Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-08-21
Our Foircty

of making Washingtonians
conscious of the wonders Of
their city. 1t is a real prob
lem. If there ever was a city
which needs to have its civic
pride maSsaged, Washington
is it. AS a newcomer to this
wonderful Eden, I am con-
stantly being amazed by the
seeming lack of militant civic
pride on the part of old
Washington natives.
Just why this reluctance to
sing the praises Of the home
town is mystifying. The fine
folks I've met I am sure love
Washington, but they GER
tainly hold their affection
we'll in check. I've lived in
such cities as Chicago, New
York, Cincinnati, Detroit,
and some smaller towns. In
each there is no hesitancy in
shouting the city's charms
from the housetops-no
matter how few or dubious
the charms may be. Chicago
was even proud Of its mob
Sters back in the old days!
But in Washington, l am
constantly being asked, in
tones of establishment, why
in the world did you pick
Washington in which to
lve?" I answer, why not?"
Then I get some gentle re-
minders of the lawful CHI
mate" "the slow pace. +"
nothing to do" and you
must miss New York" In
answering these I find my
self, a newcomer, doing a
chamber of commerce sell
ing job on the old-time ma
tive Westinghouse. Wash
ington needs to be reminded
of its own virtues, Its impor-
lance as a pleasant and dis
tinguiShed place to live.
Washington should be a
retirement paradise for those
men of leisure who do moi
want to rust away in Florida
exile or wear away in big.
city confusion. Washington
is the happy midway ccmpro.
mise retirement in thu
midst of activity.
This city, after all, is the
hub of the world, and there il
excitement and pleasure il
living in a city where worlC
events are local datelines
There is a sense of participa.
ton here-a personal par
ticipation in the headlines. II
yesterdays New York Time
there must have been at leas
so Washington dateline Sto
riesl Even New Workers do no
have that my-town identifi'
cation with the MOVING
world. When you have out
of town vi 81 tors theSl
thoughts come to mind. Yol
pass 1000 Massachusetts ave
nue. and explain to your Obi,
friends that Senator Lausch
lives there; down the stree
the Islamic Center ties VI
with the Middle East trouble
you pass the Korean Embas
sly and they're celebrating tn
, anniversary of that little ma
/ tons independence. 9Th
/ visitors had a boy in Korea.
You pass the Carlton an
I the visitors remember tina
, that is where the Goldf1n
case had one of its conf
opera explosions. Tina
church on the corner is tn
| one the Eisenhowers attenc
The lights are on in tn
= White House. a portent
= the next days crisis in tn
. United Nations. The Russia
e Embassy is dark. The Senat
E is in night seSsion-probabl
about to pass the increase
4 social security benefits bill
y "a matter of much interes
r to the Ohio visitors.D And
it goes, block after blocl
Washington is the center {
the whirling world, and liv
ing IN Washington one take
4 on q vicarious excitement
e A psychiatrist might wor
2 DER if Washingtonians al
4 over-modest about their Gil
r because they suffer from
: subconscious inferiority con
pick due to a lack of II
vote. Maybe there is som'
thing about electing yol
: own mayor and alderme
o and ward heelers which sti
4 up the civic pride gland
: Whatever the trouble is, Il
. people who live in this fl
city ought to wake UP al
enjoy the experience.
Oscar A. DoOb.