The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-09-29
WASHINGTON
WHAT A TWELVE YEAR OLD
GIRL MAY SEE AT THE MA
TIONAL CAPITAL,
(Bv Mary Hemphill Greene.)

As Washington is the capital OF
the United States, everyone wlshes
e 90 there at least once. 1t is
i:ne trip for a little girl and che can
see so many things that it is hard to
remember all of them.
One of the best things atout
tiiR.to Washington is getting to ride
on q Pullman sleeper and eating
breakfast in the dining car next
morning. We ordered good break
fast and ate it with the towns and
country just flying by on the outside.
One of the first things we went to
see was the Zoo in Rock Creek park.
it was labor day and there were
many picnic parties in the park.
This is one of the finest zoos in the
United States and all kinds of ami
mails can be seen. We watched the
bears for long time and saw the
big Sea-lion come out on the banks
of the pool in which he lives. The
birds were in a cage which had full
grown trees in it and a stream OF
water running through it. There
were many beautiful birds in it but
the prettiest were the swans and the
white Eigrettes.
In one pen we saw three turtles
which had come from Belfast, Ire
land. They were as big as cotton
baskets and about two feet tall. The
polar bears would swim around on
their backs most of the time and the
brown bears had a foot just like a
negro. Bill said he "bet the turtle
would hold to a walking cane until it
thundered" and that there were more
pigeons in the park than jack and
Hugh Bradley knew were in the
world.
Every one who goes to Washington
gkes out to Mt. Vernon to see the
lome of George Washington. We
went out on car which was filled
with tourists. The place is beauti-
Jul and is kept up by a party OF
ladies. The house is kept up just
Ike it was in the time of Washing
ton. In the hall you can see the
key to the Bastile sent to Washing
ton by La Fayette, three of Wash
ington's swords and the discharge
paper of soldier signed by Wash
ington. The old clock on the stair
is still standing. In one of the par
lors is the carpet given to Washing
ton by Louis XVI of France, which
is still fine looking after a hundred
years. The furniture in the bed
rooms is still the same as it was in
the days of Washington and looked
strange to me. In some of the
rooms there are little half beds of
the four poster style and these rooms
, are called guest rooms.
In the kitchen the cooking was
cone on the open fire and the old
crane with its five pot hooks still
hangs. The brick oven in the side
of the chimney is still there and
shows where the bread was baked.
Most of the cooking vessels are of
brass and pewter.
In some of the rooms were queer
looking brass things with long ham
die which the caretaker told us was
q bed warmer.
The tomb of Washington was
very plain affair, made of brick with
an arch gateway in the front. In
side the tomb forty bodies are buried.
Two white marble coffin shaped re-
cepticles hold the bodies of Gen. and
Mrs. Washington. Fresh flowers
are placed on these every day. There
is caretaker at the gate Of the
tomb whose people belonged to the
Washington family and he showed us
the trees planted by the many distin-
guished visitors who come here.
President Taft planted a water oak
here last year that is growing fine.
We saw also a tree which was planted
by the Archbishop of Canterbury,
and a fine Linden which was planted
by Prince Henry, Of Prussia, the bro
ther Of the German Emperor.
We went back to the city on the
boat, which took US about an hour.
1t was cool and pleasant and the wa
ter as smooth as glass. We could
see the shadow of the Washington
monument in the water. THIS mon
rment is over five hundred feet
high and it stands out clear and beau
tiful against the sky and can be seen
from every part of the city.
Anyone can go through the capi-
tai building with a good guide for
about quarter. They usually start