Omaha daily bee., 1908-03-26

that he was not popular with the people
of Washington.
Wonder If the doorkeepers were re-
sponsible, after all?
One of the finest instances of recent
railway progress in the appreciation of
the traffic promoting value of beauty
is furnished by the history of the move
ment for the embellishment of the ma
tional capital, says a writer in the Gen.
tury. The chief feature of the plans,
the magnificent MALL would have been
impossible had the railway line which
until lately has had its station on Penn
sylvania avenue continued to occupy that
location. The enlightened and public
spirited president of the company, how
ever, the late A. ]. Cassatt, declared
himself heartily in agreement with the
project He looked at the question from
the point of view of an American citizen.
appreciating that If congress intended to
make of the mall what the founders of
Washington intended it to be. no railway
should be allowed to cross it, His con-
sent to new location was also justified
from strictly railway point of view.
With the carrying out of these plans,
Washington will be made the most beau
correspondingly attract increased travel
thither greatly to the profit of the rail-
ways. In architecture and in site the
new station is one of the finest ever
erected. even SURPRISING the splendid ter
minals that characterize the large cities
In Germany. 1t stands on Massachusetts
avenue, facing the capitol. and yet not
too near it. Fronting upon a semi-cir-
cular plaza, 500 feet wide, the building
Is nearly fifty feet wider than the cap
itol 1t Is constructed of white marble.
with facade of classical style The
plaza before 1t is fine feature in itself.
ana provides a place where bodies of
troops or large organizations can be
formed for inauguration ceremonies or on
other occasions The railway station thus
forms the great vestibule of Washington.
fitting introduction to it's attractions.
The monumental treatment of railway
terminals to express their functions as
the modern gateways of q great city has
received remarkable impetus from the
example set at Washington. Direct con-
sequences are the two magnificent sta
tions now Hnder construction in New
York, the Union station in Cleveland and
the beautiful Atlanta terminal built in
the style Of the Spanish renaissance.
The postal authorities of the United
States as well as those OF Great Britain.
for great many years experienced great
difficulty with the word "only" on postal
cards. The efforts to avoid clumsiness and
ambiguity taxed the ingenuity of the post
office people to the utmost. relates Har-
per's Weekly
The Postoffice department made six at
tan re fn la
biguous legend for the card.
An early postal card was inscribed
Nothing but the address can be placed
on this side" which was neither true nor
elegant
Nothing but the address TO be on this
side" was more to the point. But as It
looked bad to the authorities they next
evolved this legend: Write only the ad-
dress on this side" This was objected to
on the ground that it barred the use of
typewriting machine. Write the address
only on this side, the message on the other,'
came next, and was promptly criticised as
being both clumsy and ambiguous. Then
the word only" was dropped, but without
much Improvement.
Finally Uncle Sam's officials gave up
the struggle to be original. The card then
adopted and now in use bears this inscrip-
tion: ''rhe space below is for the address
only"
Congressman Bennett of New York called
at the White House last Saturday and
presented to President Roosevelt Mayor
Streveley OF London, Ontario.
II never can tell an American from a
Canadian" said the president, as he shook
hands.
Nor can anybody else" replied the
mayor. "Why. Mr.. President. am a
Canadian, but both my brothers married
American girls. and my three sisters all
married Americans"
when 1 was ranching in Dakota" said
the president, 'I never could tell the Cana
dians from the Americans who worked for
me. 1 can't yet-because all the Canadians
are now holding federal jobs in the United
States"
A project to erect a memorial TO Secre-
tary of State Root has been taken up by
the governing board of the bureau Of
American republics. and a committee has
been appointed to carry 1t out. The me-
morial which will probably be a bust, will
be erected In the new building OF the bu-
reau. The memorial is In appreciation Of
the secretary's efforts In the cultivation
OF closer relations between the American
republics.
Bankers Heads az AAaets.