Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-10-05
w ashington:
Old and New


would have nothing TO do, IT was said,
with any of the government crowd -
| The army "set" was reported at bitter
social strife with the navy. The Com
| greasionals' and the Cabinet contested
holly for supremacy. Tho lalty repre-
scntatives of typewriter corporations,
lobbyists students, press correspondents
| and others not directly connected witt,
| the government, struggled along ne best
| they might Most of this was sheer non
sense; but il formed background for n
good deal of harmless gossip
THE ofp THEN
! The visitor emerging from the steps OF
| Union Station was start led by the quletude
/ and essential serenity of IL all. Rush
| and bustle was nov here; excitement the
excitement Of Park Row and Dearborn
| street apparently did not exist. u was
n good thing, this calm the visitor thought,
rs from tho steps nc watched the clear
| light Of morning playing on the Capitol
| dome Laws for hundred million people
| should not lie inndc under tho ncurotic
stimulants Of Disqualification After
all tho visitor told himself, thankfully.
| the Jazz band IS not America
He met his congressman and noted hat
| thing in the latter had taken tho
| place of tho nervous energy which had
| distinguished his campaign Inter. over
comfortable julcp ~ the Willard ~
elsewhere. the congressman assured hum
| that the Republicans or the Democrats
rs the case was had overrhot their bolt
and were Doomed shortly TO political
oblivion
Nioet &c I'll Washington was Young
young with the clean cut we'll tempered,
metho,iical ammunition nf the rural youth
If solid circunst anee In the same sense
America was Young
THr NV Now"
Should the visitor 10 Washington now
pause ON the steps Of mon Station 70
regard tho sunlight on the 'aptol dome
Il is likely that his contemplation will be
interrupted or Disturbed hy jaetllng
from someone behind OF IL front 81 him
lie will have vague feeling OF being
somehow ont oi place The first touch 81
this feeling comes IL llm rs he leaves hls
crowded train and follows the stream INTO
tho train slNd Stern determination seems
stamped on every fncc he encounters
MI seem tn have lob ~ do and are
steadily intent upon doing y somehow
this seems 80 hc no place Tor one who has
M particular lup e. de- Soldiers arc
cvcryw here. smart. nicely groamed sol
,ilcrp going homc on iuflolgh, tired be
drapplrd soldiers ou thclt way back 10
camp. grim lacking soldiers with havo-
noicd rifles walking about rs military
police
Tho capita 81 he niind States X ia
procoe. at = profound and complete
rhanpc Il y moi metcls lbe superficial
Transformation So patent toeYcrs observer
thcnvttllood 81 population. the shortage
~ street car -panc the mus broom groWth
of small restaurants and grocery stores
hut = reel change from within, and = part
ol the change whlch IS taking place nj the
core If American lie
In ono way a. another he impression
has gotten abroad that the two really
cosmopnhtan citIce al he | ntcd States
are New orb and Washington New
y ork hccur;, Il ~ the Goshen for almost
al he rest 81 the country and Canaan
for the distressed and adventurous of
almost all other countries, Washington
well. Washington hcrauSc Il IS the seat
of Federal Government. the residence Of
tho President the Secretary OF State and
foreign ENJOYS
rs matter of fact Washington never
was much Of city tor lis size. New
Orleans. san Francisco. Chicago and
even Philadelphia. Baltimore and Clncin-
natl might have laid clam to more cos
mopoIltan distinction than the capital
in a way. Washing on WIS metropolitan.
hut it was also provincial Washington
was never. of itself. progressive or stald.
lust or slow In these things Il followed
the spirit of the nation and It sometimes
II also followed the spirit OF the world
II wAS only because the nation followed
Washington lends itself rs readily, almost,
to a change IN party domination rs 10
change in departmental regulations. old
faces disappear: arc missed awhile and
forgotten; new faces come are remarked
awhile and accepted
HAS CHARACTER or ITS OWN.
Yet, Washington, Tor al us changeahlc-
nees, was never without a character of its
own Tradition is the strongest factor III
the persomfcation Of cities. and Washing
ton has plenty of tradition. II Is rich IN
historical memories of the panic when
the British took the city, OF the stormy,
sometimes bloody, debates OF abolition
times, of the tense days and nights when
the soldiers of NcC lclIan watched the
Potomac and the Rappahannock These
memories meant much to the " ashlngton
OF few years ago In those days, trolley
ears were without fiat wheels and seldom
we'll behaved Night lie began ut ten
minutes past seven and ended ut ten
thirty or thercabouts
In those days each white newcomer to
Washington found social classification
awaiting him He was 4 4 congressional"
or he wasn't In the latter event he was
4 Departmental, 4 Civil Service Per
son an Embassy Person. George
tovner or . Ian mat II Was said then
that much bad blood and vendetta existed
among these various little cllqueS
PHYSICAL change Was also evident IL he
big service hut Of thc ! VI G. \ and nc
barracks built on the vacant areas about
the station Stll this was not all
The visitor decided not to Use 4 TAN
There seemed something sinful in using
taxi now He followed crowd aboard
street ear. Something had changed
even about the street ears II seemed
az though they had changed their air Of
efficiency for one not unlike |
that he had seen on the faces Of the people |
inside the station The street cars bore |
the scars Of battle; but they bore them
we'll
The conductor could not have been
more than eighteen He had no umfc-m |
but battered cap. But when he spoke |
he spoke as a man, and his voice had in |
i the ring of authority which expects |
obedience
Int 90.
Right aboard he shouted Hop M |
there c mon les go
He gave the bell rope two vicious Jerks |
The car started forward with a swift sud |
dcuness The motorinan changed his bell !