The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-01-10
A TRIP To WASHINGTON
Experiences of Miss Isabel Davis.
Canning Club Prize Winner. in
the National Capital

the 10th of December, 1913, and at
the hour of 1920, the heart OF lit
tie girl named Isabel Davis was made
exceedingly happy as l boarded the
train for Jacksonville. Then the
next morning to meet Miss Harris
and start TO Washington, D. C. With
the exception Of mothers forlorn as
pect at my going so far away from
her, l must say that this afternoon
was one Of the happiest Of my life.
The very happiest was the 2Sth day
of November, the day | heard | had
won out victorious in the tomato
club. We left Jacksonville at $50
Washington was one of unbroken
pleasure and so instructive TO me.
We arrived in Washington at S:45
Friday morning. The plan Of Wash
ington is a beautiful one. From the
capitol building, as a center, the city
Is laid out in four great parts, in
each of which the streets cross one
another at right angles. There are
wide avenues and where these ave-
nues cut through the streets there
are such lovely little parks, and so
pretty and curiously shaped and fill
ed with statues, fountains, flowers
and trees, and they form one of the.
chief beauties of the city. Why
these parks were so placed-not so
much for beauty as for defence.
The man who planned Washington
was a Frenchman, who had left Paris
about the time of the French revo-
luton when the mobs were destroy
ing the government. In laying out
our capital city he had the bloody
scenes of Paris in his mind, and he
planned a city which he thought
could be easily defended at the same
time be beautiful
Washington has over two hun
dred miles of streets. They are paw
ed with gray asphalt and are as
smooth as a floor. Now we are to
start out sightseeing The great
government buildings are often far
apart; it must be full mile from
the White House to the capitol,
which is situated on a high hill to the
east. Farther on we come to the
Cong ressional Library, which is the
most beautiful public building in the
ar1v
acres of ground and It's great COLLEEN
dome can be seen shining in the sun
| light for ever so far. Leaving the
| library We go to the navy yard on the
eastern branch of the Potmac. We
| are allowed to pass in by the soldiers
guarding the gate and we visit the
| foundries where the great guns for
our battleships are made. We
went to the arsnel to watch the pa
rade of some of the companies of SOL
diers who are here to guard our
capitol city. Next to the red brick
building Of the national museum
fianked by the great brown stone
castle like Smithsonian Institute,
back of which stands the offices and
greenhouses of the agricultural de-
partment. A little FARTHER on, we
leave the trees and enter a large field
one edge of which is washed by the
waters of the Potomac river and
here we see the high monument
built in memory of George Washing
ton. The Washington monument
may be seen from any part of the
| city. At a long distance it looks
like a big piece of chalk with a well
shaped point. 1t seems to grow as
we come toward it. 1t gets bigger
and bigger and as we walk up the
! little hill on the bank of the Poto-
mac, where it stands, it looks just
like a great big marble wall built
right up into the sky. The monu-
ment is made of hundreds of blocks
so closely Joined together that you
can hardly see where one stone fits
into another It is fifty-five feet
square at the base and slopes up
slice off the top where the shaft be-
/ gins to slope to a point you could
build there a house with four large
rooms on each floor. The inside OF
this huge structure is hollow. There
is an elevator in it, We walked up
the steps, 995 in number, and cams
down in the elevator As we stand
again at the foot of this monument,
and look toward the north. we face
three of our chief government build
ings. There, at the left, is the large
| granite structure occupied by the
state, war and navy departments,
at the right, is the somber graz
| treasury department, where much
| Of our national money is kept and
in the center shines out the White
| House, where the president lives