The Washington critic., 1886-05-04
WASHINGTON CRITIC
WASHINGTON. MAY 4. 1886.
TOPICS OF THE DAY.

largely due TO his life in the White
House. lie lived too high, exercised
too little and paid too little attention to
keeping good hours. lie did not get
his breakfast much before ten o'clock,
and his supper did not begin until nine
or ten in the evening. He often sat at
the table until after midnight, and
though he was not glutton, he liked
fine wines and terrapin. Steward
Crump, who acted for Garfield and
Hayes, did not like his stewardship un.
der Arthur, for the reason that they
never got the dishes washed until the
wee small hours of the morning. lie
took horseback rides for time, and the
doctors told him that he ought to do
this TO keep his system in order, but he
discontinued them, and towards the close
of his administration grew heavier
than ever He said once that he needed
only six hours of sleep but that he
generally allowed himself seven. Had
he taken this much at regular hours,
and kept up the exercise which he had
before he got to the White House, he
would probably be well man to day.
Arthur ought to be in his prime, for he
is only 56 years old, and man should
be at least go before he begins to con-
slider his best days past.
w
Memories of "Old Zach" Chandler
crop up occasionally. When he was
chairman of the Republican National
Committee, with headquarters at the
Fifth Avenue Hotel, says a writer in
the New York Tribune, he astonished
the colored man in charge, who slept
in the Secretary's room, by appearing
there one morning about o'clock. 1t
was scarcely daylight and the sleepy
darky could not understand what was
up. With vigorous fusilade of his
emphatic, but inelcgant and somewhat
profane language, Chandler ordered
him to go and wake up the secretary,
stenographcr and two or three clerks,
whom he named. The man had by this
time walked up enough to know that 1t
was still night, and he came to the
hasty conclusion that Mr.. Chandler
must be "a little of" He ventured to
say, "But, Mr.. Chandler, it am not
mawning vet" The Michigander
ripped out another of his big oaths, as
he said: "Jt is morning when the chair
man of the committee gets here. Go
and tell them to get up and report for
duty"
b Nv
, Says "F. ii. r." of the Atlanta Con-
stitution: A remarkable growth in the
wealth and population Of Washington
is perceptible to those who have OBJ
served the city for the past two OF three
years. 1t is q steady and substantial
increase of inhabitants, of resources
and of ornamentation. Fortunes are
being made every year by spectators
in Washington real estate. Suburban
property is constantly being cut by ex.
\ tending streets, divided into small resi-
dcnce lots and sold at an enormous profit
to those who purchased 1t in bulk at
comparativelylow figures. Central prop
crty rises almost in proportion. / know
several Department clerks who put
their savings into very unpromising
lots three or four years ago which to-
day could be sold for three or four
times the prices paid then. In some
instances the increase of value has
been still greater, but these are fair
instances of hundreds of bargains; 'Wnd
yet, with this boom of real estate
sweeping beyond ordinary expectation,
Washington real estate Is a tempting
field for investment. The boom has a
solid energy and real growth back of
it, and 1t will continue.
Nv
A well.known ex.member of Con-
gress, noted for his devotion to the fair
sex, entered the House wing of the
Capitol the other day, says Crawford
in the World, and the very instant he
entered the Capitol his ardent gaze fell
upon a m.fgured blonde young
woman, dressed in snug suit of black,
with jaunty hat perched high upon
her well-poised head, back from which
trailed long black veil. She was
leaning upon the arm of a gray
bearded, severe-looling old man. The
ex-member recognized the old man and
dashed up to him. He wrung his hand
in perfect passion of friendship, as he
gazed over his shoulder right into the
blue, blue eyes of the blonde, blonde
girl. Permit me to present you,
said the old man. The ex-membel
placed his hand on his heart and
bowed bow the like of which i:
rarely seen upon this or any othel
stage. Into it he blended the most re
markable curves of admiration ant
profound respect for the fair creature
She received him with great ELUSIVE
ness, but in a moment q shower batl
descended upon his raptures. Said tn,
old man: miss Blank is taking sub
scriptions for General Logan's book
(etc., etc., for five minutes), THE ex
member, who is an extreme Democra
and hater of Logan, was caught ant
landed one minute later. He paid owe
his subscription and for the rest o
the day did not look at pretty
woman.