Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1918-07-24
WASHINGTON WRITTEN
UP BY DEBORAH GIRL
Miss Laura p. McClaskey Writes Her
Cousin, Mabel M. McClaskey
About Washington as 1t
Was and Is
CAPITOL CITY DIFFERENT
THAN YEAR AGO
Has Been i'm Washington a Year
Now Holding a Position in Office
of Chief of Staff OF War
Department.

The following lette: from Wash
ington, d. G. written by Miss Laura
p. McClaskey, to her cousin Mabel
McClaskey, will be read with inter-
est by her many Decorah friends.
She tells about Washington as It
was and is. A great change has TAX
en- place the past year.
1. Washington of July 1918 is
certainly different, to say the least.
from Washington of year ago. The
old Washingtonians with pro-
prietary al, lament the fact that
their nicy, nice Washington is "a
thing of the past, but the visitors,
temporary residents-wac workers,
'congressmen and representatives es-
pecially-raise their eyes and voices
in earnest thanksgiving.
2. When I first came here in
August 1917-and l came vowing
and declaring / would stick for three
months no matter what happened
and heee am yet But digress
When / first came here in August,
everything was still running on the
"slow freight " plan, as it were.
Heavens! it was awful, after leaving
the alertness and keenness of Chi
|cago. The street cars crawled-a
fond reminder OF the C. M. & ST. P.
between Calmar and Decorah, it gets
there eventually but why not now.
Recently the -skip-top system has
been inaugurated and things are Z
little better, the people have to be
shove in good old Anne ciean get
there style to board street car, not
TO mention securing seat One Of
my Catholic friends said to me
During Lent, I have given UP my
seat in the street ca. But, re-
minded her, where is the pennance
in depriving yourself of something
you never possessed. So that is the
now.
8. And the government clerk
the anti-bellum government clerk
the old maid government clerk.
What fate, The run down heels,
the modest inch-from-the-fioor skirts
(I am in quandry whether to
blame the heels foc the skirt or the
skirt for the heels) the paper lunch
bag clutched frantically by its poor
unresisting neck, and the cotton
umbrella, faded and gray. Why the
invariable umbrella, don't know,
maybe for the sun maby for fear
or hope-of rain.
The modern government clerk is q
joy forever. 'Tis privilege
pleasure! High tilty heels, short
skirts. the kind that makes the girls
look shorter and the men longer
Chats an old one and I apologize
for using it, the nifty knitting bags
with everything but knitting in them
II is edifying, electrifying, pepifying!
Oh, historic Pennsylvania Avenue
looks more like State and Madison
or Broadway. Gone is the leisure,
gone the dignity. Washington is a
metropolis.
A. Policemen blow whistles now,
just like real city. | have seen
months ago, a Pennsylvania and 9th
street policeman hold up an Army
War College automobile with colo
mel and two majors in it Because
squirrel was in the street. Now,
even the squirrels are wise and feel
the difference in the atmosphere. NO
doubt they all have decided to enlist
in the Signal Corps, Aviation Sect
ion. and become flying squirrels,
l.. p. Nj.