Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-05-17

Ii is always interesting to know what
others think of us, here Is an opinion
from the stranger who came from
abroad:
washington Is a white wonder.
Her only fault Is an overextraVasance
of free shows. In all my travels L
have never had so many choices of
sights-au of them open to the public
and each Of far-reaching value. If
there were a tourist tax on such
places as your Capitol and Library,
your tremendously valuable printing
and agricultural buildings-with toll
nav for your green wilderness that you
call Rock Creek Park and Speedway
oh, all the places i have visited
why, you could have enough money
from 1t all to fill that pot at the end
of the rainbow. 1t is entranctngly
hospitable, but-not business. 1t isn't
your wealth as a nation that amaZes
us Europeans-it is the prodigal gen
erosity with which you share your
splendors with all. l have both read
and heard of it-and now, / am see
ing for myself"
Another woman complained-not ex-
actly complained, either, but just men
tioned-the miles one had to cover
to see Washington's various sights.
She had done the Capitol and Monu-
ment for one day, with a glimpse
at the museums-all three of them,
because her husband Is scientist,
and will be suTe to ask about them
when she gets home-and was laid
up the entire next day, when she
should have been attending the coun-
GILL "Washington is a panorama of
free shows. but to see everything one
should buy a home here and settle
down to sightseeing" she said.
And that's no joke! II you want
to view Washington from bronze Free
dom's standpoint, you have to climb
steps under the Capitol dome-a mar
row stairway that curtis around and
around until you feel like a human
corkscrew by the time you get to the
top. And the Monument is just as
dizzy a performance, seeing that you
must either walk up 900 steps-time,
20 minutes-or ride IL, in the elevator,
which takes only 5-if you don't mind
the rafting of the rigging, that sounds
like a gale at sea-and the faces Of
most passengers, whose grim lips sug-
gest that they are clamped to choke
down fears-though it is one of the
safest trips in the world.
One of these days, maybe-most GER
tainly-a sightseeing airship is going
to do a big trade in tourists. Instead
of your plodding up back-achy steps
inside, a buzz-plane will land you on
an outer edge of the dome. and, like
ly, do a slow glide all around it to
show the town from all quarters.
Then it will spin over to the Monu-
ment to its landing place-maybe 1t
would be called a hangar, but II you
are not sure of a word it is better
not to risk it. Anyhow, 1t would
save the time and trouble of the in
side route. and. maybe-most certain
ly-Mr. Francis Jenkins, or some other
wonder-man. would invent a sort of
amplifier for eyes iAstead of ears. so
that fagged-out sightseers could take
in all the miles from earth to sky
without the usual strain.
No tourist could mind our museums
with their broad. shallow steps and
convenient elevators. but just the row.
ing from room to room a-seeing things
calls for a motor chair with a some
body to roll you around in slow com
fort, at so much per-for:
When Washington obtains her local
planes and motor chairs the foreign
lady will never again be able to won
der at our free shows-seeing that