Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-12-22
CAPITAL GLEANINGS.
PEN NPICTURES OF THE CABINET.
Distinguishing Traits OF the Mem.
bers Selected-The Embryo Statea-
man's SchOOIfDg-PrOmIse of a
Gay ChrIstmas-MOrgan RaVVls In
a StOIcal Mood.

WASHINGTON, December 20.-President Ar
thurs Cabinet, so far as completed, comprises
three personal qualities. They are dignity,
department and briiliancy. If, as is generally
understood, Lincoln remains in the Cabinet,
there will have to be added snobbery to the list.
Folger, Secretary of the Treasury, represents
dignity; Frelinghuysen holds up the department
end. and Brewster furnishes the brilliancy.
Folger is a nice. quiet. dignlaed old gentleman,
with plenty of brains and excellent
abilities as an executive officer. He
makes up his mind quickly and announces
his decision in measured tones but incisively
He is good looking also, and dresses with fair
exactitude as to style and fit. He is not dog
matical, and does not try to pound his decis-
ions down the throat Of Congress, as did John
Sherman. He is open to conviction, and then
he never promises a man that he can get
place in the department or encourages him to
hang on when there is no chance for him In
that he ffeTs from John sherman. Folger
represents dignity in quiet, easy, agreeable
way, but he has the dignity all the same.
Frelinghuysen, the new Secretary of State, is
an entirely different sort of man He is
tall and cold In that he is cold he
resembles John Sherman. He is a human ice
berg punctilious to very fault, careful as
TO every fold of his garments and the lay Of
every hair on his face and head. He meets
one without any warmth He is not a man to
please. He will doubtless make a good Secre-
tary of State He has fair brain power. He
does not labor with too much brains. Blaine's
short administration of the foreign policy of
the government has shown pretty well that
there can be too much brains in the State De-
partment Department is Frelinghuysens
strong point. He never unbends, and l
do not believe he did an awk-
ward thing in his life. He travels
altogether on his ancestry. He is lone of the
Frehnghuysens Of New Jersey" 1t is an old
and distinguished family The name of Fre
linghuysen and his department has kept the
present Secretary of State in public life off
and on during his life. and will probably serve
him in good stead until he dies After that, if
ali reports are not unfouuded, neither deport-
ment nor name will avail him much He will
make good man to receive and talk to the
foreign representatives to The United States.
He will strike them as holding the whole
country up by the tail, and of doing it without
even rumpling his cuffs. The blarsted for
elgners cannot say now that there is
Brewster, the new Attorney General, is the
brilliant mind phenomenally acute has
been trained by him in reading and by contact
with men, so that now there is none brighter.
His conversation is better than will be met in
half century. He is hideously ugly from burn
which he received when a child. but when he
talks hls looks are forgotten, He is especially
favorlte with women, whom he charms with
his magic tongue. He is not as practical as he
is brilliant, but is far above the average as a
man of business. He is a thorough law
yer There is none at the bar better
than he. He can make a speech
to jury that seldom fails to carry them with
him; and when he is let loose on college com
mencement days the English language and
pretty figures of speech must stand from un-
der. 1t is seldom that an excellent lawyer
makes a good Attorney General except in his
pleadings before the Supreme Court. AS
a rule lawyer does not know how to attend
well TO the administrative business Of the de-
partment. Whether Brewster will come Up to
the brilliant administration expected of him il
Will take about year to show.
CHRISTMAS.
Christmas, the fete day hallowed and cele-
States, is upon us. The air has not a Christ
mas crspness but the shops show the signs
that the holiday season is here. The air is
almost balmy, and the shops are brilliant
The Christmas trade, prominent 1eweler told
me to -day-I was buying diamond brooch
and tiara for my girl!-started three weeks
carer this year than ever before In his recol-
lection and in the same degree heavier
and more profitable. People are
buying more Christmas goods this
year and are buying costlier presents. All Of
the shop windows, brilliant in color and
sparkle have larger crowds, who are looking
and looking and buying and buying. If IL
should only snow before Christmas and turn a
lttl- colder the fete would not lack any feature
of being perhaps the happiest and heartiest
that Washington has ever known.
THE NEW MEMBER.
1t is little funny to watch the new member
of Congress as he conducts himself on the
departments. He generally comes here
with the idea that he will be
a great big man. He is sometimes surprised
that the pOpuace has not turned out to meet
him. After three days even the most nguine
member comes to regard himself as very
small man. ] he people of Washington are so
accustomed 70 having distinguished men"
emODg them that a fell)w has to be very big
lugs TO attract any sort of public attention. At
the END of three days the new member begins
to develop the other way. He commences to
think that he fs a remarkably small man. and
that there could scarcely be found a smaller one
anywhere. He thinks he is really smaller than
he actually is. He thinks about asking per-
mission of the doorkeepers Of the House and
of being polite to the hotel clerk. As TO saving
: Mr.. Speaker. " he would not for the life of
him do any such thiag When he goes to the
White House he is evidently perturbed and
does notkpow exactly what 10 do with himself
1t is the same in the government departments
He pays court 10 the understrappers This
period OF the new member does not last very
long At the end Of month he knows pretty
we'll how he stands and about what size he is
He Is neither so very large nor so very small
He Is something between the two extreme esti-
mates which he had placed upon himself. He
can bawi Mr.. Speaker as loud as anyone and
can move around the White House and depart
ments with ease, if not success In fact he
then has all the accomplishments that the av
erage member usually possesses even after
many years service in the House, should he be
so lucky as to be returned from time to time.
COL MORGAN RAwLs.
Col. Morgan Rawls, who is as good-hearted
as he is brave, has just lost his place under the
House. He was ia the way of the Republican
broom, and gave way to q staiwart. He takes
his decapitation philosophically. His friends
are inclined to side with him
about 1t. The other day he dropped into the
office to look over the file OF the News There
were several of his friends in the office at the
time. He took the file of the paper after psss-
ing greeting and sat down to gain knowledge.
Somebody remarked. without addressing
Rawlsl Il wonder how the walking isY"
''They say" some one else.put in, that it is
not very goo South Hard on the shoes.
isn't it?" Nothing from Rawls all this time.
IF fellow should take to the railroad track
he might get to Georgia in time for the spring
plowing," was remarked. Rawls laid do wn his
paper, and everybody laughed. Bows"
he said, you have got me this time.
l have lost my place, and 1 wanted to
keep it mighty bad l bought me a pair of
very thick shoes befoys the Republicans re-
formed the House, and have information from
General Hagen that the walking will be good
all the winter. am going to sfay over until
after Christmas ana board around with you /
don't know but that will stay year It is
good t. have friends who do not W.T. man
n H..