Evening star., 1924-09-28
BY DONALD ALEXANDER
THE CITY OF WASHINGTON,

City of Washington
capital of our beloved
country! Lafayette and
caught our first glimpse of the
Capitol building at the same time'
on October IL, although l must con-
fess that we both had great dim
Guilty in locating the city, even after
We had looked north, south, east and
west from the commanding hill on
which the Capitol stands.
"A friend of mine, Dick staples
YOU may remember him-rode in on
horseback to see me the day a1ter
my arrival from his country place
out in the weeds at Fourteenth street
and Massachusetts, avenue. His boots
and oreeches were badly splashed
with mud; for there was a rain sew
eral days ago, and the mudholes on
Pennsylvania avenue and the other
rcdTfWays that run through the WOODS
and fields and are dignifed with
the names of avenues and streets, had
not dried up. He insisted that | had
no visiou-that in another hundred
years Washington will be great
city. the most beautiful capital in
the world. I could not help smiling
up my sleeve at his enthusiasm and
credulity.
Il am "A good American, l trust,
just as you are. and we are both
pTOuu OF lHt LAT lltaL 'ti inAhNiE
fought in the cause of liberty and
helped to make possible these United
States of America. But what is the
use of allowing our patriotism TO
run away with our intelliSenceE i
am more inclined to agree with Gen.
l.afayette'S secretary, Mr.. LevasSeur,
who predicts that the burrows along
side the so-called streets and avenues
of this city are much more likely to
raise n of wheat and
tobacco than public buildings, fine
shops and dwelling houses, for many
decades.
But if the city is hard to discern
without lively imagination, the
citizens have the spirit of the dwellers
in great city. We have been enter
tanned royally-forsive that word
from an American. who means it in
figurative sense only-and We have
listened so many times to their ref
ercnces to the city. and the great
capital of our nation. that we have
begun to believe it is really here.
If anything ever makes city
h"rs-which many persons honestly
Goubt--it will be the enthusiastic re-
fusal of the citizens OF Washington
TO see facts under their eyes and their
insistence upon looking SO far into
tho future that it makes me dizzy
There is another thing that aids
stranger in seeing the city through
the ina maginative eyes of a citizen of
Washington. For. if the city is at
present somewhat destitute of fine
buildings and a large population. it
is well provided with taverns. 1t has
had to supply quarters for clerks and
officials of the government, members
of the House and Senate, officers Of
the Army and Navy and the visitors
who are coming here in greater mum
Der every year out of curiosity and
on Government bu siness. And each
tavern has its wine or grog shop.
0NUR congressman demand the
" best and get It, There has
been a continuous round of toastins
everybody and everything since La
fayette's arrival. and every male
citizen, so far as I can tell, from tn"
most prominent to the most humble.
has taken part in the festivities, eth
er publicly privately, Dick and
after a discussion of the merits of
the city in a group of bibulously pa
triotic citizens until late hour last
night, in tavern in Georgetown.
were quito ready to agree that mud
holes were handsome paving blocks,
cornfieIdS were great public squares,
and cowsheds were mag gnificent dwell
ing houses.
"But, Larry. I'll try to be serious.
al least to some degree. in this let
ter. for ! know YOU want to hear
about Lafayette's viSit-the Lafayette
whom all Americans love so well.
And know you hope some day to be
as proud of the City of Washington
you are of the Land of Liberty, of
which it is the Capital.
There are many folks who have
been advocating the removal of the
Capital to another city. such as Phil
adelphia which is already established
and thriving. lam not one of those,
Let us have vision and patience. But
let me caution you. Larry, not to let
your vision and patience run away
with your common sense, and, if you
ever visit the Federal City, do not fail
to hire horse that knows how to
dodge manholeS, and come provided
with plenty of pairs of breeches and
good polish for your riding boots
IF you could only have been here!
I am still tingling with the excite
ment of the last few days. I have a
chance now to write to you, as l
promised, because Lafayette is gone.
We who remain in Washington City
will not see him again until the Vir-
ginians get through enterta ining him.
They consider that as he commanded
the Army which Gen. Washington sent
the Revolutionary War he belongs
particularly to them. / expect it will
be some time in Midwinter, or at least
in December, before we have him with
us here again.
'The general left Washington the
day before yesterday. J rode near his
carriage, with others from the city,
as far as Alexandria, Va, staying
overnight there. After being wined
in hnuCh the general him
self was most temperate---he embark
ed with his son, Georges Washin gton
Lafayette, and his secl> 'ary. on the
steamboat Petersburg, with Mr.. CAL
houn, Secretary of War, and multi
tude of other citizens, to go down the
Potomac to Mount Vernon and then
into Chesapeake Bay and on to York
town.
The booming of cannon that greet
ed Lafayette in Alexandria is still
ringing in my ears as l write here In
Washington in my lodgings on New
Jersey avenue, block south of the
Capitol Building. | can easily imag-
inc how much your father and mine
would have enjoyed being here and
shaking the hand of the veteran gen.
eral, and especially how 1t would have
stirred the emotions of your father
to have met again his old commander.
returned to him again from France,
after so many years, for, while my
father served in Washington's part of
the Army, / understand that your
father was among the Northern troops
of the line who served with the Vir-
ginia militia under Lafayette.
X = X X
seNTARIE JOSEPH PAUL YVES
N1 RoCH GILBERT DU MOTIER.
MARQUIS DE LA FAYETTE-will