American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1879-04-12
How Great Men Unbend Them
selves.

Says the Washington correspondent
of the st. Paul Ptoneer-P Press:
When some Senator or member Of
moderate ability is making speech.
the cloak-rooms are generally crowd
ed. The scene represents a club-room
more than any thing else, but were there
not SO many hats and coats hurg along
the walls, and were there little more
of an air of cheerfulness, the resem-
blance would be more complete. As it
is, however, the cloak-rooms are the
most interesting places at the Capitol.
Around the walls are cleats, ON which
are large brass hooks with the names of
the owners On little cards tackled under
them, on which the Congressional hats
and coats are hung. There are sofas
and settees, of old fashioned patterns
and well worn numerous chairs, in va
rious stages of decay and Offering vari-
Gus degrees of attraction, are scattered
about; there is tankard of ice-water,
three or four marble wash basins, with
soap and towels, and at the House end
of the Capitol couple of barber's
chairs in each cloak-room. Cheerful
fires are burning in the CRATES, and
generally one of the chandeliers is light
ed, for the only light that can be other
wise obtained is filtered through the
stained-glass windows from the public
corridors. A box of matches sets ON
the mantel, and in the House cloak
room one of the pendent gas-jets seen
in cigar stores, gives the smoker his
/" fire.
At any time during the session groups
of lounging statesmen may be passed, in
every variety of posture, all smoking
and discussing the events of the day or
telling stories; and some of the best
story-tellers in the world were in the
last Congress.
Abraham Lincoln's stories are quite
as mnch part of his Administration as
the Emancipation Proclamation. Presi-
dent Grant told a story eloquently when
he was "unbent,'' but he was not in the
habit OF telling them promiscuously.
President Hayes does not originate sto-
ries, as Lincoln did, but often quotes
them, and seems to have been studying |
Lincoln, for he repeats his sayings very |
frequently. Secretary Evarts is ha
bitual wag, and is the life of Cabinet |
meetings, very often illustrating his
views on pending question by the
point of an anecdote. Many of his
stories are in circulation now. Attor-
ney- General Devens doesn't tell many
stories, but is given to punning. Secre-
tary Thompson loves joke as we'll as
ever a man did, and can entertain
with ''Hoosier" anecdotes for
a whole evening at time. Postmaster
General Key often attempts to be funny,
and sometimes succeeds, but generally
tells story you have heard before.
Schurz is fond of a good story, but
Doesn't tell one. Sherman and Nc
Crary are the sober men of the Cabinet.
Sherman sometimes smiles, but was
never heard to give good hearty
augh. McCrary laughs sometimes,
ind is always in good humor, but you
eldom get an anecdote from him.
Charles Sumner never knew what a
oke was. Humor was entirely absent
rom his nature. Morton enjoyed
tories, and told them sometimes, but s
lie was always very busy man, and
vhen he wasn't in bed, suffering torture
he was generally at work.
len. Sherman is an inveterate story
eller, and you can catch him at Army
Headquarters, surrounded by his staff,
elating his experience, of which he
Gems to have had an unusual amount .
f an amusing character, or describing
ome funny sight he has seen, or some
lnny thing he has heard. He has
cry keen sense of the ridiculous, and is