Evening star., 1925-03-22
Capital Sidelights

| course, ana Other similar develop
| ments in the National Capital, espe-
! cinlly along the shore of the his
toric Potomac" are reminded by
] Representative William c. Hammer
| or North Carolina, member of the
| House District committee, that ap-
proximately half a century ago
statesman from his own State vision
| ed this gigantic improvement and
! initiated 1T.
| Judge" Hammers earliest recol-
| lections OF the Capital are that while
here on visit as mere boy, Sem
| ator NJ. w. Ransom pointed out to
| him, what was then an unsightly mud
| fiat and fired the imaginative ambi-
| tion of the boy with graphic picture
| of how this waterside of the Capital
was to be beautified for the enjoy
ment of all the people coming to
| their Capital City.
| II have always had an interest in
| the Capital City. I have striven to
help make it an ideal city. the most
| beautiful Capital in all the world"
says Representative Hammer.
In tribute to Senator Ransom he
| describes him the most active
spirit for more than two decades on
| the Senate District committee" and
| says that he set a notable example
| by his work ito make Washington
| the most beautiful of the worlds
capitals-long before the activities
| of the wealthy Senator Mcmillan Of
| Michigan, whose efforts, after SEN
| ator Ransom left the Senate in 1897,
| eliminated in what is known as the
| Mcmillan report, containing ideal
plans for the Federal City, made in
| 1901"
Senator Ransom had obtained ap-
| propriations for rescuing the i, Po-
| tomac Flats. the work being well
under way in the early 9Os, Rep
resentative Hammer recalls. This
| covered the area where the Lincoln
| Memorial now stands so impressively
in all its glory and grandeur, and
where the long rows of japanese
| cherry trees bloom so beautifully
| in Springtime and the beautiful
| Potomac stretches away like a sill
very lake" He explains that this
was morass of waste land partial
| ly submerged in the overflow of the
potomac waters, unrestrained by
| any definite shore line, while the
| Tidal Basins boundary was unde-
| fined, until the diplomatic Ransom,
| whose splendid genius and persua-
| siveness induced his colleagues to
| make the first appropriation for the
| recovery by filling in and elevating
! the Potomac Flats"
| Special attention reverts at this
time to that initial project fathered
by Senator Ransom, because Con-
| gress has just authorized the erec-
| ton of the Arlington Memorial
| Bridge and memorial approaches as
! an esthetic and utilitarian outgrowth
of this waterfront development.
The great work was commenced
by this distinguished statesman who
| represented North Carolina in the
Senate for "a years, and who was
famous for his culture. learning and
great ability" Representative Ham,
mer emphasizes, while history i'm
! properly ascribes his great work to
| the influence of others.
After Gen. Ransom's retirement
| from the Senate the removal of the
railroad tracks of the Pennsylvania
Railroad and the passenger and un-
slightly freight buildings from the
| Mall south of Pennsylvania avenue
occurred, yet this important work in
clearing the way for planning for
city beautiful was first started by
Senator Ransom in approaches to
| the president of the Pennsylvania
Railroad through Col. A B. Andrews
vice president of the Southern Rail-
way.
Il X
Great interest is being taken by
Phi Beta Kappa Fraternity men in
Washington from every State in the
Union, under the leadership of Rep
resentative r. Walton Moore of vir-
ginia, in plans for celebrating the
150th anniversary of the great schol-
arship fraternity on December 5,
1926
William and Mary College of Vir-
ginia, where this daddy" of all the
Greek letter fraternities was founded
in 1116. is planning to raise a fund
of 800, 600 for the erection of a build
ing in memory of the 80 men who
effected the organization. The audi
torfum is to be a replica of the Apollo
room in the old Raleigh Tavern at
Williamsburg, where the society was
born.
The United States Navy is the great
est industrial training institution in
the world in equipment and in va
riety of instruction, according to Cur
tis d. Wilbur. Secretary of the Navy
himself d graduate of the Naval Acad-
emy at Annapolis
Secretary Wilbur explains that the
training division of the Bureau of
Navigation is intrusted with the prep
aration for service of the $4,000 re-
| cruits taken annually into the Navy.
These young men, taken from all
walks of life and usually entirely
ignorant of the work they are to per-
form, are developed into skilled sea-
| men and mechanicians in IS trade
| schools.
The training school courses vary
from to 3S weeks in length In
structors are naval officers, graduates
of the United States Naval Academy,
| assisted by petty officers who have
| special qualifica tions for the work
There are 1877 different ratings
| among enlisted men, which show the
magnitude of the task Not only must
! these men receive technical and me-
chanical training. but they must be-
come familiar with naval customs
and procedure
Secretary Wilbur emphasizes that
training Tor the Navy is training for
occupations of civil life"
X y i
In these days when the students are
entering upon the final grind for
diplomas, degrees, etc, a new side
| light is thrown on the value of a di-
| ploma by Henry p. Fletcher, Amerf-
can Ambassador at Rome. In q dis
patch to the Secretary Of State AM
bassador Fletcher calls attention to
Italian laws governing the issue of
permits to students for free entrance
to Italian galleries, museums and
such places.
Degrees or diplomas or other Gre
| dentials must be submitted and must
be authenticated by an Italian diplo-
| matte representative or consular Of
| fcer accredited to this country or by
the American Ambassador at Rome.
Persons who desire such privileges
are warned by Amba assador Fletcher
to take the necessary steps before
leaving the United States
X II
While the President and the Senate