The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-12-29

panied by Matthew Arnold when he attended
church that day. I saw the foreigner and his
wife, as the two were being shown the Cap
itol by Senator Hswley. The party were in
the Hall of Representatives, just after the ad-
journment of Congress for the holiday re-
cess. Arnold is very tall, while his wife is
among the smallest of women. He looks like
an Englishman and acts like an Englishman.
He has way of squirting his eyes whenever
he is engaged in looking intently upon an
object. His hair is grayish, as are also his
side-whiskers, rounded and not more than a
haif-inch in length. Ee is not heavy set.
His clothing is stylish in cut and worn with
good taste. Arnold was first a poet. He
took prize at the university he attended be-
fore he was twenty-one years old. His sue
cess for the time being spoiled him. In later
years, when he found that he was not cut out
for poet, he became a prose writer. His
middle life has been passed in the interest OF
education. Concerning religion, to which
he has been paying attention for the past ten
years, he says: No one has discovered the
nature of God to be personal or is entitled to
assert that God has conscious intelligence"
For a man who had worked so hard in
making up his committees, Mr.. Morrison
looked very fresh on Tuesday. He walked
about his hotel in his easy, inoffensive way,
and said he had not been outside all day.
He must have been weary from long work,
on Monday morning when his committees
were announced, and felt like shutting him
self up for the holidays He had had Mr..
Carlisle to assist him, but then Mr. Carlisle
didn't know much about it. and didn't have
much to say. Mr.. Carlisle was so kind that
he even remained all night in Mr. Morri-
sons room during the three nights prior to
the announcement of the committees.
Mr.. Morrison is one of those inoffensive-
against. He was groom to Kerr when the
latter was entered in speakership race.
When the contest was over the country was
surprised to learn that he was getting big
share of the prize. lie was made chairman
of the ways and means committee at
the beginning of his second
consecutive term in Congress- Prior
to that he had been a comparatively
insignificant member 1t was said that Nor
rison was compromise in place of Cox and
Wood, of New York, who were wanting the
place. An old member of Congress told me
to-day that Morrison was not compromise,
but that he worked himself into the good
graces of Mr.. Kerr, secured the position and
made up the committees as he has done for
Mr.. Carlisle.
When Mr.. Randall was made Speaker at
Il IL 4.
appointed Mr.. Morrison to the craftsmanship
of the public lands committee, and gave him
a membership on another committee. The
gentleman from Illinois became indignant,
and pouted like school girl. He refused to
go near the committee during the entire
session of Congress- because he had
formerly held the craftsmanship of one more
important.
The majority of congressman who are in
the city remained indoors on Christmas
day. A few attended church Those who
went to the Catholic churches had to pay
| ten cents for seat. 1t is a common practice
| here for Catholics to charge admission fees
when Protestants visit their services.
New Years day is the day of the Presi-
dents reception. On that occasion the
chief magistrate stands in one of the parlors
of the White House for three or four hours
| and shakes hands with foreign representa-
| tives, judges, congressman, army and navy
| officials, cabinet members, "oldest inhabit-
ants" citizens and cranks. He has the con-
ISOLATION that he will be required to go
through this ordeal but one more time after
the coming New Year.