Evening star., 1920-02-08

and on the east and west by 18th and
10th streets. 1T is not square in the
seOmetrical sense. but 1t is such in
typographical parlance. and its title
on the plat Of the city is, Square No.
1885," Though 1t is quadrsngular it Is
not equilaterai. 1t Is either a trape-
xium or a trapezoid, and really at this
moment the Rambler cannot tell
which. He can remember that
in one of those figures only two sides
are parallel and that in the other no
side is parallel to another, but he is
going to lay down his pen for a mo-
ment and look the matter up in his
trusty dictionary
He finds that the square on which
the Louise Home and other buildings
stands is a trapezod, "a four-sided
figure having two Of its sides par
allel," while trapezium is "a plane
hgure contained by four straight
lines of which no two are parallel"
OF course, he could have written in
an Off hand sort of way that this
square is a trapezoid without letting
you into the secret that he had to look
the matter up in a dictionary. You
might have got the impression that he
lives among such things as trapezoids
and trapeziums, right prisms. pentsg-
Onal prisms, pyramids, cones. spheres.
spheroids, illipsoids and the restr and
you might have whispered to your
self What a confounded geometricHn
the old fossil is." But he did not want
l&a
to let YOU know that he knew there
are such things as trapezoids and
tfapexiums, even though he did not
know what they were. Then, here are
two other thoughts that have come 10
him. The hrst is that had he called
tho square trapezoid and let 1t 60
at that not one in ten Of you who are
following these lines would have
known what was meant. The other
thought is that by making this ex-
cursion or discussion on trapezoids
and trapexiums he has helped him
self along two paragraphs in the
building up Of this story.
- -
The old survey line separa ting the
colonial land tracts called Jamaica
and Port Royal slants across the
Louise Home square in straight
line from approximately the corner
Of Massachusetts avenue and 10th
street to the corner Of M and 18th
streets. Jamaica" in 1892, stood In
tho name Of Samuel Blodgstt. and
Port Royal" in that year had been
divided into three parts. the east part
being IN the name of Lynch 4 Sands,
the middle part being in the name OF
John Davidson and the western part
being in the name OF Samuel Davidson.
The line separating John and Samuel
Daviason's parts ran from the Ninian
Beall-James Burnes-Davd Burnes
tract, called "Bealrs Levels" starting
at lsth street and New York avenue
and intersecting the south boundary Of
Jamaica" at Massachusetts avenue
and 18th street. The southeast half
Of the Louise Home square was in
samuel Davidson's part Of Port
Royal" and the northwest half Of the
square came out Of the tract "Ja-
mstca" The line seems to the Ram
bier to pass through the brick and
Seneca sandstone building in which
live tho ladies Of the Louise Home.
The lots occupied by the Louise
Home and its park were several
years the property of James Monroe.
The Rambler had no evidence that
he lived on them, and when he bought
them or when he parted with them
tile Rambler does not know. but il
there should be 4 public outburst Of
enthusiasm for the publication Of
those facts the Rambler will make
hasty trip to the ONCE Of the recorder
Of deeds and look them UP. He has
already looked up a few facts about
this square and other squares, but
nobody has sent him letter patting
him on the back for his patience and
industry. The original lots in the
JIeuise Home square have been sub
divided, and those on Al street and
feth street have been sub-subdtvided.
The original lots were Nos. to II.
No. l was ut the southeast corner of
the square, or the northwest corner
of 10th and NJ. Counting west were
let's q. 3 and =. the latter abuttinS
on the north and south alley. Then,
stin counting west. were lots >, S and
T. the latter being at the northeast