The Wilmington morning star., 1940-06-11
WASHINGTON
DAYBOOK
By JACK STINNETT

WASHINGTON, June 1O-The tourist trade
of the nations capital probably compares very
favorably with that Of California, Colorado,
Maine and Minnesota in summer, and Florida in
winter-but the most amazing phase of it to any
newcomer must certainly be the thousands upon
thousands of private school, high school and
college youngsters who flock here every spring
Like most of these money-spending move.
ments, the neutrality-suspicious." and "know
your-capital" drives were started by commercial
enterprise, but the benefits seem to take away
a lot OF the curse of commercialism.
AT any rate, it's a major tourist trend. I cam
give you any fggers on the number Of children
pouring in here, but I tried. The someting.or.
other committee of the Washington board OF
trade was proud to inform me that the city had
a so per cent increase in tourist trade last year,
but they don't break down the figures.
Nor do the railroads., bus companies and no.
tells. But all will tell you they take care of a
lot of children. I sat in the office Of one of the
major bus companies handling local and long.
distance trips and heard tours booked for high
school groups from Miami, Fla, and Newark,
N. J. They have handled groups from Atlanta,
Kansas City, Tulsa. Okla, St. Louis, St. Paul,
and several towns in Connecticut, Massachusetts,
and upstate New York, to name a few.
They're Well Posted
These educational tours, according to railroad
and bus officials, generally are booked by school
principals who merely notify the carrier that
they have 100, or 200, or whatever the number
might be. of youngsters who want to make the
trip to Washington for three or five days, or a
week.
The itinerary is discussed, the rates made and
the tour is on.
Book a room in one of the Washington no.
tells some night on a floor with a bunch of these
"llo indians if you enjoy a night without sleep.
But If you are lucky enough to get in on their
conversation, 1t may be a revelation, the way
they gulp down their history and culture.
"Whaddoyou know about that mast of the
Battleship Maine being right ont there in Ar.
hngton cemetery" %. "Didja hear the guy say
those guards walk day and night, summer and
winter, heat and storm, at the Tomb OF the
Unknown Soldier?' How could there have
been anything big happening in the senate-why
there wasn't more than a handful of those
guys there" Say, wasn't that Whisper
ing Gallery in the Hall of Statuary swell? And
that used to be the House Of Representatives.
How you suppose a guy ever got a speech made
when he had to listen to himself?' "Boy,
did 1~get a kick out Of seeing the Esprit of
st. Louis in the National Museum"
High Pressure, Low Cost
And SO it goes. For a sum estimated at 40
per cent under actual tourist costs, these high
school and college groups are getting a high
pressure tour of Washington and it's nearby his
torlcal points, generally including Mr.. Vernon.
Annapolis, and sometimes Monticello, York
town, Old Point Comfort, Fort Myers and
Georgetown.
In not boosting these tours. 7 don't really
know whether they are worth the money. I'm
only reporting that they are here and that there
lsnt a day when you have business in the Can.
ltol' the Bureau of Engraving, the Smithsonian.
or the National Zoo that you don't trip over a
peVy OF them from faraway cities in the north.
the middle west, the deep south.