Evening star., 1901-08-29
THIS CITY AS A HOME
ITS UNDoUBTED SUPERIORITY OVER
MOST OF THE OTHER CENrERs.
Brooklyn, Though Three Times It's
Size, Lacks Many of the Advantages
to He Enjoyed Here.

to He Enjoyed Here.
tI noticed In The Star that the reasons
I advanced for giving up in Brooklyn a
lucrative position to accept my present
place at lower salary excited the good
| natured objection and criticism of a gen.
tleman who resides in the city of churches"
said a high government official to a Star
man this morning.
I'm the article. as originally appearing In
The Star, set out briefly some OF the rea-
sons, in favor of Washington, why had
made the change. and the Brooklyn Eagle,
In reproducing The Stars article, was fair
enough to remind the street car companies
OF that city that the suggestions contained
IT. The stars article might be followed
there TO the decided benefit of the patrons
OF the car lines, which is a recital OF a
simple truth.
THE gentleman's reply to my remarks
consumes three-quarters of column In
The Star. and careful perusal of II shows
that he admits that most of the reasons
advanced are good ones, and constitute
substantial facts. and he endeavors to let
his city down easily by mere qualifications
of these facts.
Washington's Peculiar Advantages.
1T would seem almost absurd, at first
| thought, to compare one city to another
possessing three times the population OF
the other. but Washington's advantages
are so diverse, so many and 50 actual that
the challenge ought to be readily accepted
by any loyal Washingtonian, despite the
preponderance of population and conse-
quent wealth In favor of Brooklyn.
THE desirability of city place of
residence depends In the main upon the
advantages 1t may possess over other
places. The peculiar advantages Washing
tor enjoys over other cities afford cogent
reasons why 1t is to be desired and chosen
- orltt 10 ,Ix,.It
the original recital of some of these advan-
! tages to be true, because he says. most of
the conditions as described by him exist
here Brooklyn) 1t is true II the reasons,
the very few reasons / gave are true.
then what becomes of the arguments Of the
Brooklynite? II the affirmative OF a propo-
sition IS true then that disposes of that
proposition, as sad as Ii may be for the
other side.
Il commented especially upon the crowd
ed condition Of the Brooklyn overhead troll
leys, and their man and child killing repu-
tation, to the effect that regular travel
therein became wearisome and fatiguing, as
Well as dangerous to the health and life OF
their patrons because of the practice the
companies have of running open cars from
early in the spring until late In the fall.
My remarks on this point are conceded to
be fact Well, IL they are fact they
are true, and thus is the accuracy OF an
other of the main arguments in favor OF
Washington admitted
Other Instances of Admission.
Being a bicyclist adverted to the fine.
smooth, level streets of the capital. and
the execrabie pavements of the city my
critic defends, a known and an acknowl-
edged fact. l regret, for his sake, TO say
that this point, too Is admitted. Tor ne
says, L cannot deny that Brooklyn. as
whole, is poorly paved Well. Washington
isn't. It is conceded to be the best-paved
city in the United States, as whole. III
Brooklyn, as my friend says, Is poorly
nd
affirmative of the proposition Is again con-
ceded to be true, and II it is true, that set
ties It, once more in favor of the capital.
And so the reply proceeds throughout
nearly it's entire length. If Brooklyn has
few more theaters than Washington. then
Brooklyn is to be congratulated ana con-
sidering that her population Is over one
million in round numbers, the city should
support two dozen more than II does. IL
Washington, with population OF over 3oO.-
600 In round numbers has eight play houses:
Brooklyn ought, at it's increasing ratio OF
population, to have over thirty, instead OF
only sixteen.
lit was but few years ago that. If
stranger was belated In the city OF
churches, he was compelled to cross over
to New York to find a suitable hotel in
which to sleep, and this fact is substan-
TALLY true today, as the two or three hotels
of fair size to be found below the city hall
and there are none worthy of the name
above it-are, as a matter Of fact. family
and apartment hotels.
Fine Hotels and Buildings.
"Au Of these hotels could be rolled up
and lost beyond finding in the War. State
and Navy building Any one Of the three
of the largest hotels In Washington could
receive all of their patrons at once without
inconveniencing their regular custom.
Brooklyn's city hall and municipal build
ing could. in cubic space. be comfortably
housed In the pension building alone, yet
we don't think so much of the pension
building as building, either.
"As for parks, upon which the gentle-
man lays great stress none viii seek to
detract from the beauties OF Prospect Park,
but there are others. We have within the
limits of our own District In ROCK creek
Park pleasure ground as large. IL not IN
excess Of Prospect Park, containing, on
hand. think, approximately, 1000 acres.
yet we are not swelled with pride In CON
Sequence. The natural beauties Of Pros
pect Park are admittedly great, put. "nen
our own Rock Creek Fark SHAH nave re-
cetyed the years of care and the fortunes
which have been expended upon Prospecss
Park, its exquisite natural and artIncia!
beauties will give Brooklyns Dreaming
space a close run for first place
Regarding our smaller parks ana reSer-
yattcns they are admitted by travellers
from all quarters OF the siope " 49, o,tu
number and beauty those OF any other Guy
In this country Chicago and New YORK
NAV have a larger park area, put they
are both great cities. and Washingtons
smaller and perfectly kept pai hase ooeo W.
suffer in consequence.
uu.t Happened to Strike Brooklyn.
eft so happened that Brooklyn was made
a subject Of comparison because 1T was
that city whence / moved. My re-
marks applied to all cities. Congested
places of population are not necessarily the
most desirable for residence, ana Il was
this point which made emphatic WASH
inotnn is conceded to be one OF the very
choicest places for residence In this coun- &c m,
try, and my remarks went to prove Il ~
cnnnarison with another city. Eacn year,
noore and more 1t is becoming the winter
abiding place for residents OF other CITIES.
and surely no more potential reason In SUP
sanitation of my views could be adduced.
ssThey. and others, come TO washington
to live because they wish to enjoy the ad-
yantages have but imperfectly and insuI-
fcientIy set out We have few Of the dis
trassine municipal nuisances and noises
which make life a burden elsewhere. Ou!
dc ath rate among the whites Is low. ana
among the colored population not exces-
.;,,a yb;Ie the recent compilation of NOR