Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-10

nto Washington after having soJourned,
as the Keokuk kazoo would say. for
quite a spell in some other city or cities
This sallowness may be result. in
,art, from climatic conditions here pre-
falling. The climate of Washington IS
lot a good climate. (Enraged murmurs
" disapproval by members of the Board
II Trade.) 1t isn't anything like good
Innate. In winter it is just toi able. IN
summer it is inhuman. In spring 1t is
sometimes superb. In autumn 1t is mel
ancholily, woozily luffiy. But taking 1t
" and large. as you've got to take
climate. Washington's climate has lot
o learn.
There isn't much ozone. or life. or lift,
~ whatever ii is called. in the Washing
on air at any time of the year. 1t isn't
sparkling. effervescent. titillating air;
70; a do-things, eat-'em-alive, get-Dusy,
Observation-Disclosures miles-for money
rarbles- chalk air. It's just air, without
he punch It's breathable. but it lacks
.nirk-
Ozoney air has a good deal to do with
he making Of rudy -colored folks. There
are not many riddles in Washington. of
.ither sex. in proportion to the population.
The lack of jolt in the air. it Is reason
,h,e to suppose. has "a good deal to do
with this.
But there's another and a more quickly
hscernible reason why Washingtonians
speaking collectively again. let 1t be re-
,eated) do not have an out-of-doors LOOK
II fs very easy Washingtonians are not
an out-of-doors people
Above all and everything. Washington
necDle are not walkers. With the oest
streets of any city in America to walk
in or on: with more to see IN the progress
If walks than the folks of any other city
i'm America the Washington folks de-
.idedly walk less than the people of any
other large city in the United States.
This is easily demonstrate me great
majority of the men in the employ OF
the government don't even walk to or
from their offices in the departments
Most of them ride both ways. When
the Treasury and War departments. Tor
instance let out at half past O'Clock
in the afternoon. watch the throngS OF
sturdy men who board the 14th street
cars to ride not much farther team
Thomas Circle or Rhode Island avenue
the merest short trudges IN distance Ana
they ride down TO their offices in the
morning, too-ride down on fine. sunny
mornings just after dredging into the
sausage and wheat cakes and the two OF
three buxom cups OF Jaw, THEREBY glvihs
themselves no chance for an oxygenailon
of their blood, no opportunity for a mild
little whipping up of the circulation and
the secretions: but Pumping down az
their desks atop of heavy breakfasts
without any of the sense of well-being
or the .ambish' that inevitably flows
from ever so short little traipse IN the
open air.
Washington is called the city OF mag
nitcent distances. was back in tht
middle of the nineteenth century. Whef
there were large hiatuses between settled
sections, and when The capital consisted
very largely OF plans not yet worked out
The shopping women. nine out Of tel
of them, L should say, invariably TAX
the car both ways. no matter. il woult
seem, how short the distance between
their homes and the emporiums. 1t is. 4
the view OF persons who drop into Wash
ington from ether cities. astonishing 4
observe the short distances Washing
tonians will ride in the street cars.
huddIe OF folks will. say. board lat
street car at the Treasury Department
transfer station-not people with trans
fers, but just taking the car from ther
for their get-off streets The car begin
its stops at about street An
thence on il stops al every corner
lei folks off wi,ave got aboard ut lit
aud New York avenue. How lar Is II, |