The Washington herald., 1922-01-30
Subversive of DecOrum.

To the Editor. The Washington Herald:
Under the caption, Defends Gov
ernment Hotels" l note the com
munication l addressed to The Her
aid day or two ago drew fire
from one of the guests" of the dor
mitories who signs the initials j.
l.. T." to her letter.
Analysing the defense made by
Miss -. l. g." one is forced to the
conclusion that the bulk of it lies
in the fact that the government
permits the young ladies living at
its hotels to do just about as they
please. To quote her literally it
appears that the stellar attractions
are the tub and shower baths. the
rooms equipped with lavatories and
the many parlors where we may
entertain our friends seven nights
in a week and nobody cares, So long
as we conduct ourselves with pro-
priety."
This is quite praiscworthy de-
fense OF the government hotel sys-
TEN and doubtless reflects the sem
timent prevailing among the major
ity of young women who make their
residence in the dormitories. But is
not the very nature of this defense
sufficient to cause those in author
ity to pause and consider whether
or not the government is doing
real service to these young ladies
in providing a place in which they
may entertain their friends seven
nights a week and nobody cares"
The government. to he sure, can
not he expected to exercise a CEN
sorship over its thousands Of en-
ploycs while off duty However. the
least il could do. it would soem
would he to refrain from holdins
out a beckoning hand to these fem
inine government workers to come
where there is no restraint. no med
dlesome home influence to interfere
with -nights-a-week date
making"
Probably no other person in
Washington is in closer touch with
the rooming situation in Washing
ton than Is the writer. and i must
most respectfully challenge the
statement that there are not hun
dreds Of desirable rooms now va
cant in this city-dcsirable from
every point of view. And. Il may
be added, that in a gres. majority
of these rooms the tenant Is and al
ways has been allowed a reasonable
amount Of home privileges, such as
the entertainment during respect
able hours OF ones friends in the
family parlor or living room, the
reasonable use of laundry facilities
in Easements. etc.
1t is manifestly Unfair to crm-
pare rooming conditions in Wash
ington at this time with those that
prevailed during the fall of 1911
and the war period which followed
when, as -. l.. B.55 suggests. many
parlors were turned into bedrooms
not as a means of producing rove
nue.. but as a patriotic duty in re-
spouse to the appeals of the gov
ernment that every inch of space
be utilized i'm providing quarters
for war workers. There are plenty
Of Washington homes now in which
these young ladies may find all the
comforts and privileges of their
own homes, and at cost no greater
than they are paying for the privi-
lege of living at the government
hotels.
Getting back to the original prop
osition, the writer is more convinced
than ever. in the light of Miss -. l..
Rs" defense. that there is no good
reas son why the government should
continue to operate these hotels.
There is no emergency to justify II,
and they serve no good purpose.
either to the government or to the
government workers. On the other
hand. they work great injustice
upon a large proportion of the citi-
zenship upon which the government
Is quick to lean in times of emer-
gency-and never in vain.
w MARVIN POPE