Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-17
DULL TOWN IN SUMMER


Washington Of thealfty prominent Vienna
merchants. boundef6r efe st. Louis EXPOSE
ton. one Of the members Of the party sat
tanning himself IN his hotel room.
Let me give you my impression OF WASH
ington as see 1t now" he said to Wash
tngton visitor. II am not speaking for my
party. you will understand, but for myself
IN what am going to say, yet 1 have no
reason to suppose that their impressions IN
at least one respect are different from mine
can, however, speak for the entire
party In this: Washington. stands among the
first three loveiiest cities in the world. NOT
g. man OF us bNt agrees heartily on that
point The Other two are Paris and Vienna.
There are men with as who put Washington
ahead of both Paris and Vienna in point Of
sheer beauty.
80! Now have told you what all the
party thinks of the beauty Of Washington
now proceed to express myself, ana not
the party. confident as feel that they are
in accord with me on this topic
'Entrancingly beautiful Washington IS
at this time of year, at any rate-the most
hopelessly dull city of its size that I-or any
of us-ever saw. Remember, was here SIX
years ago. during the winter, wnen the
Congress was in session, and the streets
were Hvely.tI could hardly beheve that
this Washington of late August and carry
September was the same city as saw tnen.
And 1 simply wasted by breath IN trying 10
convince others in the party tnat WASH,
ington ever. had looked lively and animated
to me- They judged by what they saw, and
what they saw rendered 1t hopeless .ash
for them to imagine anything put s.rlh-
ingly beautiful and deadly duii "asihhs-
ton.
Where are all the people? asked
guide who was conducting us ABOUT the
places of interest. Why are these peau'i-
full streets so forsaken? Surely tnere IS ny. no
plague here? No calamity mas VISITED tie
city? Why is everybody indoors!
sEverybody's away for the summer re-
piled the guide. r.
Now. 1 didn't dispute that answer OF
the guide, but when l came upon W ash-
ingtonan of knowledge member OF your
Board of Trade, asked him If 1t couid pc
possible that everybody was out Oh 'he
city for the summer.
"He told me that this was Iaiiacs
that less than per cent of the popuiat:on
ahsented themselves from the city during
the summer months.
Then. said 1, explain to me the tor-
saken streets, the strange, almost paInins'
quietude. 1t is like Vienna on that one Gay
in the year when everybody ATTENDS the
maneuvers.
"'Oh, we'll. Washing.onians take it easy
during the summer was the only expiana-
ton he could give-and am pouno 10 say
that it was not very satisfactory one.
But if we have found your peauuIul
Washington singularly dull and lnanimate
during the daylight, how tenfold more dull
have we found it after dark! Inere dr {
places to go to, to see during the hours OF
sunlight, and the stranger may be thus
amused. But how can citizen or stranger
find any sort of entertainment Wnen inc
sun goes down upon lovely Washington?
1--WE are told that there are. some diS-
lance out of the city, places of entertain
ment with some music. But they are quite
distant and there is one feature OF them
that renders them useless for the enter
tainment of Viennese. at any rate. You
perceive? The Vienna water is not excel
lent. Consequently We rarely drink water.
Our substitute for water, however. is not
of the kind that is vended. so We are IN
formed, at the resorts with some music,
that are said to flourish some distance oue
of Washington.
so! Having spent the daylight hours
looking at the sights of this beautiful
Misunderstanding returned to our hotel
for Sprucing up and dinner-Well, mere
we are, at O'Clock in the evening. cast up
high and dry. fioundering about, with alb
solutely no place to goL
".Assuredly,' said to the hotel man
ager a while ago. there must be some
nearby cafe chantant-what you call an
open-air vaudeville show, or at least a
band concert, eh-where one may resale
himself? ~
ssThe hotel manager shook his head good
"'No roof garden. either, where one
may cool himself externally and Internal
Typ .j gi =.
again he shakes his head. He admits,
however that tharec should be such places
of diversion In Washington, even confesses
himself puzzled that they do not exist-put
that does not help any. or :.
"And So then, % per cent of the Wash
ington population shut themselves up in
their homes during all the beautiful sum-
mer months, and have no means of divert
ing themselves-am to understand that:
"And yet, what a glorious, what an ideal
city 1t is for the cafe chantant. such as We
have everywhere In the old country! 1t is
said that Washington is extremely conser-
vative and might not support such places
Why, conservatism and the cafe chantan,
go hand -in-hand in Europe! They are fol-
| the family, for the wife and daughters, fol-
| the children, the babies.
Some have expressed the opinion to me
that there is not enough money in circu
| lation among the Washington population tc
support such places. Humbug, The Euro
pean cafe chantant is maintained by per.
| sons who do not earn one-fourth the i'll
| comes of most of the Washingtonians!
! 'And, in all of this outrageous, EN-
| powered capital not one roof garden, I,
| Is extraordinary. I do not understand it
| persons living here. for the most part pros
| porous, well-salaried people-and not One
| roof garden in the city!
| "WeH, it is half-past eight. I must gt
! to bed, / suppose. What else is there t
| do? In Washington one must do as the
| Washingtonians do. and must not the
| stranger conjecture that Washingtonian.
| all go to bed with the chickens?
| "Surpa ssingly beautiful Washington-bu
| of such a profound, inexplicable, unpardon
| able summer dullneSS!