Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1921-12-02
WASHINGTON NOW
WORLD s CAPITAL.
SEEMINGLY, ALL THE PEOPLES
OF THE EARTH HAVE THEIR
REPRESENTATIVES, THERE.
LODGINGS ARE HARD TO FIND
Picturesque Garb, Strange Uniforms
and Many Foreign Tongues Make the
City Interesting Chinese Prove
Themselves Clever Linguists.
BY EDWARD B. CLARK.

BY EDWARD B. CLARK.
Z. Washington Washington now is In
the largest sense the capital city of
the World. In truth, Washington has
been the cosmopolitan center of things
ever since the World war began. Ger
tainly the eyes Of all the peoples of
the earth are on this Potomac town
today.
Washington residents do not know
their city. 1t Is changed in the pro-
verbal twinkling Of an eye from an
Overgrown country village to a place
restless with movement and crowded
with activities. Is Washington ever to
return to normally? Perhaps so, and
perhaps not; but there are those In
this town who hope that such may be
the case.
Once on time, and time not so
long ago, one at certain seasons
could go into the lobby of the great
est hotel in this city and find, say, two
or three semi-disconsolate strangers,
who were, wondering how they hap
pened to land in a desert. There were
seasons of the year not long ago
when the hotels in this town shut off
from use whole floors of their build
ings and discharged fully one-half the
members of their. staff or employees.
Does anything of thar kind happen
in Washington today? 1t does not,
and the condition, while not In the re-
mote past, already is forgotten. A
visitor to this town is lucky today If
he can find a place to lay his head,
and luckier If he is not compelled to
scowl at the charge for his bed and
board, which he finds set down upon
the bill which is presented to him.
Washington hotel men, boarding
house women and apartment house
owners are not called upon frequently
to speed the parting guest Everyone
hangs on to what he has in the way Of
a habitatiOn, and counts himself for
tunate If the roof does not leak and
there is not an aIl-night jazz band do
ing business next door.
Peoples Of the World There.
This is q picturesque place today,
and in way, to American eyes, it Is
sort Of a grotesque place. The East
and the West and the middle lands
have met here. One sees strange civ
ilian garb and strange uniforms. Men
and women, however, seem to be pref
| ty near alike the world over, In q
human nature way, for the visitors
from here, there and the other place ara
| pleasant-spoken folk, genial-faced and
as grateful for courtesies as cats for
cream.
Are the peoples of the world here?
Go for your answer into any one Of
ten hotels You will hear French as
the dominant language In one, Japan
ese In another, italian in another. Slo-
In others. The Washington monu-
ment, albeit 1t is a completed struc-
| ture, might we'll stand today for the
| Tower of Babel.
Interpreters are here in consider
able numbers The trouble with some
few Of the interpreters is they do not
know how to tinterp." Some of them
learned their English In the schools
OF their native land, and as there is a
vast difference between a school
taught language and a community
taught language, the difficulties Of
some Of the interpreters may be I'M
derstood. They are willing gentlemen,
but there are frequent Americanisms
which are beyond the scope of their
understandings and beyond the trick
of their tongues
Chinese Know "American" Tongue.
The Chinese always have been noted
as good copiers It Is said that their
artisans can reproduce anything on
earth, when once it is presented to
them for study. The old school-book
story of the English sailor who took
his patched trousers to a Chinese
tailor and asked him to make him a
new pair, is of course familiar. The
Chinese tailor reproduced the trousers,
patches and all.
SO 1T Is, perhaps, with English. The
student Chinese seem to be able to
reproduce the English language more
perfectly than it lies within the pow
er Of the European to do. The Chi
nese who are here know American
slang as they know the language of the
American savant. They can talk
"East side" or Harvard" at will.
They are wonderful lot.
English and French are the Ian
guages Of the conference. 1t is
lucky that French was included, for
one or two of the great Frenchmen
who are here do not know Eyes" or
"No" in English. Of course, all the
proceedings of the conference eventu-
ally will be translated into almost ev-
cry tongue on earth. but first they will
go into English and then into French.
It is said that the diplomacy of this
conference will not be that kind Of di-
plomacy which uses language to con-
ceal thoughts.
Popular Support Asked.
1t is not a presumption Of knowl-
edge" to say that the American adj
ministration and the American congress
have a heart desire for an intelligent,
interested and supporting public senti-
LIGHT AND VISION