The Washington times., 1916-01-23

naive enthusiasm of the trite
speaker who refers to Wash
inston as the heart of the ma
ton?" Have you ever deplored the
lack of unity in the Capital City?
If you haze, and still wish to think
yourself correct, by all means restrain
yourself from attending The Battle
Cry of Peace" the war film which is
being shown at the Strand Thester
this u eek.
For. startlingly displayed opposite the
film is the heart Of the nation, throo-
hing and pulsatins in the tense faces
Of 2,i0o persons. who are experiencing,
some perhaps for the first time, the
heart-rendins feelings of a patriotism
of which they were totally unaware;
and outside, four abreast, feet shuffl-
inE. untirinG. is constantly renewed
army Of men, women and children
which stretches for two blocks. and
which has but one thought. one pur-
pose, one common goal-the picture.
For exactly one week Washington has
Laid tribute from 1880 IN the morn
ing until IL at night to the film which
srouses them to an agony of patriot
ism. and which has exacted os them
the arduous task Of waiting in line
for hours.
The Indifference which might have
arisen from an intimate association with
the vital affairs Of government is only
skin deep. after all and down beneath,
bestine steadily and strongly. is the
heart of the nation.
Police Preserve Order.
Not for one moment would the crowds
down in front Of the theater at this
very moment wait patiently. four
abreast. if there were not five policemen
TO help them spiritually and materially
rhev would. IL allowed. mob the theater
In their zeal. But wisely and far
sichtedly. a valiant corps was chosen
foremost among them being the IN
Identified monster who has especial
tur1Sdiction wfth over the cntTanSe nn;e. ,on.,b
this blue-coated figure twho NAV not be
The biggest man in the world. but whc
certainly looks it, pluCks the adventur'
Gus soul who would slip ahead. from his
darkness, and, amid the plaudts of the
patiently waiting crowds. invites hin
to take a place at the end of the line
somewhere around the corner in the
vicinity of Eighth street.
And the funny part of It is. that the
ps1son usually goes. hot foot. whether
through fear of the large party. or from
a haunting desire to flee from the scorr
VI lfIoSe VINO witnessed MS DaSc atteInn
to break the rules OF the game. it |.
hard to say.
Hold that line, Can't YOU act
little less IN hurry? No, son. Won
let anyone take YOUR place. No. moi
Gct ahead of YOU. Don't / look able t,
keep ANYBODY back" and one blue arm
Swuopinc out, catches Il rule breaker b,
he collar. the other makes an air spac,
tor little child in the line. while tn
cold. tire!ess blue eyes pcerinE out from
undorncath the visor of the cap watcl
Tor siGns Of trouble of which the aver
agc Dedcatrian does not think
Sic"iN the line moIeS toward. untI
the house Is virtually empticd for az
'thcr p"rfoInlaHCc, Whcu it spult
ahead to make anothGr thcrter-full ~,
hen returns to its sloH, steady progre :s
On the street Nidc, at TN. wide exit
the same conditions are rev erscd. On
by one the patrons sift OFT in a CDn
Linual stream, While the pcrformauc
IS going on hut rs II ends, they pnu
out in Il horde, several hundred strong.
AS they near the Goorway the lessi
tude of waiting &ccr,n to iitt from tn
shoulders Of the newcomer, and, n
splred oN some electric thrill whici