Evening star., 1924-09-29
Dupont Circle is a park gone to

Dupont Circle is park gone to
| seed.
Like some of the r. r. VS. who
| have come to Washington to run
boarding houses and put on airs, it
| has seen better days
Some years ago Dupont Circle was
fresh and green. with benches sprin-
| killed. through the park. Then chill
dren ran at will over the thick green
sward, frisked around the big statue
| of Rear Admiral Dupont and had a
! good time in general.
| Today all that is changed. Now the
park is dirty looking, its tone set
| by the circular race track around the
| circumference, along which all the
benches are grouped, facing inward.
| looking at the wired-off grass plots
| and children's sand piles.
I suppose it is all for the better.
The Dupont memorial fountain, with
| its falling water, certainly is an i'm
| provement over the old wooden
! bronze statue. The placement of the
benches allows mothers and nurse
maids to watch their charges easily.
Those who remember the park of
the old days, however. will wonder
| at the forms progress takes, and sigh
for the return of the old, unprogres-
sive, beautiful days.
| x X X X
| Standing at the famous intersection
| of Massachusetts, Connecticut and
/ New Hampshire avenues. Dupont Circle
! has mothered many generations of
| children. Beneath its hospitabIe trees
still walk men and women many of
them. famous, who once toddled along
these paths or ran and played across
! this grass
surely the grass was greener in
! those days. Then the Schneider block
between 18th and 18th streets on O
| street. was new. Two solid rows, and
very long rows at that, of brick and
! stone houses. of somewhat varied ap-
pearance, this block was one of the first
| OF its kind in Washington
| The entire neighborhood was resi-
Dental Dupont Circle was the natural
center of the entire section with its
| beautiful entrance adown the avenues
! or the other intersecting streets OF
these gateways none was--or is-so
! lovely as that along New Hampshire
| avenue from the north.
In Summer New Hampshire ayenue
! looking down from Q street, is a per-
! feet bower, the great trees forming a
! complete arch over the wide thorough
| fare. II those who advocate destruction
! of WaShington's unique feature. her
| trees, would only stand for a while on
| New Hampshire avenue, surely their
eSthetic sense would be stirred | do
! not believe any one is so darn practical
| that he would be willing to see these
trees cut down. And if not here, why
| elsewhere?
s. = x y
Yes, the grass was greener in those
days. Grass is like children in one
| respect. Too much coddling is not
! good for it,
When the little ones were allowed to
| run at will the grass in Dupont
| Circle, the sward was fresh and green.
! There was more green in the whose
| circle.
Perhaps the grass is growing old
| Certainly it is bare and worn-out
| looking. carefully fenced off. every
single plot of it, by wire stretched on
| iron stakes.
| Even the play spaces, technically
| known as sand piles, are wired off.
Little feet are no longer welcome on
! the grass. Dupont Circle is old and
staid
Or shall we say it is simply growing
up? Men and women lose their fresh
ness and charm when they grow
older, why may not a park suffer in
| the same way This green circle
stands at the peak of a great change.
| Connecticut avenue already is giving
way to commerce. Who knows but
Massachusetts avenue, even New