Evening star., 1932-09-12

The Old Block still stands.
A quarter Of q century. has not
changed its appearance much.
Tiny postage stamp front yards which
some which were nothing but mud 26
years ago are nicely covered with grass
today.
It is the ceaseless change in all
neighborhoods, especially In row COM
munities, where many families result
in many movings.
1t is the tide over the years, flow
ing at its strongest In cities, reaching
the crest in the rows, most typical Of
urban structures. For each row must
be considered as one structure, rather
than 80 houses or 40 houses.
Each city row, built solidly, wall Ito
wall, may be thought Of as giant
building with 80 front doors and 80
back doors, as many kitchens and as
many baths Cat least). with perhaps as
many as 80 OF hundred bed rooms.
u X Il
The Old Block has seen the change
from "parlor" to Giving room"
When 1t was founded, some 80 years
or more ago. the front room on the
first floor was called the parlor.
In some of the homes there was q
was called the sitting rocm."
This latter was what was called the
"settin' ROOM in the country districts.
Let no one sneer at that pronuncia-
ton. For scores Of men and women
who know better 1t still has Q homely,
familiar ring.
In the privacy Of tneir own living
rooms they still may say to each other,
Come on in and set down."
When the Old Block was young there
was parlor, dining room, bed rooms.
kitchen and bath In each house.
Those rooms, those same rooms. are
known today as living room, dining
room, bed room, kitchen, bath.
So 1t Is seen that such terms run
remarkably even over the years.
Just how the parlor turned itself
into q living room. as II one lived only
there, and did something else in the
other compartments. up and down
stairs. Is q question.
If we consider the generic names
given our rooms in modern dwelling
scientific accuracy had anything to do
with naming them.
If 1t is bed ROOM" then why isn't
it table room," instead Of dining
room?
But II 1t is dining room," why isn't
1t sleeping ROOM?
If it, is the bath ROOM" why isn't
the kitchen known rs the stove
ROOM?
Just why the bed was picked out to
be the sole article Of commemoration
in the necessary sleeping quarters Of
a house is a question which we leave
to the curious and the erudite.
A small blond boy sat on the steps
Of No. 84-for 1t is a long. very long,
row-talking to his blond sister A few
years from now and she will be called
block was young. such children were
called "towheads.
How times do change, indeed!
II the very young lady on the steps had
appeared in such sun-suit in 1898.
or thereabouts, all the ladies in the
neighborhood would have been horri-
fed.
"scandalous!" would have been their
united cry.
Today no one pays any attention to
such garb, 1t is seen SO often, both
On the beach and in city streets.
Old residenterS, passing along this
way, see the blond children in their
Sun-suits, think back over the years
to other small boys and girls sitting
on those same stone steps.
1t was along this street that there
rolled the first "horseiess carriage" to
be seen in Washington. The children
ran screaming behind It.
The Old Block has seen inventions
come and 60. When 1t was first built