Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-09
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

The crusade against unnecessary
street noises, like all crusades. was slow
Of results. Though pro-
hawking tests against the va
uuoLsAar. rious forms of nutsances
A"SnS' were frequent, the elm
ination process was piecemeal and long
delayed. The street-hawkers were not
the least among the offenders, rs Will
be seen from the following editorial
printed in The Star Of June 4, 1879:
The blind old bard of Scio's rocky
isle (Iliad I.V) says that Mars rushed
into one Of the battles before Troy with
cry equal to the shout of 5000 men.
We do not doubt it. But we would Like
to see the god try to make himself
heard in the same street with a straw
berry peddler. There is a great deal
of bosh written about the physical su-
periority of those ancient Greeks.
Swift-footed Achilles never could get
around to half so many places in day
as one of our street howlerS And
Stentor never would have had the cheek
to lift up his little voice beside the
Hellespont If he had ever heard the
bray Of perambulsting huckster."
Fifty years ago. and indeed from the
beginning Of its publication. The Star
was an ardent advo-
a Plea for cate of the cultivation
Shade Trees and saving of trees:
say On the subject in an editorial
printed in its issue of June 5: 1873;
The often quoted evils which follow
to the neighborhood country from the
removal of forests are not the only
ones for which the failure to protect
or cultivate trees is responsible. In
cities trees are absolutely needed TO
furnish a GhAdA and to adorn the
streets as well as to modify the tenn
perature. Ths New York Tribune
complains that 1t seems to be nobody's
that New York is fast becoming
shadeless city. The old trees are dying
out year by year and few young ones
are put in their places. Many quiet by
streets which a few years ago were in
vitiuR avenues of verdure and GOODNESS
are now. 1t says. as bare and torrid as
the great thoroughfares. In the new
streets, with few exceptions, no at
tempt has been made to secure shade.
and they resemble huge gashes in a
brown stone quarry. The Tribune
urges that as IL Is never too late to
mend, the city government should at
once take the necessary steps to pre-
vent New York from becoming as
sultry in Summer as an Egyptian
brickyard. Care should. and doubtless
will be taken here in Washington both
by authorities and citizens to preserve
the condition of affairs in this respect
which shall require no mending. Broad,
well shaded streets are healthful as well
as handsome"
"The work Of strengthening the foun-
dalton of the washington Monument"
Monument in The star Of
Work Delayed S temporarily p, yo''' sus.
pended to await the arrival Of an ad-
ditional supply of cement now on its
way here. Twenty-nine Of the narrow
trenches. previously described in The
Star. have been dug under the Monu-
ment and filled with cement. Thirty
nine more will need to be made and
filled. The placing of the large blocks
of cement at the corners and buttresses
will complete the work of strengthen
ing. Unless authority IS given at the
present session Of Congress to use for
this purpose more of the appropriation
at the disposal of the Monument Com
mission for completing the Monument
than the $4,000 provided, this fund
will be exhausted, it is thought, within
two months. Work Of preparation Tor
the continuing of upper work on the
Monument, such as building stair
case, cutting stone, etc, will in this
case need to be carried on until au-
thority is given at the regular session
to use some of the money appropriated
for completing the Monument and the
work of Strengthening its foundation.
If the idea would seize Congress to give
this authority, as it does not need to
make an appropriation at the present
session, the work could 60 on uninter-
ruptedly and In its natural order"