The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-08-28
CAPITAL DRAWS
EDUCATED women
Miss Janet Richards, Lee
turer, Declares City Mag
net for Intellects.
CHARMS HERE ARE MANY
Women of Washington Have Unparal-
leled Freedom. Going and Com
ing Alone with Safety.
CHARMS HERE ARE MANY
By MARY MARSHALL.


woman OF independence. enough income
to support herself. a general interest in
the things of the day and no special ties
anywhere. and it's 10 to she will gravi-
tate to Washington. There is no city in
the country that holds out so many in
ducements for independent. thoroughly
educated American woman of the INTEL
lectual type as Washington, and there's
no city in the country where you'u find
30 many of just this type of women.
A day or so before Miss Janet Rich
ards departure for the West I asked
her how it was that she happened to
select Washington as her headquarters
Janet Richards. who has not infrequent-
ly been called Washington's most repre-
sentative woman citizen.
She smiled as she said:
Il rejoice to answer that kind Provi-
dence led my dear parents to choose IL
for me. coming here to reside when 1
was too small to remember any other
home. Thus l have grown up in the
nations Capital. loving 1t with as keen
devotion as any native. and feeling
lively a pride IN its gradual development
towards becoming the City Beautiful.
City Has Distinctive Charm.
Having spent ten long vacations in
Europe" Miss Richards continued, Gov
ering in all a period of several years
European capitalist feel 1 can only say
without fear of contradiction that
Washington not only compares favor
ably with any Of the capitals Of the
old world. but in several respects pos
sesses a charm all her own which no
other can surpass. If. indeed. equal
LAS a city of broad streets and
stately avenues. radiating from many
ornamental centers called Circles and
overarched by unrivaled lines of beau
tiful trees. Washington is conceded TO
be unique-possessing a sort of
village charm unknown
to any other capital city.
ITO this delightful feature OF our
city SO distinguished a foreigner as
Lord Bryce-our former British Am
bassador-has paid tribute in a pro- /
fusely illustrated article published in .
one of our leading monthly magazines.
Again. the absence of manufacturing
plants and unsightly smokestacks Is
a condition devoutly to be praised. No
columns of disfguring smoke OBJ
scures our clear skies. which. by the
way. are blue and sunlit for an I'M
usually large proportion of each year.
and no heavy drays or trucks of COM
rnerce cucumber our streets.
Flowers of City Are Many.
And the flowers of washingtonr
Here Miss Richards showed by the tone |
OF her voice the enthusiasm that she .
thousands of towering rose bushes ,
not to mention the climbing porch
vines. wisterias and ivies that orna-
ment innumerable homes, and the
great variety of old fashioned posles
blooming in many front yards thar
And what eulogy of Washington
would be complete without mention
OF the miles upon miles of smooth
concrete. stretching away in every d.
rection, encircling our splendid speed
way" and pentratins the glades and
delIs of lovely Rock Creek Park. max
ing of the District of Columbia a
veritable motorists paradise"
But what do you think Of Wash
ington as a woman's city," I asked,
scarcely being able to keep up with
Miss Richards rhapsody.
oh. she has always possessed special
qualifications in that direction" answer
ed Miss Richards. There again she is
unique among the capitals of the world
Even in early girlhood 1 remember be-
ing impressed by the greater freedom of
Washington women TO come and GO than
that enjoyed by the women of other East
ern cities. In New York and Boston It
was almost unheard OF twenty-four years
ago for young women TO attend evening
parties or entertainments unaccompanied
by men or a chaperon. Yet in Washing
ton, as long ago as 1 can remember,
groups of two or more to concerts, lee
lures and the theater, TO club meetings
and. later on. to women's banquets with
out exciting the slightest comment, while
the good people OF Baltimore in my
young girl-days held up their hands in
holy horror at the very ioea OF women,
especially young women. going out alone
ut night. insisting that even groups of
two. three, or even four, were still alone.
Women Safe on Streets.
The fact that women were always
considered safe in their comings and 60
ings in Washington and that every one
accepted 1t as a matter OF course, l have
always regarded as a particularly sane
and healthful sign in our community, and
| still remember my qualification and
sense OF local pride when-more than
twenty years ago-I heard Mrs. OrmistonI
Chant "a distinguished social welfare
worker from England make the state-
ment on public platform in Washing
ton that she was amazed, during an in
restigation Of street conditions in our
city. between midnight and a. m. nor
10 ind single street-walker from end IN
end Of F street or Pennsylvania avenue
Had you gone with me at tina.
lour' she continued. through PIcca-
lilly or the London Strand you would
ave found those great thoroughfares
AIRY tnfested with unfortunate WON.