The Washington herald., 1918-05-18
Odtur aey morning

Special Correspondent Of The Washington Herald.
New York, May 17.-Gothamites are
becoming prodigious walkers. The bus
mess man within twenty squares Of
the office hikes 1t OF in the crisp
morning air instead OF descending to
the assorted odors Of the subway.
Clerks who live far away in the wilds
Of the Bronx are dropping on a couple
of miles from their homes and walk
ing the rest of the way.
Nobody knows the exact reason for
the sudden interest in travelling afoot
but the traffic officers have noted the
remarkable spurt. On Sunday after
noon nearly all Of New York streets
are crowded. There are fewer auto
mobiles in the city. it is declared. on
Sunday than there were last summer.
Auto owners are even walking.
The favorite Sunday walk is to start
from West Seventy-second street on
Riverside Drive. The Hudson SHIN
mering in the foreground bulwarked by
the beauties of the Palisades are in
deed inspirational. Along the walk
one may see Charles Schwab's man.
sion-one Of the few houses in New
York with a yard. Then there is the
home of Amelia Bingham with its
odd statuary cluttering up the per-
golas.
In the Hudson are several camou-
flaged ships ready to slip away in
the night Up about Grants tomb
are the nursemaids, the hand-holding
spooners, the dogs in charge of Wallets,
the high HATED crusty business men
who still resort to the button hole
bouquet The driveways are a steady
stream OF automobile, bicycle and
horseback devotees. Incidentally the
bicycle is apparently coming back.
Bicycle clubs are being formed all
about the city. Girls are riding BIZ
cycles to go down town shopping Now
and then one sees the auto-ped wig
wagging in and out of traffic and
annoying the semaphore men.
Upper Broadway on Sunday after
noon from Sixty-sixth TO 18th is
Crowded mass of walkers. The soda
fountains and ice cream parlors do a
rushing business and as for the movie
magnates they are all getting rich.
A troop train drew into the Newark
station. 4 kinky haired black boy
stuck his head out the window and
yelled to a baggage man: Boss, what
down is dis?"
This is Newark" was the reply.
What State am dat in?"
New Jersey"
The negro scratched his head per-
plexedly. Say, boss. we've been on
dis heah train now four days. When
do we get to Paris?"
Copeland Townsend, the hotel man,
used to live in Oconomowoc, Wis. One
Of the characters of the town was a
club-footed barber. One morning Mr..
Townsend was walking down past the
barber's shop and on the opposite side
Of the street was a citizen going home
ward with a bag of -four thrown over
his shoulder.
Look at him with that sack OF
four" said the barber "I'n bet he
hasn't got a pint of whisky in his
house"
You have been to New York? Very
well then. You were no doubt i'm
pressed with the cold impersonal way
which your purchases were received
by the girl at the newsstand counter.
They are all alike. They consider
they are doing you a great favor by
waiting on you. Sometimes they will
make you wait ten minutes and then
look on in the distance as you make
your inquiry for this magazine or
that cigar. Well. the other day the
man who owns the concessions for
newsstands and cigar stands in the
majority of the hotels was called be-
fore a meeting of hotel men. He was
given an ultimatum: "Get courteous
girls or get outT As a result nobody
has been snubbed trying to buy a
cigar or a magazine for ten days