Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-31

ed by quietly dressed and excessively
courteous individual, who will advance
and remark: "Ah. A stranger here? Let
me show you the city
This soft-spoken, persuasive person is
Of the class that have come to be known
as the human ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
pedias," or In palmer words, he is a
sightseeing guide
Ard no matter if YOU have lived in this
city always. until you have been piloted
about by a loquacous and ubiquitous
official guide your education on Wash
ington is woefuly incomplete. There are
a thousand and one things about the
city you probably never will know unless
You place yourself in the hands or the
man, men. who. for more than quar-
Ter of century. have made ii the special
study and business of their lives TO hnd
the patriotic. artistic. interesting and I'M
usual things in and about the public
buildings, parks and other places of in
terest
The official guide" has successfully
withstcod the encroachment of the seeing
these and those and the around this and
that cars for five years His success IS
due to two reasons. One is that he is an
expert in his particular line. and is able
In escort his charges into various places
which those SightseerS on the huge cars
must necessarily miss. The other is that
he is keen student of human nature.
which knowledge he constantly employs
In drumming up trade.
reporter for The Star recently ar
ranged with one of these guides to ac
company him his days tour. All
right" replied the official. Meet me
at half-past eight tomorrow morning"
The reporter was on time, so was the
guide and the work of getting the
trade began. Several persons were ap-
preached by the guide without success.
but the latter lost none of his cheerful
less That's all right" he assured the
reporter IF / got every one l asked I'd
be rich man in a year One in ten is
a fine average If l get one i'll twenty
I'm entirely satisfied. You see-Ah, there
Is a couple I'll land as sure as I'm alive.
Wait a minute.
\ young couple, evidently a bride and
groom. approached.
The guide DOTTED his hat and smiled re-
assuringly. Your first trip to Wash
ington. I presume he began. and then.
without pause "A beautiful city it Is too.
One of the most interesting. from a tour
lists standpoint, of any in the country
The word tourist was skillfully chosen.
1t put the couple at their ease, each con-
WINGED that they had been taken for
"old married folks
The groom became affable. and few
moments later the guide had directed the
couple to a certain hotel. for which act
he would later receive a commission from
the proprietor. and had made arrange
nents to call for them at 10 o'clock that
they might join the party of sightseers
which was just being gotten up"
That's two" remarked the guide as
he returned to his vantage ground. from
which he had a fair view of all arrivals
81 ought to get several more before 10
o'clock. There's one now"
This one, was young man of nineteen
or twenty wearing pegged trousers, turn
ed up until they barely failed to reach
the tops of his high yellow shoes. an
overcoat cut in extreme style. and other
articles. all slaringly indicative Of the
fact that he was on his vacation from
some school or college.
Hello, old sport" remarked the guide,