Evening star., 1937-04-04
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

THE District sadly needs new gov
ernment building for the health and
comfort of its officers and
Olstllct the convenience of citi-
Building. zens," says The Star of
March %, 1887. The late
Congress failed to meet this need and no
building costing more than $4,000 per
annum can for the present even be
rented. The Commissioners are nat
urally dissatisfied with their present
quarters and are seeking others. 1t
seems somewhat doubtful whether
suitable building can be obtained on
the money available. Under no tempta-
ton, however, should the Commissioners
sacrifice public convenience to private
comfort by removing the Offices away
from the business center to some mac
cessible point where large building
may be obtained at cheap rent. There
will be mutterings about the efforts OF
an aristocratic government to hide Itself
in some out corner from the
sight of the people. The jealousy Of the
sections specially incommoded would be
aroused. If location on Twenty-fourth
street is selected, the east and south will
complain that the West End procllvitleS
of the Commissioners are being carried
to an extreme and will sarcastically sug-
gest site on Massachusetts, avenue ex-
tended. If building east of the Capitol
is chosen the West End will send a
committee to Congress to ventilate the
grievance. But more important than
sectional discomfort is the fact that the
great mass of citizens will be put to in
convenience by removal from the busi-
ness center. If through the fault of our
Legislature the comfort Of our officials
and public convenience necessarily come
in conflict the former will need to give
way and present inconvenience will
need to be endured as one Of the pen
alties of being public servants. The
predecessors of the present officers have
managed to get along somehow in the
rattletrap structure now occupied and
the wise policy for the District is to use
the inconvenience and discomfort OF the
present quarters as a standing argument
with Congress for the erection OF a
suitable building at convenient point
for the Districts exclusive use. II the
Commissioners make themselves COM
Portable at the expense of public incon-
venience. in the outskirts of the city, the
District government building may be in
definitely postponed
THE question is now under vigorous
discussion" says The Star of March 80,
Applause and Kisses Kissing iS at the
Tn tho plavhouse ater Is reason
able ground for
the election of the offender. Surely 1t is
| not. unless it is done in such way as
| to amount to disorderly conduct and to
| become a nuisance to the offenders fell
low auditors or spectators The actors
have no right to complain They invite
demonstrations of approval and II the
opinion of those who pay to hear them
| is sought they cannot require dlsapproval
| to take the shape of cold silence, while
| the claque vigorously pound the moor
| and disturb the air. There Is nothing
| in the contract between actors and
spectators which gags the latter unless
| they wish to approve. But either ap-
plause or Kisses may disturb others who
have paid to hear without interruption
| what the actors have to say. Among the
| spectators there should be mutual con-
cessions, and if those who disapprove
| will not view as disorderly plaudits. often
| hired, which agitate the air more than
| misses and which tend to prolong the
agony of the performance, then those
who approve should endure expressions
| of disapproval from the suffering re-
mainder of the spectators"