Howard University - Bison Yearbook (Washington, DC)

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Therefore, as the years go by, Americans will look to Washington as the Mecca of thought in all phases. Washington is today a favored winter resort and even in summer it is preferable to many cities of the North, as the heat here is not nearly so great as that of New York, Philadelphia, and even Boston. This city in summer is a mass of foliage; every street having rows of trees which afford shade. Washington is the only thoroughly sylvan city in the United States. It was stated earlier in this article that Washington is rapidly becoming the Berlin of America in education. This statement is justified by the number of fully equipped colleges and professional schools located here. In addition to our own Howard University there are Georgetown University, George Washington University, American University, Catholic University, and many smaller and less prominent schools offering class “A” collegiate work. The public school system here is one of the finest in the world. Many students from adjacent states come into the District for their education because of Washington’s excellent school system. Visitors to Washington carry home with them vivid impressions that last a life-time for they have sensed the very soul of America, the land of liberty and justice for all. It is an inspiration. One cannot look upon the scenes where the future destiny of the nation is being decided without feeling that one has touched the very pulse of our government and felt its living throb. As a city beautiful Washington is unsurpassed. Here, indeed, is hallowed ground, trod by every president of the United States— the immortal George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and all the famous and gifted statesmen with whom America has been blessed. It is America—the spirit of service and sacrifice, the vision of the future—expressed in marble and granite, bronze and copper, (lowers and trees.

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city. The northwest is the most popular and has the largest number of people. The southwest quarter comprises the harbor region and contains brick, stone, and lumber yards and manufacturing concerns in addition to many streets of stores and residences. The northeast quarter is least developed and has the sandiest population. The southeast, strictly residential, is a very populous section. The streets and avenues are from one hundred thirty to one hunded sixty feet in width and have very broad sidewalks. There are eighty thousand shade trees on the streets. Pennsylvania Avenue is the great central thoroughfare. Its entire length is four and one-half miles. Extending from the Botanical Garden at the foot of Capitol Hill to Fifteenth Street is a broad park or series of parks known as the Mall. On it are located the buildings of the Fish Commission, National Museum, Smithsonian Institution, and Department of Agriculture. Of Washington’s system of Parks, Lafayette Park, on the avenue (Penn..) opposite the White House; Lincoln Park, on East Capitol Street; and Franklin Park at Fourteenth and K Streets, Northwest, are outstanding for their beauty. The squares and circles are also attractive features of Washington. They are all placed in accordance with the plans of L’Enfant, and with the addition of any fine statues serve to enhance the beauty of the city. It is the magnificent buildings of Washington, however, that lure thousands of visitors to the capital city yearly. The Washington Monument, the Capitol, and the White House are the ones of greatest interest to the sight-seers. The Washington Monument is a massive shaft of fine white marble with a pyramidal top. It is simple in form but has a harmony of proportion which has given it enduring beauty. From the base-line to the aluminum point which crowns the shaft, the height is exactly 555 feet, four inches. Us foundations, constructed to bear a weight of 21,120 tons, are constructed of solid blue rock. The structure itself is of blue granite and marble. Its tapering lines produce a wonderful grace and lightness and looking at it from a distance one can hardly conceive it to be the huge structure it is. The Capitol, centrally located, is a beautifully designed structure erected at an estimated cost of thirty million dollars. The central portico at the main entrance of the Capitol has twenty-four ponderous columns of sandstone erected in 1825. The great dome which rises from the center of the Capitol is of grand symmetrical proportions and has no equal in the world for classical beauty. The height of the building is 308 feet. The huge structure is visible from all parts of the city. The White House is built of sandstone. A large portico is at the main entrance and a circular colonnade is on the south side. From Pennsylvania avenue there are two spacious driveways, bordered with trees and ornamented with tropical plants. The grounds contain fountains, beautiful beds of flowers, and luxuriant lawns open to the public every day. From the south grounds can be obtained charming views of the Potomac and the distant hills of Virginia. Other buildings of interest include the Executive Departments of the government, the Congressional Library, the Lincoln Memorial and the various museums and art galleries. The fact that millions of dollars have been spent on public buildings and improvements and the fact that modern inventions overcome distance and make neighbors of all sections of the country practically assures Washington of ever remaining the nation’s capital despite efforts to move it.

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