Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-11-03
AN OLD-TIME DIRECTORY
CRUDITIES AND CANDOR of THE
NUMBER PUBLISHED IN 1853.
The "Stranger's Guide" With 1t Would
Give Little Information
Nowadays.
Nowadays.
Written for The Evening Star.

Nothing strikes the individual with such
Indifference as the old issue of an annual
directory. Its glory has departed to make
way for its successor, who Is caressed and
found to contain information for the mill
lions. To the genealogist. however, and
sometimes to the inQuisitive spirits who
will not let his neighbours ancestor rest in
peace, mines of information may be found
far-reaching in interest. l do not. however,
intend to write an essay on directories in
general. but to bring to the attention Of
the citizen of Washington who is interested
in the past to one directory and only one
compiled and published in 1858 by
Alfred Hunter Let me here men,
ton that the first directory of Washington
was published in 1922 by Judah Delano,
who mentions therein 1 $40 names.
The directory which 1 am about to de-
scribe contains at the beginning small
ceiored map. in which is an inset dia-
gram Of the Capitol, giving in a small COM
pass all the information needed by the
tourist. The title page contains warning
to the borrower in the form of a poem
which 1 quote and which will no doubt ap-
peal to all present compiers as well as
owners Of directories:
He who steals my purse steals trash.
But be who borrows my directory
Filches e most villainously.'
In his preface the compiler offers mo
dpOioSS lOT any ueleClS, DIS ain Statistical,
he says, that under the circumstances it
Is as nearly perfect as possible. He also
states, Few persons are aware of the la
Dor in getting up work of this kind; and
as to profit, it is we'll known no person
ever published a second book after trying
the first. Whether shall follow the ex-
ample Of my predecessors remains to be
seen" He evidently followed the example
OF his predecessors, for this was his first
attempt, and l believe no directory at all
was published in the following year. The
compiler proudly states that the volume
will contain 1900 names, and every name
lied with care But it Is not the names
or the Congressional directory for the sec
ond session of the Thirty-second Congress-
which follows in about fifty-eight pages.
that / am going to especially dilate upon,
but THE strangers guide in Washington
and its vicinity, and through the public
buildings, with a history of the foundation
Of Washington CITY," which comes before
the article of eighty pages on 100 Ameri-
can cities.
Early Washington History.
The guide gives first 1.-The history con-
nected with the establishment upon this
site of the city Of Washington. The first
knowledge we have of the situation was de-
rived from General Washington, to whose
influence the act of Congress, which erect
ed the territory of the District, was passed
on July 49, 1870. The vote in the House of
Representatives was 80 to 20, and in the
upper branch IL to A." In those DAYS
Alexandria had an extensive commerce
with the West Indies, and Georgetown was
place Of considerable Importance. The
hundred square miles making a square of
ten miles included these two cities the
gift one Of Virginia and the other of Mary
land
The guide gives the letter of Washington.
which shows when and what terms the
site was coded to the government. The
Masonic ceremony Of laying the corner
stone of the District at Jones' Point is fully
described. with the statement that the
orator of the day was Joseph Clark archi-
tect of the state house at Annapolis, and
not Gen. Washington, has been sup
posed. The city is then described and
quotation OF Mr.. Calhoun objecting to the
removal of the seat of government. As to
the climate, the old familiar statement Is
exemplified: THE climate has been gradu-
ally ameliorating and variations must be
expected. Our last winter was excessively
cold, more snow fell than had been known
by that respectable gentleman, the Oldest
infabitant. for many years, while on the
contrary, the present season has been re-
msrkably mild and open"
AT the time Washington was first chosen
for the seat of government Baltimore was
two days journey from US, Philadelphia
four days, New York between two and
three weeks and New Orleans between two
and two months and half
Of course Goose creek comes in for its
usual notice. which says: There is a stream
above Georgetown which has always been
called Goose creek, but from a certificate
Of survey now preserved in the mayors
office at Washington. dated 1863 1t appears
that the inlet from the Potomac was then
known by the name of Tiber and prob
ably the stream from the north emptyine
into bore the same name; so that Moore did
injustice to the history Of the place and
ccnfounded streams when he wrote the
Well-known lines:
"And what was Goose creek once is T1ber now,
BY the same survey it appears that the
land comprising the Capitol Hill was called
Rome or Room, two names which seem TO
have foreshadowed the destiny of the place
Mr.. Force suggests that they probably or
iglEated in the fact that the name of the
owner OF the estate was Pope. and in Sc
lecting a name for his plantation he fancied
the title of ''Pepe Of Rome"
Ali the public buildings are fully described
and much space Is devoted to the history
of the Smithsonian Institution and the
Washington monument. The statue of JET
feson. which once ornamented the front of
the White House. is referred to as follows.
I'm front of the house stands a bronze
statue of Jefferson. procured in Europe by
Capt. Levy, U. s. N, and by him offered to
the United States Senate who refused to
received 1t. 1t being uniformly the practice
Of the Senate never to accept any gifts in
their official capacity. He then gave 1t to |
John Tyler, President of the United States,
and it was deposited in the vaults of the !
Executive Mansion. from which it was res
cued by some of our citizens. who contrib |
uted to building the pedestal upon which it
at present stands so that 1t does not belong
to the United States government, and it
would be difficult to say who was the prop
err owner"
The price Of a stage ride from the Aoue |
duct costs cents. or five tickets for 25 cents |
and the compiler says: "It has attracted |
the notice of every scientific architect in |
Europe and America; even Prince AIbert's
attention was called to it. though unfor- |
tunately, he placed its locality upon the |
Delaware.
The sundial back Of the Speakers chair
comes in for mention in connection with /
the poem, TO the sundial under the win |
dow of the Hall of Representatives, by |
john Quincy Adams" few lines of which |
may suffice the present generation:
Thou silent herald OF times ceaseless flight
Say. could thou speak what warning voice were |
thine:
Dark. sulsn witness of Respondent light"
A Small Department Then.
The librarian of Congress was then John |
S. Mechan, with two assistants. |
In the Congressional burying ground mem |