Evening star., 1951-04-20
By George Kennedy

.Es
The shouting and the tumull
dies. the captains and the kings
depart. Washington can settle
down TO an ordinary day with
merely an opening game In Crit
| nth Stadium and a further UNI
folding OF the international crisis
Gen. Douglas Macarthur has gone
to New York.
The general came, saw and con-
Iquered. For 20 drama-packeo
hours from his arrival at National
Airport until he left in his big
Constellation. the Bataan. the Cap
Fital was his.
It was like the twilight Of the
gods. No other comparison will
do for the theatricalness Of his
departure. spotted by the food
lights, standing at salute on the
platform at the door Of the plane
as the guns doomed slow salute
and q band played Aud Lang
Syne"
Few kings. admirals or generals
ever brought out such crowds. The
police estimate was 550.00e and
for once newspaper reporters were
Of the opinion that they were not
overestimating.
But more impressive than the
turnout was the stamina Of the
71-year-old general whom Presi-
dent Truman relieved last week
Of the command Of United Ma
tions forces in the Korean war
and who had made an 1900 mile
flight with his wife and son to get
here. In the one day he responded
to the greetings Of thousands on
his arrival, addressed Congress,
greeted crowds from an open car
in a parade down Pennsylvania
avenue, gave a talk at the Wash
ington Monument, addressed the
Daughters Of the American Revo-
luton and shook hands with the
members Of the American Society
Of Newspaper Editors at their
annual convention.
Millions of television viewers
saw him reading his speech WITH
out benefit Of spectacles before
the joint session of Congress, his
hair carefully combed over his
balding but unwrinkled bfcws His
only direct reference to what had
happened was:
II address you with neither
rancor or bitterness in the fading
twilight of life, with but one pur-
pose in mind: to serve my coun-
try"
Everything went on schedule
except the Generals appearance
before the editors convention,
when he took time of for a nap
He left the south door Of the
Capitol at 2 minutes after 2 o'clock
and In a minute or two more the
parade was rolling down the Ave-
nue..
The crowd at the curb got big
ger as the parade proceeded. The
people were lined up only i've or
six deep near the Capitol.
Periscopes Were Popular.
Street kawkers had sold hun
dreds Of periscopes which many
used to look over the heads in
front. Hundreds were waving
Welcome Mac" signs, which
hawkers found to be a best seller.
At Fourteenth street the crowd
was solid in the middle Of the
street all the way up the hill toI
r street. The Treasury front
lawn, where the parade turned
be. the left to the Monument
grounds, was jammed with peo-
pie.
White House Supplied Car.
The general was In an open
Cadillac supplied by the White
House with Mrs. Macarthur, their
young son, Arthur Macarthur;
John. Russell Young. president of
the District Board of Commits
sioners, and Joseph McGarraghy
OF the Citizens Com
mittee which arranged Macarthur
day.
The slope up to the Washington
Monument was one tidal wave of
humanity. Inspector Mark Rasp-
berry>of the park police estimated
there were 250,000 at that point
alone. He had just made his
estimate uhen fhoi,Sands yonrn