Evening star., 1945-01-28
Washington Always
ACosmopoIiton City
Constant Stream of Visitors Ever
Coming and Going
By James Waldo Faucet.

Looming ana 1Oln2
By James Waldo Faucet.
Just after the First World War Harri-
son Rhodes, talented and popular
commentator, published book entitled
american Towns and People," one
chapter of which was devoted to Wash
ington. The word he chose to sum-
Marie the character of the Nations
Capital was Cosmopolitan" and he
particularly referred to the fact that
from the start in 1870 the made-to-
order seat of the Government of the
United States had attracted not only
members Of the diplomatic corps, but
likewise many other distinguished for
eigners.
The designation undoubtedly was
justified. At once the very center Of
everything officially American and a
magnet to draw swarms of visitors from
alien shores, Washington always has
had an international air. What Mr..
Rhodes did not realize was that another
global conflict would confirm his judg-
ment. Since 1899 the District of Co.
lumbia and its suburbs in Maryland and
Virginia have been in effect the hub of
the universe-and the end is not yet.
Meanwhile, 1t is interesting to recall
that it was Frenchman-Maj. Pierre
Charles 'Enfant-who designed the
Federal Town magnificent enough"
to fill such role; an Irishman-James
Hoban-who planned the White House,
nt,| fiv,4 80 4.
dies-William Thornton-who projected
and supervised the building of the first
portions of the Capitol. All of these
men were outsiders, yet each left his
mark indelibly on the physical picture
Of Washington. Let 1t be added, too,
that each thought of the city in cos
mopolitan terms.
But in small matters as well as in
great the contribution of foreigners to
Washington has been important. Mr..
Rhodes remembered that: "Ice cream
pies only rival In our national affec-
tions-was actually introduced as a nov
city at party at the French Ambas-
sador's.' How engaging was the oc-
casion may be estimated from the re-
mark of contemporary chronicler that:
THE guests were so impatient for it
that there was great disorder"
After the First War Mr.. Rhodes OBJ
served of allen transients and residents:
They again diversified and en-
livened' Washington ut is but simple
justice to say that they contribute
enormously to the Capitals famous
'pleasantness,' to its half-gay. half
cultured air of ease. Art has no special
place in Washington, certainly no Bo-
hemian haunts: but it has, as it were,
an excellent social position. Foreigners,
who have all been on easy terms with
1t in the capitals of Europe, find it
neither unnatural nor unmanly to speak
OF 1t here without shame. It is not
obligatory in Washington to have cul-
tivated tastes, but on the whole they
are not thought badly of .-* Washing
ton is not merely city of magnificent
distances-to quote the phrase for
which it is indebted to a Portuguese
diplomat OF its earliest days" The Fed
eral City. "as some foreigner aptly put
1t" is 'the salon of America"
Mr.. Rhodes impression of Washing
ton as metropolis of "anecdotage" was
explained in paragraph reading:
Never anywhere in the world were
there so many stories about people. They
are told today in pleasant, leisure hours;
they have been set down in many VOL
umes Of memoirs and in the innumer-
able records of the hordes of news
paper correspondents who have from
the beginning fattened upon the Cap
ital."
OF course, there is no leisure in war
time. The date at which Mr.. Rhodes
was writing was 1920 To learn what
influence armed strife between nations
has upon the foreign colony in WASH
ington it is necessary only to turn to
the Congressional Directories. In 1912,
80 different nations had total of 141
representatives in the Capital of the
United States. BY 1919, AZ nations were
listed with 342 ministers and aides. In
1914, So nations were reported and the
number of recognized members of the
diplomatic corps had reached SAL.
But the State Departments roster
carries the names of only the upper
brackets of officials. No register of
other foreigners in town is kept A walk
through the lobbies of downtown hotels,
visit to any large downtown theater
or restaurant or most especially, to
Union Station will serve to convince
any doubter that "cosmopolis" is a
proper title to apply to Washington in
January, 1945. Soldiers and sailors and
civilians from all the United Nations
come and go in an unending procession
day and night.
What these visitors are doing in the
city is akin to what Americans are do
ing in the countries from which they
have journeyed hither. They are work.
ing on job Of universal proportions
job which will not terminate when
victory has been won in Europe and the
Orient The size and the character of
the task may be guessed from a glance
at the latest issue of the Washington
telephone book. For example, on page
80 the British Embassy is listed; also,
British Admiralty Delegation, British
Air Commission. British Always, Brit
ish American Tube Division, British
Broadcasting Corp, British Food Mis-
sion, British Information Services, Brit
ish Merchant Shipping Mission, British
Military Attaches Office, British Min
istry of Aircraft Production, British
Ministry of Supply Mission, British
nvyn