Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-15
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR


4AoScaA and paragraph from the
Education. National Inteiligencer re-
printed In The Star of Octo-
Der g. 1855, attests to the interest OF the cit
izens n cult1vatinG this wholesome spirit:
mo provision Is made for instruction In
vocal music In the public schools Of Wash
ington nor the private schools Of which we
have airy knowledge. In some instances by
the voluntary acts Of the teachers the chill
dren are taught to sing few songs. but
not the elements Of music: and this is true
also OF the Sabbath schools. The love OF
music Is universal among the children OF
this city. and it is manifested In every pos
sible manner. They all sing In their own
imperfect manner. In every Sabbath school
they sing In full chorus. Upon every pos
sible public occasion in which they are
brought forward they sing. Every concert
room accessible to them by means of a low
price OF admission Is full of them. They
are adopts to Ethiopian minstrelsy;' they
sing with gusto the songs OF the yellow
covered books In every political campaign;
yet they are not taught to sing correctly.
and they fail to acquire In youth branch
of education that Is then easy OF acquisi-
ton. but is difficult to enter upon in later
years.
Eve regret this great omission. The
standard OF music can only become elevated
In this city by the general dissemination Of
| musical education and specially in the de-
partment Of vocal music. May we not hope
that the directors Of our system of public
schools, the teachers of private schools.
determined effort to institute teacherships
of vocal music in every school or to es-
tablish special schools Of instruction in
singing. each for the benefit of the children
of several common schools. at hours not
conflicting with the usual routine OF studies.
We would advise persons capable of giving
instruction In this branch Of education to
go forth themselves and urge this subject
upon the attention of all who should feel
an interest in it,
Goat alley which still exists on the city
| map as locally important thoroughfare.
between L and M and 9Th
ooat Alley and 18th streets northwest,
Trespassers. seems to have been chief
ly notable fifty years ago
| for peculiar trait Of the denizens of that
region The Star of October 0 says:
I'VE do not find Goat alley on the map
of the city, nor do we know whether the
same has been recognized by the municipal
authorities, but it is said there are existing
| in that part of Washington numbers of col
ored persons who occupy tenements without
| the leave of their owners. They are not
very particular as to the manner of obtain
| ing admission. AS in a case in point: Yes
terday one of those people wishing to take
up his quarters in the alley moved his
| furniture-nothing to boast of-near the
| house which suited his fancy, and then
| climbed in through the window, his traps
having been subsequently sheltered"
There no railroad communication be-
tween Washington and Alexandria fifty
| years ago: but there was an immedlate
prospect of such an accommodation. Some
weeks will elapse," said The Star of Octo-
Der 10, 1855, before we shall have a rail-
road conveyance between the two cities.
Yesterday workmen COMMENCED laying the
sleepers for the rails of this branch in the
neighborhood of the Washington railroad
depot. the track to extend thence through
LIST street and Maryland avenue to the
Long bridge
A Georgetown correspondent of The Star,
whose letter was printed in the news col
| umns of October IL over the
1eorgeto"n signature Spectator paints
Improved. picture of conditions in
that city of some interest
| today: "A stroll around town on Sabbath
afternoon last satisfied us that while there
is not much doing in the way of erecting
| new buildings. the spirit of improvement,
public and private, is still kept up in al
most every section. We have never seen
our streets present more perfect and
clea My condition. In many places the old
dilapidated footways which were for many
years such eyeSore and trouble to pc
destrianS have been superseded by excel
| lent new ones. In our rambles
we discovered one thing. however. in
some of the streets in the west
ern part of the town which we thought
| might we'll be discontinued upon the
| Sabbath days. namely, the practice of a
parcel Of youths and colored fellows play
| ing handy in the streets to the great an
noyance of quiet citizens living nearby
and persons going to and returning from
church. We sincerely hope that If those
tho of on%y 40
| abandon 1t voluntarily the police will pay
them visit and put stop to such dsrep-
| utable and dangerous Sabbath amusements
| at once.
Those were omnibus days back in the fif-
| ties, and omnibus travel had it's peculiari-
| , ties just as street car travel
oninAouS has today. correspondent
Troubles. wrote as follows to The
Star, which printed her let
| ter on the 18th of October:
"a few evenings since duty compelled
me to visit a sick relative near the navy
yard and I started (most fortunately with
a male protector. On entering the omnibus
at the stand We were the only passengers
| then there. Soon gang Of -half-grown,
drunken rowdies crossed over and looked
| into the omnibus, taking a very scrutiny
| ing look at me- They hailed the driver Gas
L
| start. He said in four and half minutes
| but we anxiously waited fully ten minutes
| before another omnibus came up and our
| driver was ready to start. Meanwhile the
| hopeful youths visited the drinking cellar.
| talked aloud all kinds of language and
finally scrambled UP alongside the driver
and on top of the vehicle. except the most
| inebriated of the party-a very red-faced,
ragged and impudent young man-who got
inside and seated himself opposite me.
Three decent persons also got in, and Off
we went. Some distance on top of the hill
| the graceless scamp lay back. stretched his
| muddy legs and boots across and either
| fell asleep or pretended to be. However,
| he moved his dirty pedals about till he got
| them upon my dress and I was compelled
| to apply to my protector for assistance. He
threw the fellows legs Off my skirts and
| changed seats with me- Had he thought
| the drunken chap was awake at the time he
| would assurediy have thrown him out of
| the omnibus. Fare, six cents-smoking
not allowed-drunken persons not admit
| ted is the conspicuous notice in the ON
nibuses. The first Is strictly exacted. the
second is occasionally infracted and the
| third is dead letter. Hoping that this
| communication may effect a beneficial
| change for the sake of ladies', am, very
respectfully yours, Amelia"
| The Star commented as follows upon this