The Washington herald., 1918-07-28
'NoTHING BUT THE BEST"

Claims People Want Apartments
with Peacock Alley Trimmings"
Editor. The Washington Herald:
May I add, q contribution to your
daily column on prohteering 10 this
city, since another contributor has
a very appealing experience in this
mornings issue OF The Heard.
/ am q native of the Capital
born and raised in this city, and
have one of the war Government po-
sitions. Naturally ] know lots OF
people and have tried to. Tend a
hand" TO some OF the bewildered
strangers within our gates" by
circulating among my friends in
search of furnished apartments and
rooms.
Right now let me explain that I
do not keep house or rent rooms.
rant profiteering-so my views are
entirely without bias. -
Since last Saturday have been
vainly trying to find a tenant for
the apartment of q friend over on
Capitol Hill. It. is a gem Of a nat
five housekeeping rooms and bath,
neat and attractively furnished. The
neighborhood is good-new, sani-
tary and lots OF air and space. The
very reasonable rental is 335. furn-
ished as the rooms stand. Yet the
people / have sent TO inspect IL, OBJ
jsct to the distance because it Is a
twenty-five or thirty-minute ride
to their office.
1 know of smother fat-where I
have tried in vain to place my new
friends. It is very desirably and
centrally located, consisting of
suite of furnished rooms. four on
the first floor and one on the third.
The price is about $40 with piano,
gas and coal range and other de-
lectible articles OF furniture. But
nobody wants II because the bath
room is on the second floor. And the
bedroom on the third floor.
I also have in mind at this writ
ing. spacious bedroom daintily
clean, in a lovely old west end resi-
dence. that has been renting for 81
month. but as IL is located on the
third floor / can't get my office as
sociates to even go and look at this
room unless the landlord puts in
an elevator. These are bona hdal
facts -
Now II seems to me these new
comers and old residents are play
ing at cross purposes, and each Eek
poets the world with q fence around
it" In other words-each expects
too much OF the other.
I dnn'f fhinL o.,r sA 80
pie are entirely to blame. Some of
our new neighbors lack both the
pioneer spirit and sporting instinct.
Let me illustrate. / have met peo-
pie who worked. in Chicago and New
York. who willingly and cheerfully
spent at least two hours on trains
daily committing from and to their
homes IN Hyde Park, Illinois, or
places like East Orange and New
Rochelle. n. J. Yet when they ac-
cept government positions here in
Washington they expect TO get ac-
commodiations within five minutes
walk from their office,
Then their is the girl from the
country town who was formerly
contented with a weekly scrub in
a wooden laundry tub in the
kitchen on Saturday night. Yet she
expects Washington housekeepers to
keep the coal range going every day
and night OF the year so there will
be an ine3haustible supply of hot
water in the bathroom.
There seems to be legions of new
comers who demand and will haze
nothing but the best" They want
luxurious apartments with such
trimmings as peacock alleys, roof
gardens. cabarets and stringed or
cestras. at the same prices prevail
ing back in G1assville and Black
berry Cross Roads, Their most
modest demand is q second story
front bedroom. They are usually
twins of the people who can't eat
anything but the breast and second
joints of the chicken. --.-.
Then there are the gloriously IN
consistent folks who will lean pa
tiently for four hours against
lamp post on Pennsylvania avenue
watching the parade pass, and yet
are too infirm to climb two fights
of stairs to the bedroom under the
stars. -.. g..
They won't live on Capitol Hin
because il is not stylish" enough.
Georgetown is too SLOW" and South
Washington is "unspeakable."
Everything else is TOO far out"
They must live out on the 'Fiur-
teenth avenue car lines. ror within
1--WE minutes walk Of the Office"
Now to take issue with the other
side-the prohteers. can go your
complainant's letter in the issue of
July 18th Herald one better on
profiteering. Over on Thirtieth
street between N and NJ streets Is
a family with a plain unpretentious
house. They have q front room for
rent worth about SO q month in
normal times. Now they want $40
for it-and no girls II you please.
because girls are so much trouble" |"
They are counting to get four nice
gentlemen to sleep in the room.
They prefer army officers. but would
not object to Congressman and men,
bers of the Presidents Cabinet. pro-
yided they do not expect and ask to
press their trousers down in the
kitchen. This does not include
meals. They are extra. y
give IL up. Perhaps The Herald
IA fine up-to-date little paper (the
only one I buy daily. by the wsy),
will open q heart.to- heart Discus.
sion In their paper on the subject.