Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-11-22
Why They Came to Washington.

Why did they come? They wont
EEL ,lat to every one. Just to have
part. however small. in the crowd
ed hour of the world. 1t wasn't fol
the high salaries. or for the excite
ment and change. Perhaps they
knitting socks; but they did know
how to click their typewriters and tt
make their pencils gy over the pages,
And so, when Uncle Sam asked foi
their help they came.
You've probably heard the joke
about the war workers coming for rest
and a. change. and then having tt
give the change to the street car
conductors, and the rest to the land
lady. There was more truth than
poetry in that. And there isn't b
stenographer or typist or file clerk
who won't be on hand for the neF
war to keep roomers.
The high salaries didn't e." "
pretty clothes and pleasures -'ithe
After each pay day there VS.
to the long line that " ."
the money order wiEdo' ~ ~
! going home to mo''r.',s ~ ''ui' t't'e
of New England IN - e = us OF IN
south or in Scati, r-' VILLAGES on th'
western plains
You DIDN'T i'k. she way they dress
ed. and sometimes you scored there
dressed ONES and the. shabby ones
don't forget those who came to WORK
~ rss, Ht:Ne BUSINESS suits or trim
blu. serge dresses. Maybe they mac
n,fssrd ii whole hour of their beauty
s.-,r The night before just to WASH
49,, i-nn those frilly white cuffs ane
collars.
And anyway, 1 could tell you about
i d hi,,ie girl whose shoes were, shaDoS
AVID coat threadbare because she was
; sending most of that high salary 10 2
hardworking mother and crippled
| father at home. And 1 could tell you
the story of another little girl whom
YOU criticised for the bright spot OF
| rouge on each cheek. She did that sc
! no one would know she spent an
! other whole night crying because
| there hadn't been letter from over
seas for weeks and weeks.
! You thought they were irresponsi.
| BILE and Mighty You said they didn't
| attend to business Some or then1
| didn't, but not all. In that DARK
spring of 1918 they worked early and
late. and even when their typewriters
! raped away into the night they
| didn't complain. When the armistlce
came of course the strain lessened
| And they wouldn't have been human
| if once in a while they hadn't skipped
ping on sick leave. or left their desks
! for a few minutes visit with cnuH
| in the rest room.
! Yes, They Were Everywhere.
! They were everywhere, and maybe
you thought they rushed in where
angels feared to tread. If they die
| it was just out of sheer JOY at being
in so beautiful a city. Don't forge
that some of them came from little
country places, where the only at
traction was a movie every Saturday
night, and others from dreary little
! towns unidentified by green park:
and great spreading trees like those
which border the Ellipse.
OF course they went everywhere
They invaded Peacock Alley like
young army, they filled the street:
after 4:30 in the afternoon, they huns
on the straps in street cars, they
crowded the restaurants. they wen,
window shopping along F street, and
they laughed and pushed in the long
lines outside the picture theaters.
Trey were curious and eager, but
don't say they were unappreciative
No one of them who saw the llghtee
Capitol dome on armistice night
glistening after the long months OF
wartime darkness, will ever 1orge'
it. Nor will they forget the spring
days when the basin was edged with
the pink and white of the japanese
cherry trees. There won't be much
left Of those high salaries for then
to take back home, but they will take
something infinitely more precious.
| But. it's goodbye, now, dear Ole
Washington. What If you should fine
that it is only a quiet. leisurely dream
you must return to? And that IT
! those months when you were hllee
with throngs of young people you
were really wide awake?
| ALISON BROWN,
| IT'S East LIST Street, Duluth. MINI.