The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1886-02-25
mn NATIoN.s pAGEs.


senators and Congrc-smep.
An indianapolis correspondent at
Washington writes Some interesting
characters aud peculiar bits oi life are
found iu the pages Of che senate and
house Of representatives In the upper
branch of congress thcro are about
thirty-tiye pagos Their dutie. are w,sl-
known 10 the average reader Their
fields OF labor are the floors of the two
branebcs of cougrcss. A page tor the
senate OF the house, aud Vice versa.
Sometimes page Is found who Is al-
most OF are aud nearly hiil-gruwn; but
they average from to "a Years, and
most Of them are very small IN stature.
fand 'upon Asst appearances hayish ia
character rs years 90 on, u shcy arr
retained the little fellows become saga
cious, often proud. aud not infrequcntly
initiate the statesmen IN bearing and
conversation. There IL no better school
for a boy IN which TO become an actor.
lie has the best Of opportunity 10 study
every phase of character Speaking OF
the pages sometimes initiating tho acts
of their supcriors, reminds mo Of an in
cident that occurred u few days ago. A
very diminutiye page who was borne
upon tho rolls Of the last congress was
superseded When he learned that his
place had been given to another ho be-
camo considerably detected, for this
little fellow had dissipatod in mild
way and had been proiligatc, 80 that he
was found almost without funds, and
was far away from home as the state of
Missouri is from Washington, But the
boy had been an observer and knew
trick or two lie studied the situation.
He solved IT, Going TO his boarding
house he hastily packed up his effects
without attracting the attention of any
one. With great caution he removed
them to another quarter of the city.
Then he went out 10 bid his confrercs
adieu Meeting one Of them, who was
about 10 years old, and rs tall us
mans arm is long he said
"Well, good-by, old fellow I'm Off
My constituents have given me the
shake. | was defeated In caucus and
beaten in convention. The situation,
however, leaves me little Hat. / am
nearly broke; but have found way
out, | will jump my board-bill They
all do II.
Sometimes the pages run in schools,
Ike fish, and bcc0me clannish, Not in
frequently ono meets crowd III theu.
all under three fsat III hoiglIsl ID ihe
midnight hour making the lown howl.
MANY 81 them aineke e9aretlea aud
play billiards. Frequently tlie kfsle lels
lows trina seer Iyf sllss slssl essS ta.sg
Nhete 81 the counters There i llot !
very great proportion 81 then however.
| who fafi into these channels OF dissipa-
ton. Those who do generally come
from the larger cities. Then the pages
have way Of "hazing,o and some of
tho capers they play upon plebeians or
inexperienced boys are wonderfully
severe and terribly embarrassing. One
OF the favorilc tricks IN the line Of haz-
ing is 10 take q now boy down IN the
lower basement under the hall Of the
house and show him the rubber man. y
This basement Is very dark and very
| broad and cayern0us. Portions Of IL
are unlighted, and the unsophistcated
youth soon finds himself lost The sur
roundings are weird and frightful, and
it sometimes takes an hour 10 get out.
Pages receive s7i per month during the
session. Those in the house are gcner-
ally changed every two years, but the
boys in the senate are retained, and
some Of them grow up to manhood from
| childhood vt their post Of duty, as did
Senator German, Of Maryland. IL is
said that considerable number of the
pages in the house are blood relatives
TO members, and sometimes the mem
bers have their sons appointed