Evening star., 1924-10-20

After q trim along 10th stree
between the National Museum ant
| New York avenue If one were ask &c
what he had seen in all probability
he would reply, why. nothing IL
particular" o..
Yet it is this very nothing thai
| makes this section Of the street
| interesting, for here Is your average
downtown business thoroughfare
| duplicated scores of times in Wash
| ington yet ever colorful
The passerby sees nothing in par.
ticular" until he stops to dissect this
"nothing' Of which he speake sc
glibiy. then he finds that nothing
| becomes something in the mysterious
way peculiar to life.
Why, business, romance, history rut
shoulders on Tenth street and jostle
each other for place, although they
do It without commotion. The shade
of Abraham Lincoln hangs over this
street much as the statue Of Benja-
| min Franklin overlooks It
AZ for business. this is perhaps the
most travelled street into Washing
ton from points north. farmers track
ing 1t from the wee small hours OF
the night, as they come in to Center
Market and the wholesale district
lying just north OF the Museum.
Nothing. indeed
I: < :. y
most precious bit Of nothing is
this market area, one end OF Wash
ington's famous Center Market, now
run by Uncle Sam through the Depart
ment Of Agriculture, showing up down
at Ninth street.
Innumerable crates of chickens
stand on the sidewalks CT Tenth street
sfs,- vrt 1T -
running hre OF comment as one walks
by them. as IL they were criticizlns
all who passed
They are voicing a plea for release
without a doubt, but their release
Will only mean their undoing. so In
some ways they are better off hud-
died together in their crates than
they ever Will be out of them.
So We pass a seed store and other
types Of business establishment and
come TO historic Pennsylvania ave-
nue., wide and open in the light Of a
calm October morning. Every sort OF
parade. from that Of Gen. Grants
men 20 Bucky Harris' pennant- win
ming Nationals. has passed down
Pennsylvania avenue. 1t is wide
enough for them all.
Over there, In a concrete triangle
stands statue of Benjamin Frank
lin, patriot. philosopher, printer, in
ventor. diplomat, writer.
The passing of the years increases
the respect which the American
people have for the memory Of this
great American. He was one OF the
truly great men Of the Revolution,
human being like the rest Of us, but
Of greater ability and achievement
than most.
His Incompatible autobiography
shows the simplicity and honesty OF
tho man. Most people are familiar
with the somewhat condensed version
OF II, as used in the schools. To get
hold Of the ''unrevised edition." how
ever, after one has grown up, is like
discovering a new book
II seems 70 mo that BENJAMIN
Franklin is one of Americas real
writer's. His ability along this line
of course. Is commonly recognized
but not to the extent which 1t ough,
to be, perhaps
For sheer handling of the English
language Franklin was hardly ex-
ceiled by any early American. He
said what he wanted to say in a style
at once clear and interesting SIM
plictty in writing is as naught unless
the interest OF the reader Is held.
This ability Franklin had, and IL Is
found in all his writings. from his
striking epierams In Poor Richard S