Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-09

ago The collarless, would-be
collegiates who grabbed mega
phones from hands of lecturers and guides and
bawled only cheer leaders can, Ladies ar 1
gents. this Is the Washington Monument, the
aaliest one-story building IN all the worldi"
Those stout ladies from Avoirdupoisyille climb
ing the ladders which led to rhiRh-in-air seats
of the old-fashioned bnsses, and sternly eau
tioning the bus attaches to refrain from petit
coat peekins.
Cayorting colegiates. wisecrackers. Mega
phones. High-slung bnsses. Petticoats Too
friendly, too obliging lecturers. Vanished like
cubes OF refrigerated ice an electric grill.
Make no mistake about it.
1t was 10 years ago that the writer yawn-
ingly met several Subsection Sunday trains
which. Mt the devastating, deyitalising hours
o. and in the morning poured about two
thousand excursionists into the concourse at
Union station. From New York, Pennsylvania,
Delaware New Jersey, West Virginia. Virginia
and North Carolina they came, the travellers
sitting up all night in ordinary day coaches.
They were reolizing the dearest wish of their
iives-a trip TO the Capital City Of the United
1tatesl
Men and women of all ages and conditions
factory girls and Foles girls; chorus girls choir
girls: tired babies and their more tired mothers:
Big Bill and Little Joe, all having saved At
nanna sacrifice the amount necessary for the
"trip. OVERWHELMINGLY they spent 40 hours
Of more or less discomfort and aleeplessness
As each rotation OF the wheels brought them
nearer to washington and what Ii represented.
the long night had been enliyened by visiting
from coach to coach, seat 10 seat There were
intermissions for limp sandwiches and wilted
fruit, constant trips to the water-cooler and
most of the ladies smoked IKE perfect gentle
men Nothing matteredi They were about to
sigh-see in Washington
In order to view tine most Mt the least pos
sibie cost. dollar tickets were bought from
ticket agents just outside the depot, and the
c@~ern0us buses quickly hIled with giggling
gummy enthusiasts saucily willing to face q
cock eyed world from the then much-abused
'rubberneck wagon" A run quickly made
to an uptown chain restaurant. where the tour
ist almost TO a man and woman, ordered ham
and eggs and Java" The inner man salts
Ned and the outer nose Of the ladies care
fully eaIcimined, BUSES once more were &C.
cupied and seeing Washington was an actual
fty so this is Washington" "In tell the
cock-eyed world 1t Isl" so this Is wash
tngton!" Brother you said . mouthful." Ten
hours OF rubbernecking, 10 hours Of hooking.
looking. looking; back To the depot aboard
the train for another 10 or IL hours: home;
the good old job-with Oh 30 much, 80 terribly
much, TO talk about such vast addendum to
postcard pictures mailed from the Capital City
to envious friends and relations back home"
A AAA@O14FANANAANs
wi ton. yawningly, as excursion trains
emptied their white and black cargOes
into the of the concourse-at the de-
VaStasing and deyitalizing hours of 4 and
I'm the morning. And, OF course several nore
thousands Of tourists than IN 1871.
But somehow nothing the same. The
complexion of everything changed. Even
after = hot and sleepless 10 hours Of riding
groups of well-dressed women and Well-groomed
men came quietly through the gates. quickly
made bus or livery reservations and dispersed
10 breakfast at nearby cafes or ut depot
restaurants In Paris the American orders
ham and eggs. Ten years ago the tourist here
ordered-ham and eggs. But in 1891, fruit
coffee, cereal and either toast OF hot cakes
seemed to be the order for the first meal OF the
day.
Many, many OF the siehtscers boarded street
cars. Others, many Others, took advantage of
the bus trips-and the change in these
vehicles of 10 sears ago! Low-slung large
open windows, leather covered seats msea-
phonelssS and intelligent lecturers who made Il
point to tell the truth against the riotous
action OF 1921.
The traffic manager gives the go-go signal