The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1885-06-13
FROM WASHINGTON
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON. D. c., June 6, 'St

WASHINGTON, D. c., June 6, 'S5.
I haven't seen all the beautiful cities
in the world, oh, no! But l am ready to
declare, Washington, in its present
dress, the most beautiful city in the uni
verse, so far as know. To begin with
it has more trees than it has people in
it, Each tree is now in its perfection,
Green aisles of naples, blossoming
squares of spir@a and snowballs and
pink peach blooms and lilacs; and das-
les in the grass, and pink honeysuckle
and wild forget-me-nots; singing birds
and laughing fountains; vistas that sug-
gest st. Cloud; pavements that lull you
even in herdic cab, these, in great
part, constitute my Washington. And
if you ask where the diversion is, ! can
only answer that we find it in hansoms.
There is something in Washington sug-
gestive Of every foreign city have been
in. In the parks, with the French
nurses and the babies sitting about in
the spray OF the fountains, you may
fancy yourself in Paris; you may play
that you are in London in hanson, and
certainly there is not q street cry in
London more fascinating than than that
of the "deviled-crabman." or the black
buttercup girl; the flower-nagrant air is
like to that of Morocco, and the street
sights of Naples are not more interest
ing than these where the babies play in
groups under the trees, and the negroes
cluster in idle chatter, or sing quaint
melodies at their work. To revive your
memory of Holland, there is the lazy
canal on which pleasure parties go to
Great Falls or to Cabin Johns Bridge,
and when the day is done you can get
suppers here in all languages, and no
body can make you believe you are in
your own land, There is always the
trip to Mount Vernon down the Poto-
to keep the patriotic spark alive, even
if the Washington Monument and the
Capitol We're not always in view. The
idea of that monument was hateful, and
always presented to my mind as big
chimney until we came to live within
sight OF it. 1t is really impressively
grand and beautiful, To-day the clouds
are so low that they divide the shaft,
and the apeX,as pure and white as snow,
suggests the Jungfrau, as when the fly
ing clouds sometimes hide and disclose
its whtened peak. The great, severe
shaft grows upon one, and, after an it
is fitting and worthy the memory OF the
man. / do not see how any one can
dislike it who sees it dav after day, al
ways with different sky as back
ground, and therefore never the same,
though it is an unbrokcn, simple stone
shaft. So wide are the concretcd streets
and so smooth their surface, that, in ad-
dition to the thousands OF bicyclers who
silently and swiftly spin through them,
pedestrians also leave the sidewalks and
seek the smoother roadway. Recently
hack driver grayely petitioned the
authorities for permission to drive on the
sidewalks, as there alone there seemed
to be room for carriages, ! know no
city so delightful to drive in, and no.
where in America is cab-fare so cheap.
At every turn you meet Bostonians who
are on their way North from Florida,
and who have come thus far South at
this season. Now all are hurrying
homeward for the mystery of the Spring
is nearly solved and the weather grows
warm.
Now and then get glimpse into the
suspense of some shalSy office holder, or
come for little time into the eXpecta,
tation of waiting otiice-sceker; but
when | chance to see the President he
is to me as any gentleman taking drive
behind fine pair of bays, or making
himself agreeable as every gentleman
seeks to do in his own house. Socially
it is of course very quiet here, but cabi-
net receptions and Senators 'evenings''
and Congress itself are as il they never
were, so little do they exist even in my
thought.
The complaint that the civil service
commissioners have not fixed the stand
ard of penmanship high enough in the
examination of applicants for public
positions is just one and should be es-
sentially changed. 1t is said, and be-
lieye it to be true, that nineztenths of
those who pass a creditable examination
in the branches for which there is no
earthly practical use in the service, are
entirely deficient in the matter of pen
manship, which is the paramount quail
tication in ali appointments that come
through the civil service. The hand
writing upon some of the public docu-
ments emanating from the departments
is simply eXecrable, and would be a COM
plete disqualification in any business
pursuit under heaven. Let us have a
standard for chirography, as well as foI
geography and botany.
Here is where a good portion of ouI
timber goes: The matches used in the
United Stares require every year an
amount of pine wood valued at 81, 29S,-
| 5G2, The railroads use in their locomo-
tiyes alone more than IS, 600, 900 worth
of hard and soft wood, and almost S3,-
| 600, 600 every year for ties. When il is
remembered that the entire value of oul
pine timber is placed by statlsticians al
| only 500, O,O00,O 600, il will he seen that
| the insatiate maw of the railroad cor
porations devours about one-tenth of the
timber crop yearly.
The auction sale of the truck, rubbish
and refuse of the Census Bureau which
| is soon to take place, should include the
Census Reports of 1880 which for prac,
tical utility will be of vastly more service
TO the junk-dealer than to the genera
| public, / think.
If the new officials connected with the
Pension Office desire to get their hand:
in upon the subject of investigations.
would recommend as a good field for the
business the highly moral City of Broth
I erly Love, Philadelphia, where the pen.
| sion agent Is said to have been paving
pensions to numerous parties who have
been defunct for 10! these many years
to say nothing of a small regiment OF
widows who have also been the recipi
ents of Uncle Sans bounty, after they
had thriftily provided themselves witt
! husbands.
The delay that pensioners upon the
/ Government are subjected TO in the ad
! iudication of their claims, is something
Of which they have no right to complain
The granting of pension is simply do
nation-the magnanimous gift Of tho
| Republic to those of its defendants whr
have incurred some kind of disability IL
! the snrYiea. To nrotect itself anninsl