Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-16
Washington Guides and Historic
Markers.

To the Editor Of The Star:
I have read with much interest your
editorial entitled Guides to Washing
ton," in last nights Star. 1t might be
inferred therefrom that such men as
make a more or less precarious living
as guides by picking up" strangers
here and there to show about the city
for a small return are the least re-
liable of all those engaged in such
work, while the salaried men on the
"rubber-neck wagons" are uttering Cos
pei truth with every breath. True, they
utter something with every breath. but
less Of truth, l am sure, than do most of
the guides who ride not. The owners or
the wagons seem to think that the
thousands of visitors who patronize them
wish to be amused, whether instructed
or not and yet the residents of the
states come here to learn about their
countrys capital, and the men who run
the big automobiles would do better
financially if they realized this and en-
deavoEed to give their patrons all the
solid facts possible regarding the city.
There Is not time enough in any trip
to tell all that should be told as one
goes over the route.
If any fee should be exacted OF those
who show visitors about the city. as is
suggested by Maj. Sylvester. 1t should
be as small as possible-just barely
enough to pay for an official badge to
be issued to the guides, and it should
not be as much as five dollars in the first
instance, as has been recommended, and
there is certainly no occasion for col
Letting the fee annually, as is suggested.
Some of the men whom one sees doing
this work earn very little at it, and
they should not be subjected to the pay
ment of special tax. That Is what
such license fee as is proposed amounts
to, but there seems to be a growing
disposition on the part of the authorities
to tax every one engaged in business, re-
CARELESS of whether the business is clean
and beneficial to the community or not.
If guides are to be licensed at all, they
should not be unit, they pass an examina-
,tion, SO that their badges would be a
guarantee that they were informed re-
others about it. If any are to be ex-
amined to determine their fitness, the
lecturers" on the "rubber-neck wagons
should be just as soon as the necessary
authority can be obtained.
Then the so-called official guide books
to Washington should be censored before
they are permitted to be sold. One of
the most popular guides contains this
statement:
''The State Department is the deposit
tory for all the engrossed copies OF the
laws of the United States, all proclama-
tons by the executive, all treaties, par
dons and thousand and one other rec
ords and archives
IHen 1OllOWS tHlS Illuminating sentence.
1.-THE Department of Justice, a branch
of the State Department, is opposite, on
Pennsylvania avenue"
: AS matter Of fact, the Department
of Justice Is on K street, opposite Nc
Pherson Square The Court Oh Claims
is in the old Corcoran Art Gallery, on
Pennsylvania avenue, opposite the State,
War and Navy building. Regardless of
the error as to the location of the De-
partment of Justice. it would seem that
III
know that the Department of Justice
is not branch of the State Department,
and yet the statement Is made absolute
ly as l have given 1t in a guide called
standard.
What the good people Of Washington
ought to do before taxing guides is to
mark In some simple yet attractive man.
ner the various places of historic interest,
and thus make every newcomer more or
less his own guide. The sooner this work
Washington, already numerous. greatly
increase, for it is clear to any one that
the more our visitors can learn for
themselves, the more they will be pleased,
and the more they will tell of their
stay among US after they go home, and
thus their friends and neighbors will be
led to come also.
Visitors may question In their own
minds what guides may say to them, but
they will accept as conclusive informa-
have been set up officially.
Last, but not least, we all ought to
know personally about this beautiful and
wonderful city of ours, ours not merely
because we have the good fortune to live
in it-and it is good fortune-but ours
for the larger reason that in common
with all the other inhabitants of this
broad land it belongs to us. AS citizens
Of Washington it Is our business to be
able to tell strangers about it.
Mrs Ella Flagg Young, the new superin-
tendent of the schools of Chicago, deems
a knowledge Of Chicago's history, its
industries, it's educational institutions, its
philanthropies. its municipal affairs, of
greater importance than algebra in the
elementary grades. and has abolished
from those grades x, and to give
place for so-called Chicago course"
With the beginning of the new year the
pupils in the eighth grades Of that city
will take up this course, devoting an
hour a day to it, having some text books,
but doing their learning principally by
tours of observation with their teachers,
Is Washington less interesting than Chi
cago? AS wonderful as Chicago is, one
must answer, Surely not"
Let us emulate Mrs. Young and let our
motto be: know Washington
FRED L. FISHBACk.