Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-25
OLD ASPECT HELD
BY GEORGETOWN
Capitals March of Progress
Fails to Rob Community
of Individuality.
BY RICHARD v. OUL.AH.iN.
In Toaas's New York Time

In ToslaS = New York Time
Georgetown offers phenomenon OF
this hectic age Of change. Officially,
POLITICALLY. physically, geographicallN
and municipality Georgetown is an in
teSral part Of Washington. the Ma
tons Capital Eut in its own heart
and mind George own is Georgetown
and Scorns the Capitals patronage.
More than that. the steady and. re
Gently. the feverish expansion ot
Washington into a metropolis. With
all the apNurienances Of great hotels,
massive apartment houses. space
covering office buildings and preten-
tious mansions and what-not nf CHI
fed progress has not affected tH"rSe-
town lis streets retain their nd inc
quaint narrownsss. its house. their
ancien. architecture Georgetown has
no SKY sCrapers Its apartments are
few and none NJ them are massive.
Progress passed Georgetown by, hut
there came a time when Georgetown
resisted progress. II has stood with
out finchins the cibes of those who
subscribe 10 all that goes with our
progressive age. And now il is glad
that il resisted. George own has pre-.
served its individuality and character
when standardization surrounds IL.
Outsiders are recognizing that and
paying tribute.
ENcels at Christmas.
At Christmas Georgetown is at its
best. for Christmas brings out the
aroma OF the days when the Republic
was in its swaddling clothes and gives
us an Insight; into that simple period
when the character of the new Nation
was in the formative stage. In the
midst Of Jazz. Georgetown clinSS 10
the dignity of the minueI. Christmas
brings those memories to which
Georgetown is attached. memories of
byGcne times when Georgetown
PLAYED an important II modest part
in the Nations political business.
It's influence was social hack there
when social intercourse dovetailed with
affairs OF state. If it he true. as stern.
evil resisting. Puritan minded. get
thee-behing me Satan legislators from
the hinterland announced occasion
ally 10 world OF eager listeners. that
something called the social lobby is
still in existence in the seat OF Gov.
eminent. Georgetown can qualify for
inclusion. For Georgetown. as in
older days. is entertaining those who
are officers and crew OF the ship of
state.
Like the English guinea Georgetown
Is merely a name. 1t does not exist
as political entity. 1t is the female
part NJ Washington. as IL were. losing
its maiden identity in marriage as the
stranger world sees it. But it's resi-.
dents are Lucy Stone Leaguers. They
hold Is tenaciously TO Georgetown
individuality. as distinguished from
Washington, as the loyal hurghers Of
Rondout on the Hudson resolutely re-
fuse 10 regard their town. for post
ONCE and other purposes, as part of
Kingston.
stand Is Unexplained.
Some Of our expert city planners
or municipal historians or those who
write OF the urban trend may be able
10 explain why Georgetown remains
Georgetown. This is not call for an
explanation Of why the old name
cings. but why Georgetown is much
the same in appearance. in atnlos-
phere. as in the days when it was a
Maryland colonial town. never dream.
ing that a revolutionary conflict with
the mother country was 10 make IL
next-door neighbor and ultimately an
omc4ai. territorial part of the Nations
Capital
Washington had a marked expan-
sion after the Civil War George.
boom, but the dwellings erected then
have now assumed an appearance of
ancient respectabiliiy Another grea;
expansion came TO Washington in the
wake OF the World War. Feverish
Duidlng opera tons TO accommodate a
rspldly-growing population peopled
hitherto unoccupied and seemingly
remote sections of the Federal Dis.
trict Georgetown felt little Of il.
Like empires well known course the
Iapitais chief expansion was west.
Wafo, hut eXpa nsion ceased when
georgetown 10 the west was reached.
III u Ola not share the Capitals
progress. even after il was merged
with Washington by act Of Congress
Georgetown had it's influence In the
Nations political history II could
MT have been otherwise when states.
men and diplomatists Of the Repub.
Acs nrst steps preferred il for resi-.
GENITAL purposes 10 it's rnia.mic. I'M.
lovely neIghbor which had been set
Gown in marshes and forests "a be
the seat OF Government. The Court
End" Of Washington It wag called IN
those days
Conversion In Progress.
And now IL liz coming into i,s oYn
modern mansions. hut through the
conversion Of ats Old residences into
more comfortable dwellings without
changing their outward Architectural
attractsgeness
Al Christmas time the roma nee Of
Georgetown becomes most emuhatlc.
~ one ~ould get the ancient facy
atmosphere o. Georgetown. forgetting
tfat Warrington IN just across The
narrow strip Of Rock Creek. lei INN
stanH IT niEhtfaii on Christmas eve
an BrlDEe street-~they call IL 81 street
NV -" VIII see q procession ~
Hfotpr cars passing more motor carr
Ifafkeo on e8ch side Of this sfferlal
highway. lie Win see sIsD some
ofse-Gfs"n vehicles lining the ttI,l,s
THESE belong 10 the country folk from
nearby Maryla nd and Virginia. vino
nave soiG their Christmas trees aud
"fsa'hs ana mlstieioe, their turkeys
hfao r'h@F produce IN the old Center
MAfbet in Washington. preferriuv ia
90 thelt eleventh hour hoidav IA "a.
ping ~ Geot2elDWn Fof Ge1tvetovyp
- thtlF county town Their fDli3ears
Af generation after generation made
fisT purchases IN EeDrgetown. and
HaD' u nara 10 break among them
arr heGfo"s, men and women, min.
k's WITH me contested thronp a
1s9xh'h& contingent TON Of the anlfii
al Christmas
Old Building htili Stands.
over ihsf' opposite jefferson stseet
'f"p~h som" strange Oversight u
t'i4i ftf2jhs that nat.l.--ls q ..,i,f,,
Ft"h" building where f.eotge NnAt.5uy.
tots bn"G 40 meet the tDi4tai.~..,uat.s
+" nan 81" appointed IT, iag out ~ hsl he
saN sn rs