Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-06
SHOULDKNOW OUR CITY
TOO MANY CITIZENS FAIL TO OBJ
SERVE ITS GROWTH.

II noticed an editorial comment in The
Star a few days ago. said an old subscriber
to a reporter of this paper, extending the
glad hand of welcome to the capital to two
hundred and fifty young ladies from a
Tennessee college who arrived to spend
twenty day vacation with us, and cordially
inviting them to see Washington and to
know more of the nations most beautiful
city.
ITO this felcitous invitation all OF US
give hearty assent. but II has often
Cured to me that a similar invitation might
be extended to many of our own citizens,
and In this connection 1 wish to refer to the
series of views of Washington which The
Star has been publishing in Its Sunday
edition for some time past.
teen years. but like so many Of us. I too
man, who, when asked by tourist to be
directed to a worlds famous waterfall in
the vicinity. replied: It's over theer in the
woods on Their side of the mount in, but L
amt never keered to bother lookin' at only
a lot of water fowin over a rock, fits many
who live in cities as well. We become such
creatures of habit in going to and from the
office. especially those of us in the govern
ment service, that we seldom get off our
beaten paths, or more properly speaking in
cities off the streets upon which runs the
line of cars which will get us down to the
office and back home again in the quickest
time.
Since this series of local views was
inaugurated l have enjoyed that feature Of
the Sunday edition to a degree. and l am
sure that all of the Sunday subscribers will
concur in my remarks that it Is pro-
gressive feature of an interesting and read
able paper which deserves more than pass
ing notice. l have lived in Washington fif-
teen years, but, like so many Of us, l too
have stuck to the Decline quickest-car-
track-to- office-and-h home route. Meantime
the city has grown by leaps and bounds.
and with each recurring Sunday find my
self pouring over the new and different
views of our beautiful streets and avenues.
parks and triangular intersections. new
rows of dwellings by the block. new sm-
provements in various sections which are to
my eyes like those of another city because
of the great changes which have taken place
since 1 last them, and the many other
views which appear from week to week.
Like the Sunday Illustrations.
1.-The artist displays taste and discrimina-
ton in the selection of his subjects and
many of us are given to amateur photogra-
ply the strong points of the pictures are
noted and are clearly brought out in the
extraordinarily bright half tones which the
readers of The Star have considered one of
the strong features of the paper when 1t is
considered that the prints produced on
a rotary press turning out a number OF
prints minute and on paper used for news
purposes.
so it seems to me that the suggestion to
see Washington and to know more of it is
one which many of us can take to heart
right at home Many of us should knock
off work in business or in Office on a spare
day or two a season and go around and
look at our own many attractions to which
we are in the habit of directing visit
ing relatives and friends. Since The Star
has been publishing these fine views of
sections of the city other than those of our
own immediate neighborhood, or our 'rab-
bit paths to business accustomed haunts.
l have found myself on spare summer even
ings in sections of the city brought to mind
by the views of the preceding Sunday, and
have enjoyed these walks immensely for
the double reason that they possessed an
object, the best incentive and stimulant to
healthful walks.
Should Be an Incentive.
Now that the civic Improvement move
ment is being well developed, these ex-
cellently selected and diversified views Of
what we have at our own door should tend
to give inspiration to its further progress.
BY noting what the citizens of one section
of town are doing should prove an incentive
to the property owners in other sections TO
go the former one better, and study OF
these splendid views from week to week
gives the readers of The Star comprehen-
sive idea of the citys growth both in de-
tail and collectively.
ITO the out-of-town subscribers they no
doubt provoke pangs of sorrow and envy
to think that they cannot live in q city the
street views of which would make 1t seem
al though we were all living in one great
and exquisitely laid out park, which, by the
way comes pretty near being the truth, for
as compared with other cities Washington
is, indeed, but big, broad park filled with
residences.
THE children in my family have seized
upon The Stars pictures each Sunday
/, with delight, and have made it a practice
of cutting out number of the clearer half
tones. separating them according to the
nature of the subject, pasting them In little
books of views which they themselves have
made, retaining what they desired, and
sending others to their friends all over
the country.
Upon the whole, taken subject of
newspaper Illustration, l think that the
views constitute a feature which might be
continued, and even further extended in
scope and character. and that they are
both instructive and enjoyable to the
younger and the maturer readers of The
Star alike. The other many fine half tones
scattered through the pages, the attractive
makeup of the edition and its entertaining
reading and fiction make the Sunday paper
an agreeable morning companion.