Evening star., 1947-07-05

monuments; ~ ~ y.
triangle of con-
ventional hotels. stores and office buildings,
having as its base line drawn from Con-
necticut avenue at M street to the intersec-
ton of Fifteenth street and Pennsylvania
avenue, and as its apex Union Station,
and pile after pile of huge symmetrical stone
structures along Constitution and Pennsyl-
van.a avenues wearing yet one precious jewel,
the White House.
leave here, however, with an entirely differ
ent conception Of metropolitan Washington.
Space would not permit mention Of more
than few of the most notable spots of interest
and beauty which it is found to possess, and
they might be the following; The Tidal Basin
with its lacework of drives and bridges, frlnged
in blossomtime with giant wreath OF tnde-
scribable beauty, but sharing equal If not great
er honors with Kenwood with its canopies OF
feecy breath-taking clouds Of cherry blooms;
the quiet sustained and SURPRISING beauty OF
the pink and white dogwoods decorating the
wide lawns Of the Forest Hills, Cleveland Park,
Foxhall road, Spring Valley and other areas;
the quaint historic buildings of old George
town skirted by the sleepy little c. and
Canal and the broad Potomac; the Water Gate
outdoor theater where. on warm summer eve
nings, you may thrill to the performances
of such artists as Gladys Swartnout and Hans
Kinder while looking out upon the Venice
like scene of the moored stage surrounded
by small powerboats and canoes bobbing rhyth-
mically in the tidewater; Hams Point inviting
you to loiter along it's peaceful seawals, but
shorn OF all hospitality when the flamboyant
double cherry blossoms attract riots of nature
lovers; the majestic trees of Franklin Park
and its azaleas rivalng those of New Orleans
and Mobile for brilliance, If not for luxuriance;
Dumbarton Oaks exuding peace, quietude and
solemnity until you suddenly step down into
its fairyland of gardens and pools and prone
nades; Rock Greek Park where miles OF scenic
highways and bride paths wander through
primeval forests and past placid picnic grounds;
and Rock Greek itself with its lively cascades,
deep clear pools rippling fords and here and
there long eddies for wading children and float
ing fowl; the endless exhibits and works of
art in the Smithsonian Institution and the
National Gallery of Art Mount Vernon Me-
mortal Highway framed in springtime with
Towering dogwood and Judas trees, In autumn
with many-colored sumac; the embassy build
ings on Sixteenth street and Massachusetts
avenue by which you walk in silence and Won
der; that baronial estate, Tregaron, on Klingle
road, far removed in both geography and ap-
pearance from the source of its Welsh name;
city lost in dense arbor of oaks, elms, naples,
poplars and apparently all other species OF
deciduous trees that grow in the north temper
ate zone: and at last the sobering and inspir-
ing Mall where you must pause and become
freshly imbued with patriotism and national
pride.
have learned that Washington is not merely
a condition of public affairs nor altogether
mecca for tourists and patronage seekers, but
real, charming, though much maligned
netropolis WALTER L. POPE.
MIR. Lawrence and Social Action
To the Editor Of The Star:
once saw small boy, bested in backyard
fsticuffs, hastily climbing the fence leaving
shirt and tie behind him but clutching des-
perately at his falling pants to avert the final
indignity David Lawrence might be that small
boy "growed up" judging from his article OF
June 80.
Poor Mr. Lawrence! So disgruntled because
nasty people didn't $50 he says read his criti-
cism of the Social Action Department OF the
National Catholic Welfare Conference all the
way through and therefore $50 he beieves)
misunderstood his position entirely.
Mr.. LIS "pants," in this instance consist OF
the final paragraph of his original essay, and
it reads: There is not the slightest objection
to the expression of views by individual clergy
men on public questions when they are plainly
acting as individual citizens. But for any
church unit, functioning as an institution, to
mix in as a pressure group on specific laws IN
the economic or political field Is to involve
America in unfortunate controversies where
the influence of the churches will be weakened
instead Of strengthened"
This "pants" of the original article Mr..
Lawrence is determined to defend to the end.
Obviously, he sees nothing wrong in it. But
there is something wrong-terribly wrong-and
it is the assumption that specific laws in the
economic or political field are perforce outside
the field of morality. This looks suspiciously
like the old religion business -don't-mix'
attitude.
According to Mr. Lawrence's thesis, Congress
might pass a specific law in the economic
field disbanding all unions; or a specific law
taxing 100 per cent all incomes over $4,000
and distributing the proceeds to the poor; or
a law confscating all church properties OF
whatever denomination; but the churches
should throw up their hands In horror at the
thought of mixing in" Or If State should
vote a ST 900 poll tax, thereby restricting the
vote to the well to do, the churches should
not dare protest this specific law in the
political field
OF course, Mr.. Lawrence would counter that
these absurdities are not merely political or
economic but that they have a moral aspect,
too. This is precisely the contention of the
Social Action Department on the Taft-Hartley
measure.
Too bad! But it does seem that Mr.. L..
on this ISSUE will go limping home not only
shirtless, tieless and coatless, but pantsless
as well. G. j. ENALEF.
Vetoes Irrational and Otherwise
To the Editor of The Star:
Should not the veto power OF the President
be restrained? Is it not absurd to assume that
| any President is possessed of greater wisdom
or integrity than that Of the combined mem
| bership of the Senate and the House OF Rep
resentatives? Giving the President power to