The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1921-12-08
seGkiNoLv. ALL the PeoPLGs
o. the EARTH NAVE THEIR
REPReseNTATives rngRg.
LODGINGS ARE HARD TO FIND
ey EDWARD o. CLARK.

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. II is changed In the pro-
verbal twinkling Of an eye from an
overgrown country village 10 q place
restless with movement and crowded
with activities. Is Washington ever to
return to normalcy7 Perhaps so, and
perhaps not; but there are those In
this town who hope that such may be
the case.
Once on a time, and a time not SO
long ago. one at certain seasons
could 20 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 q desert. There were
seasons Of the year not long ago
when the hotels In this town shut OF
from use whole floors Of their. build
ings and discharged fully one-half the
members Of their staff Of employees.
Does anything Of thar kind happen
In Washington todayf 1t does not,
and the condition. while not In the re-
mote past, already Is forgotten. A
visitor to this town Is lucky today II
he can find a place to lay his head.
and luckier II 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
habitation, and counts himself for
tunate II the roof does not leak and
there is not an all-night jazz band do
ing business next door.
Peoples Of the World There.
This Is a picturesque place today.
and In way. to American eyes, II 10
sort Of grotesqrA place. The East
and the West ard the middle lands
hive 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 are
pleasant-spoken folk. genial-faced and
as grateful for courtesles as cats for
cream.
Are the peoples Of the world hcrei
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 I'm another. Slo-
wax In another, and other languages
In others. The Washington monu-
ment. albeit II IL completed struc-
ture, might well 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 ''interp." Some Of them
learned their English In the schools
of their native land. and as there Is
vast difference between school
taught language ard community
taught language, the difficulties of
some Of the interpreters may be un-
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 coDlers. IL Is said that their
artisans can reproduce anything on
earth, when once II Is presented to
them for study. The old school book
story Of the English sailor who took
his patched trousers to q Chinese
tailor and asked him to make him
new pair, Is Of course familiar. The
Chinese tailor reproduced the trousers,
patches and all.
SO II is. perhaps, with English. The
student Chinese seem to he able 10
reproduce the English language more
perfectly than II 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 tho
savant. They can talk
EAST side or Harvard" at viii.
They are a wonderful lot.
English and French are the Ian
guases Of the conference II 10
lucky that French was included. for
Dne or two OF the great Frenchmen
who are here do not know "Yes" or
mo" In English. or course. all the
OF the conference eventu.
Ally will be translated into almost ev-
cry tongue on earth. hut first they VIII
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