Evening star., 1937-06-12
By Stella Mead.
+ HOME We never know other
countries a. thew really are.


~ countries As they really are:
~ we know them by their Carl
4 a cat,res. For the past 10
years I have known America not as
she Is caricatured in England, but by
the caricatures given to her on the
continent and in the East.
In France, she Is the land Of cock
tails, night clubs, jazz and Aim FASH
ions In India, I learned that America
was the land Of Uncle Sham," the
country Of lynching and color discrim-
ination. In Germany. in 1929. was
solemnly told by a Prussian lady Of
very ancient regime that, no matter
who won the war, America started 1t.
How? BY sending over to the conti-
nent the wave Of materialism and the
poison Of Wall Street that made war
conditions possible. The English car
feature Of America is 50 we'll known
to those Of you who come over to see
us that I suspect 1t is like a good
Aberdeen joke-largely home made.
A few days ago arrived in WASH
ington and set out to explore the
city-and America. knew that your
Capital had been planned by q
Frenchman, and that L'Enfant, like
most geniuses, was possessed of "a sot-
tish pride that plagued all those with
whom he was concerned" L'Enfant
apparently quarreled with everybody
and withdrew from the task of build
ing Washington. But at least he drew
the design, and put upon Washington
the lovely touch that Is upon YER
sailles, and our own French-planned
st. James Park in London.
WHEN I looked at Washington on a
map saw that Its creator had
first carved out q huge cross, with q
space for the Capitol in the middle,
then outlined checker board, and
lastly put on cartwheel or a spiders
web. But the finished effect, with
wide avenues, snowy buildings, circles
and parks, makes 1t one OF the love-
liest cities have SEEN Parts of 1t
are like the Grunewald In Berlin, and
parts Of it resemble New Delhi, India s
modern and beautiful new capital. At
first the white buildings seemed to
glare in the sun; but recalled that,
in New Delhi, the temperature was
reduced by 20 per cent after the city
became white. I imagine that, in the
hot season, Washington needs every
device that makes for coolness.
At the White House made straight
for the East Room, where Mrs. Abigail
Adams once strung up. line of wash
ing. and then to look at the old rum
bottle salvaged from the British
frigate Charon, that was fired and
sunk OF Yorktown. This Is White
House history as we know 1t in Eng
land, just as Alfred and the cakes
make English history for half the
continent Of Europe.
I went to the Capitol and sat for
a while in the galleries Of both houses
I was astonhhed at the page boys
lettering near the seats Of the mighty
wandering with unconcefn among
those responsible for law and order in
this great Republic. Every now and
again one Of them would take a sheet
OF paper and with 1t trip in debonair
fashion to a Senator, or Represent
ative, as the case might be. In the
House Of Representatives they wore
ordinary clothes; in the Senate knick-
erbockers.
fear that America has no sense
Of majesty. In England we should
clothe these messenger boys in yellow
stripes and silver braid, and possibly
put BUSHES on their heads. They would
carry their messages on tenth century
salvers, and stand at solemn attention
during intervals. I can now under
stand that every American boy has