Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-02-14
Washington Notes.
BY GRACE GREENWOOD

Spinner and |. 1t was bore TO US. but
treat to them-a rare and innocent enjoy
ment-and | must confess that was touched
by their freshness and enthusiasm. Ii was
pleasant to be in the company of gentlemen
of fair ability, with no official airs oil
ladies young and pretty, dressed with sim
plicity, not braceleted and lOeketed, like
pair of convicts.
There is a certain picture by Poussin,
| which represents group of peasants dane
ing in the neighborhood of 4 tomb, which
bears the inscription. - too once dwelt in
Arcadia | am conscious of feeling
4" pleasant, but mournful to the soul, SINH
lar TO the sentiment attributed to the en-
tombed indiyidual-which his name has not
come down to us-when | see strangers
tripping gayly past those solemn marble
efigies at the Capitol, or through that other
mortuary establishment, the Dead-letter
Office, or gazing up at the monumental
What-is-it" before the City Hall, or on
the great - Observation-Disclosures" the
Washington obelisk-that nournful, broken
promise of patriotism-though perhaps, 1t
is one of the sort of promises better broken
| than kept.
Wewent that day all through the rooms
where the ladies work, counting postal cur
rency, hour after hour. the family rustling
notes flying thro' their educated fingers with
marvellous rapidity. Thisportion of the build
ing seemed especially to please the gentle
men of the party. There are some very
pretty girls here, and it is cheering to
| philanthropist to know that they are get
ting nearly as much pay as Ordinary-looking
young men would get for the same work,
while it is comforting to the political econ
omist to reflect how much, during the ten
years past, Uncle Samuel has saved by en-
| ploying women instead of men.
We, of course, went into the treasure
vault. and lifted the usual amount OF mon
ey, and made the jokes people always make,
but felt really solemnized. One Of the party
was a young Briton, who had seen the Bank
| of England, but he passed me package oil
United States bonds, twenty millions, more
or less, with much the air ola good church
man passing up small child to be christ
ened. If had the punishment Of some Of
the illustrious, insolent, incorr igible mum
ieipal thieyes,of modern times-one OF the
bandits Of Tammany, say Mr.. I'd, |
would cut off. not his ears, but his pockets,
and take Of his boots, and rip the lining out
of his coat, and give him thirty days IN this
vault. and let him - silently steal away,
with no possibility of getting off with a
dollar of the plumber.
| parted with my friends where | met
them, at Gen. Spinner's door. | should like
to have gone the rounds of the other sights
with them-espeeially 10 have conducted
them TO that glass-case in the Patent Office.
which enshrines the most sacred relics OF
the Republic, the priceless crockery and
clothes of the Washingtons. ! should 50
have enioyed the generation which | am
sure was depicted on the ingenious face Of
my British friend, on first beh0lding our
I 10 u..frs lot I'M h.
eaten neither integuments Of the Father Of
his country, and the antique tea-caddy of
the Mother of the same / hope this party
did not leave Washington without taking
with them to their quiet remote homes,
| some interesting mementOes OF the Capitol
"A few packages of flower seeds from the
national gardens, the best kind OF keep
sakes, for they remain just as they are,
never terminate or change; report OF the
! Agricultural Bureau illustrated-the one
Mr.. Cox got more out Of than ever before
"a Patent Office Report-yeS, several Of
them-a photograph Of the grand canon Of
| neutrality-suspicious., and of Clarke Mills
e jackson which might also pass for a
| Rear-Admiral a shell from the ARSENAL
handy thing for some newspaper people TO
have about for should your house or your
office be stormed by a bowling Irish mob,
/
more horrible fate.
visited Mr. Spinner that morning on be-
half Of poor woman who aspired 10 the
humble position Of sweeper thought the
situation must be easy 10 obtain, but |
might a well have asked him 10 supersede
with my client the old woman in the nursery
rhyme, in her immemorial employment of
- sweeping the c0bwebs out of the sky.
He was obliged to refuse my request, but he
| did it in such a regretiul way that my feel
ings were spared. He followed up his re-
fusal with a statement of affairs, which 1t Is
" borne in upon me ! should make public
! for the good Of all good women who have
designs on the United States Treasury. |
am assured that at the present time there
are no situations TO be had, in that depart
ment, for love, or money, or pity, OF politi-
| cal considerations. Gen. Spinner says that
when the new civil service system was adopt
! ed. he hoped it would reduce the number Of
| hopeless applications, but it has not done
50. Young ladies. assured By impartial rel
atiyes and iniallible school ma ans that their
attachments Will stand any test and buOyed
/ up by internal convictions that they are
| armed at all points, come on here, perhaps
| from a great distance. with abundant hope,
! but little mOney-iail to pass the ordeal,
I and are left without the means of returning
/ home, without friends, or resources Of any
/ kind. lie says that ladies well-bred and
educated, have come 10 him and begged for
messenger sleaning and odd jobs
about the building. Very many apply for
the Light employment Of sweeping. He can
not be the bes0m friend Of them all, but he
Is often tempted TO act the part Of good
fairy, and scatter chaff and torn paper over
the building at night, after il has been
swept and garnished, to give them work to
do in the morning.
The admission of women into the depart
ments has been a great. good thing, an i'm
mense step toward justice and equality, a
Proyidentisl opening, especially for women
deprived OF protection and support by the
war. Mr.. Secretary Chase, when he threw
open the doors of the Treasury to ambitious
and industrious women, was, perhaps, not
conscious that he was doing a very noble
deed, but he was-a deed BY which be
" clothed himself with blessings a with a
garment. fear il Is not generally under
stood that there are arbitrary limits to the
number Of situations in this department
which can be filed by women, and that such
ought to be filed and generally are filed BY
widows with dependent children, or wives
with disabled husbands, or daughters with
invalid parents and perhaps younger broth
ers and sisters TO toll for. To all young
ladies, with only themselves To support. |
would say most earnestly, don't venture to
come here unless You have not only internal
evidence that you are competent, but as
good official assurance a. can be honestly
given under our stern civil service regula-
tons that position awaits yOu-and then,
dOaf come 1t Is hard. mOnOtonous, wear
ing work at the best. | should 20 wild over
that counting Of fractional currency-mad
over the eternal coming and going of Wash |
ingtOn, Madison, and Stanton There were
at one time heads Of Lincoln, Fessenden. |
and Spinner-men of different types of |
beauty, which made more variety but even /
then the poor girls got frightfully tired and |
could scarcely sleep O. nights for those heads |
flying over their pillows, like 80 many mid 1
dle-aged cherubs. To be sure, the ten-cent |
bills are little relief, for they are adorned /
by a tOlerably fair face Of Liberty. but it Is
possible for woman to have too much lib
erty. 1t Is especially hard for comely young
women to be in Washington and see SO little
of ito sit still for hours, with all the out
side world astir-silent for hours in sight Of
the great temple Of talk. And then, the
frightiul sense Of reSpOnsibility-the vital
necessity for absolute accuracy in counting,
lest there be surplus Of WashingtOns, or
a deficit in Stantons-to be held TO stern
account for any one of those light, Elusive
cherubs To be sure, the pay is tolerably
good. and the place tolerably secure, from
10 Administration, if YOU
behave yourself tolerably well, and nobody
who has the power 10 Gust You happens to
take fancy to your position. But neither
man nor woman lives by bread alone, and.
IN the whole, rather than come here,
would, were an impecunious young lady,
teach IA country school, and board around,
md see the world or | would ia Ike an eligi-
Die situation as companion and noyel-reader
o pious old lady, fond of gossip; or mar
Y an eligible old gentleman, or 20 on a
mission to Climatic last much sooner, for
met lady, a short time ago, just home on
visit. from the Hong Kong station, who
old me she had beautiful residence out
here. with all the modern convenences,