The age-herald., 1902-04-02
Washington Day By Day

Washington, April 1.--(Special) = The number of visitors in Washington at this time is said to be unprecedented, except on occasions of Presidential inaugura- tions. Common observation is that the hotels are entirely inadequate for the present extraordinary rush of tourists for sightseers virtually make up the great throng, there being scarcely corporars guard of office-seekers in the whole town.
 The rush of travel, or rather the crush of travellers, Is novel. Hotelkeepers de- clare it to be an evidence of the increas- ing general attractiveness of Washing ton Republican politicians, as well as many Democrats and all the merchant class here, contend that the enormous i11- crease in visitors to the Capital IS at tributable directly to the unexampleo prosperity which has prevailed for nearly four years and which now appears about to take another leap forward. People nave got money to spend; and insofar as le- gitimate sightseeing Is concerned no city in the New World Is evenly remotely comparable to Washington. Any one of three buildings, with its contents, here would make Washington worthy of cross ing the continent to see, not to mention a dozen other structures here and in the immediate vicinity which are of world interest Two hundred and twelve school teachers from enc Western town are here at this moment. There must be thou sands of schoolgirls and schoolboys from various states of the Union now doing the town One secs the,n everywhere. many of them wearing the uniforms of their local schools. Rosy-cheeked, shy and uncertain schoolgirls wearing mortar board cars brighten all the larger hotels, and their dear giggling echoes Tn every corridor from that marvellous triumph or the architech's and the decorators art, the Library of Cong1 ess, to the gloomy crypts of the great white Capitol.
 As A matter of course, the Easter hol- days are mainly responsible for the pres ent crowds of visitors; but those whom the Scotch call "old residenters ana whom we less poetically characterlze as .the oldest inhabitants" declare that no other Easter ever was so proilnc or Visi'- ors in Washington.
 And a most remarkable Easter 1t mas been here Washington took on the pleas ing aspect of Letin city in respect to tbe great crowds that thronged the streets. Probably half hundred tnous- and people vainly sought admission to the dozen or two Catholic churches, all or which made special and elaborate prepar- aNions for music of the highest order, a work that has been in progress for months and in all of which were cele- brated the most splendid ceremonies or the greatest day in the Catholic calen- dar To site an example, at St. Patricks church. of which the famous pr. Stanord is the pastor, probably three thousand people gathered by 10 o'clock with the hope of being present at the solemn high mass an hour later; but ushers took pos session of the doors and allowed none but pewholders and those who had Dr. Stafford's cards to enter the building. It is impossible to rent pew or a sitting in this church, for every pew Is perma- nently rented; but the entire church is free at all masses except high masses. Every pew is locked previous to high mass and except in special cases, held for it's owner until seven minutes after the service has been begun.
 Every Sunday there Is a great attend ance of non-C Catholics, and hundreds of people stand In the aisles throughout the service of high mass, there being no seats for them. The church is filled to over flowing three times each Sunday, proba- bly three-fourths of the resident congre- gation, which mum bers about eight thous- and, attending the low masses. Four l special masses and two ordinary masses are said every day in the week. While St. Patricks is the most noted Catholic | church In Washington, and one of the | richest four or five In America, 1t Is not the largest; and so the facts herein | given will serve as some illustration of the remarkable extent to which Wash ington is town of church goers.
 The leading denominations, the Baptists, Methodists and Presbyterians, are very powerful here and have numerous noble houses of worship. The oldest and most famous Methodist church, by the way, Foundry church, at Fourteenth and G streets, is now being rapidly demolished l to give place to a great office building; l which Is another evidence of the striking northwestward expansion of the business district of the Capital. The Foundry Methodists obtained a huge sum of money, in sixfigures, for the property, and they will build elsewhere what, it Is | believed will be the finest church in | Washington. Foundry church was estab- lished in 1903. just little less than a hundred years ago. and 1t is within the present Catholic parish of St. Patrick s, established in 179O. or before what is now | the District of Columbia, was survey ed A block below Foundry, at Thir- teenth and c streets, is the historic Epis- copal church of the Epiphony. built sixty | five years ago.
 The pending debate in the House of Representatives on the bill to create a | retired list for the revenue cutter sery- | ice is one of the most interesting that Is | likely to be heard this session. for it is the first effort, both serious and powerful, yet made to create civil pension list. The bill is before the House under a fa- vorable report from the committee on commerce, of which MT. Hepburn of Iowa is chairman and Congressman Richardson of Alabama is member. Judge Richard