricted in its growth and its pop
ulation unchanging presents less interest
in its crowds; it is d thorJughiare, per-
haps. but weedy que. 1t mas paid
through the nose for its blue blood. 1t
has sacrificed virility.
Washington is not cosmopolitan as the
/ word is applied TO New York or even TO
/ Chicago. 1t has no Chinatown, no Little
/ italy, no Ghetto. It's cosmopolitan fea-
! lures include only those which are national
/ with a slight dash Of the European given
! by the presence of the Legations and en-
! basses. So its street life falls between
| the picturesqueuess OF New York and the
/ thin cold Conservatism OF d New England
/ city.
Sun the scenes on Washington's streets
and avenues are curious and to an extent,
/ distinct. What is more odd and pathetic
/ than the old man. usually to be found on
the Avenue who cries all through the aft
ernOon and evening. in a tone running
from musical to rancous: Pencils PEN
ellis Pity the old pencil man. Pencils.
/ Another figure, less pathetic because Of its
robustness. is that of the stout. old Irish
woman who in rain OF in sun may be
seen each afternoon. around o'clock. sell
ing papers opposite the Treasury Building
on Fifteenth Street Wrapped in a fadeG
shawl and her feet swaddling in gunny
sacks she dehes the severest weather. Sue
has, apparently, her-Tegular customers who
pass by all other lpOHgers of the daily
news anc deliver their pennies regularly to
her They are easily 20 be distinguished
for she selects the fsYerite paper of each
and puts it into his pocket without solcita-
toL and without feafoGTefusal The othc,
day Il was noticed by the writer that as a
cripple. pushed in CHAIR by an attendant
bis lap without a wbrf and received her
penny. Undoubtedly hs was Of her ellen |
tele. There are many other oddities among !
those who sell papers on the streets. but |
none seems such a fixture she.
Throughout the Winter. at different /
points along the ASenOe. the venders OF /
cough drops have done Business. The cold
er the day, the more bleak and forbidding |
the weather the more certain are they Of |
being at their stations, No matter whose |
was the controlling spirit he was a mas
ter mind As one looked upon the forlorn 1
faces Of the sslesmcn. blue with cold, /
seemingly drawn and peaked with suffer- /
ing he was reminded of every cold from |
which he had suffered aud was urged to /
buy if not for present need. at least for |
future contingency. They reminded him Of /
what might happen through neglect II .
was another instance Of the cobbler's chill /
dren going unshod.
On certain streets. at certain hours OF /
the afternoon the stroller is sure 10 en-
counter the carriages Of the rich The
Coachmen and the footmen, smart in liv-
cry and brass buttons bear the badge OF
their profession upon their faces. It is
queer expression something between the
look of an anchOrite and that of success
ful saloon man, one whose place is head
quarters for the ruling political gang OF
something sudden and rash in order 10 dis
cover whether the face which wears it
would not shiver to a thousand fragments
in making a change Among those same
streets one sees also the automobiles of the
wealthy. The other day through the midst
of all these trappings of fortune. drove a /
strange equipage. soap hoX. mounted
on wabbly wheels creaked its slow way
drawn by = moth-eaten and disconsolate
goat. Its fur was q whiteWashed seal
brown shopworn and faded by the sun. .
Apparently the quadruped had not winter
ed well. In he box. or fguratively. on
The box was d handy legged little pick
aninuy. whOse most conspicuous Carmen,
was = jacket OF bright red plush trimmed
with ermine more OF less royal On his
face as he sal holding hard TO the rope /
lines was An expression as stony ana ar
naughty as those which adorned the car
riaEes on either side OF him. il was pity
the coachmen could not smile.
II there is any excuse for the existence
Of the street piano. If must be found in
the pleasure il gives To children. Watch
the swarthy son Of Sicily as he plies his
ins trument more destructive OF happiness
and comfort than the stilerto more cruel
than the cold poison Of a Lucretia Borgia.
Follow him to a side street. 10 the quarters
Of the poor and hence 10 the place where
children swarm. Instantly he begins the
turning of the crank. to the adult eye the
handle of inquisitOriul rack. he is sur
rounded by the youngsters. The gloomy
street changes to ballroom or. better. 10
the fete day at the end of harvest time
in his own bright land. With arms locked,
or revolving singly the children dance to
the wretched music and when the piano
man and the hockey pokey man come into
conjunction a few pennies makes perfect
JOY. Only one other picture can approach
this in unaloyed happiness it is the small
boy sucking an orange through a length of
stick candy Not even the worlds ap-
plause can bring that look Of ecstacy.
Washington BY the way. is the paradise
city for children The asphalt pavement
seems 10 have been invented for their spe-
cial pleasure and it is an opportunity not
overlooked. Every afternoon crowds of
boys. armed with sticks. play hockey OF
ice polo gliding on roller skates almost as
smoothly as il they we're ON ice. \ few
more wears and the same pavement affords
them the best bicycle paths in the world
and d few more wears Dco volente q per
feet roadway for the automobile
Where is the flower girl in Washington
The pinched hslf-staryed. cruelty beaten
BY a beartless stepInolheT and drunken
father howergiTl; the street character.
dear to every reader Of children's books of
half a century ago-where is she? Seem
ingly. like the flowers she sold. she has
faded away Possibly he old visible sup
plv" was really adopted by wealthy but
childless people or married ia King
Cophetua as the stories told us Certain
Iy those who stand on the street corners
with trays Of "violets. sweet violets have
in rF1pU n he