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Show QUEER SAYINGS AND DOINGS OF TOURISTS AT THE CAPITAL In the spring the tourists' fancy lightly turns to thoughts of Washington. The streets of the National Capital are thronged wllh tourists, tourists Indlvidu-. ally, tourists in groups, and tourists In excursions. The excursionists may be known by many signs, one of these being tho tendency to koep In step, as they move from sight to sight. The Capitol Is tho objective of all tourists. They pack the public galleries: they mass in the rotunda. ro-tunda. That all-come for pleasure Is evident, evi-dent, and that many come to learn Is made plain by the fpiostlons they ask. "Say," said a tourist on the terrace of tho Capitol, accosting a Washlnglonlan, one day this week, "how can I see Mount Vernon?" "By going there." "Going there? Yes, but I want to know how I can sec it from here." "You can't. It is llflccn miles distant." "Fifteen miles! Why. I thought It was right across the river from Washington' A common delusion appears to be that the President has quarters at the Capitol and may be seen there any day. Another delusion Is that nobody but the Vlce-Prcslden.t Vlce-Prcslden.t ever occupies the chair of tho presiding officer of the Senate. Recently the Vice-President slipped out to his private pri-vate room for a few moments, calling upon Senator McCumber to preside in his absence. A tourist who had entered the gallery aftor the North Dakotau had taken tak-en the gavel was surprised and audibly exclaimed to his companion. "Fairbanks don't look a bit like his pictures:' , The notebook of a Washlngtonlan who chronicles the queer sayings and dolng3 of tourists affords food for many reflections, reflec-tions, and one of these Is that the machinery ma-chinery of government is little understood bv elements of our population commonly reckoned as intelligent. Washington Correspondence Cor-respondence Boston Transcript. |