The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1935-04-13
NOW
Capital Mislays
Its HunlOr
GUMMY GIFT
BY HELEN EssARY

! MIS-. NnarleS r. MCAduSAAAAAI
wife of the Representative from
Nebraska, should have been told
this before she made that frank
and witty speech on House
Hunting in Washington at the
recent luncheon of the Federal
Housing Administration.
She knows more -.bout Wash
angton now. Everywhere, since
the luncheon, at parties, in the
grocery store, over the tele'
phone, in firm letters sent to
her husband at the Capitol
she hears the same story:
"How did you dare to say
what you thought-in Washing
tOn-Of all places!"
If Mrs. Mclaughlin had real
lied how hard Washington
takes itself she never would
have stood up in meeting and
said that apartments and houses
here are expensive and scarce.
Sometimes unattractive. Often
small and crowded. Again so
large and bare that they have
the coziness of Union Station.
Never, never would she have
dreamed of suggesting that she
wasn't mad about Georgetown.
That she didn't like half OF It's
population and most OF It's
odors.
Washington is built on prop
uganda. One refers grandly to
the past and the future. One
skips the present. And one
runs from fact.
Mrs. Mclaughlin, therefore,
should have murmured IN a
sweet voice that she was thrilled
at the opportunity to live in
the beautiful Capital of the
greatest nation on earth. With
in the shadow of the Monument
IMPLYING the ideals Of the first
great American. And If she
had to speak of Georgetown, she
should have merely said it
was "too, too divine" And let
it go at that.
I hope, however, that Mrs.
Mclaughlin, in spite of the
furore she's caused, doesn't
change her ways. She's a
brilliant person and thinks in
dependently. I'd hate to see SO
jaunty a spirit flattened out
by the push and pull of Wash
ington.
Said the taxi driver:
"GOsh, the traffic in this
town sure gets on my nerves.
Honest, the way those farmers
around Maryland and Virginia
drive-it just takes my appetite.
They ought to have their license
taken a! Whe-ew! Gee-I
barely made it that time. But
what's the Odds!"
When Capt. and Mrs. Benja-
min Dutton and Miss Mary Dut-
ton sail on Wednesday for Ger
many, where Captain Dutton
will be Naval Attache at the
American Embassy, they will
carry a large and unexpected
going-away gift.
The gift isl might as well
tell it now-bubble gum!
Here's the story: The girls and
boys round about Highland
Place and Newark Street in
Cleveland Park, where the Dut-
tons have been living, decided
to give Mary Dutton, who IS
twelve and very pretty, a good"
farewell present. Something she
would really like. Not anything
to wear or to read. Something
she wouldn't find in Germany.
And something her parents
wouldn't think of getting.
They thought and they
thought. Bunny Duffy, the son
of Senator Ryan Duffy Of Wis
consin, had an inspiration:
1--WE got it. Bubble gum!"
Now here's a swell idea. The
gang shouted with joy. Well,
said Bunny, everybody chip in
ten cents.
Hayden Duffy got his money.
And so did Sunny Cary. And
Adeline and Home McAllister.
daughters of DR.. Adams Stratton
McAllister, engineer physicist of
the Bureau of Standards; Mar
ian and Pat King, Margaret
Shantz, Johnny and Murray
Toomey, our child, Elene, and
Ann Putnam, whose father used
to teach at Harvard-he's work
ing for Mr.. Roosevelt now. Then
all went down to Connecticut
Avenue and broke the bubble
gum purchase record.
Mrs. Dutton smiled bravely
when she saw the present. She
said bubble gum was the one
thing she had hoped to leave be.
hind her in America.
But Captain Dutton, who Is
one of the Navy's finest officers,
is accustomed to the unex-
pected. So he told Mary to put
the package in her new black
trunk with the red band about
it, and they'd take it along.
This is probably the first
time bubble gum has ever gone
on a diplomatic mission.
Jules Henri, counselor of the
French Embassy, is back in
Washington, after a long vaca-
ton in Paris. He is looking mar
velously we'll. And is very proud
of his loss in personal poundage.
ARr rTnrri iS one of the towns