The Washington times., 1937-06-28

AIuGSs
The icy atmosphere Of the air
conditioned capitol is not the beau
tiful blessing it promised to be. Add
its chill to the worries OF gentle
men and lady lawmakers.
The big old building is undoubt-
edly cooler than it was. Dummy
heat waves no longer beat through
the open windows.
But this blessing is but q thin
silver lining in a cloud OF woe.
Many legislators are developing
rheumatism in the unaccustomed
climate.
The unnatural, damp air is
bringing cricks in the neck.
athma and twisted fingers. A
third of Congress is creaking with
some kind Of misery.
Such complaints, wives tell me,
have not improved congressional
husbands dispositions. They are
less sweet about the home than
they were when exposed directly
to a Washington summer.
REGARDLESS Of the uncertainty
of the success of the Capitol in
door temperature, all the Wash
ingtop courthouses are about to
be air-conditioned.
What effect this will have on
the dispensation of justice will be
watched anxiously by both the
pure and evil in heart. Will a
thermometer fictitiously below
summer par chill jury's enthu-
Siasn for mercy? Or will it set
them cold-bloodedly to convicting
any poor wretch before the bar?
Psychologists probably will turn
their imagination next to the eff
feet Of air cooling on personalities
and thus on the conduct OF the
world.
In q completely air-cooled room
I feel as remote from life as q
Supreme Court Justice.
DR.. and Mrs. Rudolph Leitner,
who spent many successful years
here while DIR. Leitner was Coun-
selor of the German Embassy,
have left Berlin for South Africa.
DR.. Leitner has been sent there to
represent his country as minister.
After his departure year or so
ago from Washington, DIR. Leitner
was stationed at the Berlin foreign
office. with American interests his
special responsibility. He did so
well in this post that the further
promotion came quickly.
Gasoline filling stations are get
ting to be too, too divine.
Time was when they were mere
tin cans beside clay banks. Time
was, a little later, when they began
growing morning glories on the
clay banks and painting the tin
cans red.
Came suddenly an intense feel
ing, on the part of oil vendors, for
service and beauty (see influence
Of ladies' civic organizations.
Almost before your eyes tin cans
blossomed into Swiss chalets,
Italian villas and Colonial man.
SionS. Morning glorieS Sprouted
into formal gardens.
The desire to serve grew like an
income tax. The politeneSS of fill
ing stations attendants became
more than an average bad-tem-
pered motorist could bear.
Whenever car rolled up beside
q pump for mere five gallons of
gas, covies of smiling young men
Sprang from nowhere with
"Water?", "Oil?", "Air in your
tires, STRIP, Fill your tank, lady?".
And, though you were in a noble
hurry to get to the dentist or es-
cape q duty at home, two brisk
young men reSolutely Squirted
cleansing liquids at the windshield
and rubbed the glass down until
it shone like their own happy
faces. Strongest wills crumpied
before such barrage of sweet
ness.
Lately this desire to serve and
gladden. the heart of the customer
has gone too far. Yesterday I
stopped for gas, in a hurry, at a
new filling station. The usual
flock of eager youths leaped at
the car. But that wasn't all.
From behind Snow-white tank,
. beautiful, uniformed maiden
tripped out with drinking cup
and a smile. c..r
"I've a cup Of cold water for
you" she said in heavenly tones.
But I don'tswant any water"
! was about to snap.
She looked at me with such
sweet commiseration that I felt
as hateful as a Chesapeake Bay
crab in the waters near Jefferson
Island this weekend Mllmhlinr