The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1924-12-11
II. THE WAsHINGTONIAN

vidual. The spectacles must be of
the tortoise-shell or horn-rimmed
breed. Why, l don't know. But it is
true that we have mental images of
what constitutes the typical inhabi-
tant of certain outstanding American
cities and towns. For example, we
attach the adjective "dapper" to the
inmates Of Manhattan; loud clothes
to the Chicagoan; sallow compilations
to citizens of the Quaker City; brag-
gadocio to the Pittsburgner, etc. But
when we come to visualize the Wash
ingtonian we cannot identify him by
any sure means. He has not the soft,
carressing tones Of Virginia; thebroad
"a" of Massachusetts; the drawl of
Georgia; the rotund 20" of Ohio, nor
the twang of the New Yorker All of
these identifying MARKS are heard in
the capital streets; none of them
point out the Washingtonian.
The reason for this lack of the typ
ical citizen is easy to assign. It's
just this: There is no such thing as
a Washingtonian. There are people
who have lived here all their lives
and people who have lived here for
various fractions thereof. None of
them can be called Washington peo-
pie in any wider and deeper sense
th.,t ~
that is the heart of America. Those
from the South retain and transmit
to their children, for the most part,
then manners and traditions of their
place of origin. Those from the
North, middle West, far West, South
west and Northwest do in like man
ner. For one who is fairly well ac-
quainted with the distinguishing
characteristics of local character in
the United States, it is not very diff
ficult to determine the place of ma
tivity or descent Of the men and wo-
men he may meet in the four quarters
of Washington. And they come from
near and far-mostly far. Aside
from official nabobs and their reti-
nues, doubt if there is single state,
territory or possession that is unrep-
resented in the half million souls
that | might call the city's personel.
The more populous the quarter, the
larger the contingent from it. The
nearby States of Virginia and Mary
land are exceptions to this rule as
their large representation is due more
to proximity than to numerical
strength. There are some families
who have been residents of the Dis
trict Of Columbia for generations,
but these are so few and so different
among themselves that they are neg
hgible. And in many other respects
the native-born inhabitant fails, as
we shall see in subsequent articles, to
approach the qualifications of the
typical. Nor would the lineup be
complete without the mention of i'm
migrants from foreign lands. 1t would
be almost as difficult to name tribe
or nation, as to name a State, that
has omitted to contribute towards
the miXtum-g atherum that swells the
population and helps preserve the
local housing shortage It's babel is
heard in the streets, which sound the
footballs of men of every cline be-
tween the poles and all the way round
the circle of the earth. Even Africa
in all probability is here in the blood
of its countless dusky nations, mingled
in the veins Of the N dem negro, I'M
der every nuance of color from jet
black to high yellow that would pass
anywhere for white.
All this would not be so bad if ma
tionality and locality were the only
differentiating feature. Unfortu-
nately there are others in abundance.
Each of these groups has its own
customs and mentality and each, con-
sequently, does not readily under
stand the other. They may get along
amicably, but they seldom become
close friends. Wealth is another
cause of division. There are the plu-
tocrats with their millions, the we'll
to do with their thousands, the COM
fortably-fXed with their hundreds,
the poor with their few dollars and
the poverty with nothing.
The one extreme may figure his in
come tax in the hundred thousand
class; the other may go to Jail be-
cause lack of work and credit made
Su!u!e4sns 10 sueou GIuo s!q 4J9ql
life. know Of a case where a fam
lily of five were discovered living in
a hen coop. An dedication, too, is
widely and variously distributed. Re-
spectability keeps many a family
poor that might be fairly we'll off.
For the typical white-collar worker
gets such an exalted opinion of the
dignity of dressed-up labor that when
new processes, new machinery, new
management, new policies deprive
him of his clprLycbin bo 6pJe - MO-,