The Washington critic., 1886-04-05
TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Avenue congregational church to sell
its building. The price is s126 900.
The purchasers arc the Faith Cure
people, who, under Pastor Simpson,
have for some time been holding their
services In the building on Twenty.
third street, in which the misguided
Salmi Morse vainly attempted to pro-
duco his famous Passion Play"
Brother Simpsons methods are very
peculiar. He has attached to himself
large following Of persons who be.
lievc that by faith and prayer their dis.
eases have been healed. Some of these
people are as wealthy as they are
cranky. One wealthy lady is said to
be the financial hacker of the new en-.
tcrprise. AS the building on Madison
avenue Is mortgaged for about S100 900.
she has only $4,000 to pay in order to
give Brother Simpsons flock posses.
sion. The church, whose building
now passes into the hands of these ne.
culiar people, has had an eventful his.
tory. Since the dissensions which
ragged concerning DIR. Newman's pasto.
rate, there has been succession of
strife, weakness and failure. During
the last year the congregations have
not averaged more than 200 The seat
ing capacity of the building Is about
1000. The congregation which goes
out will find smaller and less expensive
quarters elsewhere.
Wv
One of the most incomprehensi
men in the Senate Is Call of Florida.
says New York Tribune correspond.
ent. His desk is always piled with
law books, documents, charts and
papers. An hour after he has entered
the chamber the floor about him Is
strewn with the debris-shall | saw,
of his learning? He is constantly
writing and tearing up what he has
written. lie suggests the picture of
an overgrown boy practicing the art of
penmanship. The pages, who are bet
tor acquainted perhaps than anybody
else with the little idiosyncrasies of
the statesmen whom they serve, have
repeatedly ransacked the waste. paper
basket of the Florida Senator to find
out what he is writing, and they report
that his favorite copy exercises are
sections of the Revised Statutes.
Mr.. George Schuyler, who has been
a prominent figure in New York so.
ciety and affairs for over fifty years, and
represents the revolutionary family of
that name, has been making visit to
the Capital. A representative of the
New York Star said TO him on his re-
turn: 81 suppose you met lots of old
friends in Washington, Mr.. Schuyler"
Eyes, a good many, but most of them
were sitting on bronze horses"
~*a
The Washington correspondent of
the Boston Record met an old gentle.
man at the Capitol not long ago and
was struck by the similarity of his face
TO that of the new picture of Washing
ton which has been purchased to hang
in the Senate Chamber. An inquiry
revealed reasons of this resemblance.
YES" said the old gentleman, in
answer to the correspondents question,
II have reason to look like General
Washington, for l am his nearest
blood relation. All the Washingtons
of today are descended from his
nephcws and nieces, and / am three
times related to him. He always
looked more like his mother than his
fathers family, and 1 am of the
former. My name is Ball. Washing
tons mother was a Miss Ball, and in
the histories of Washington you will
find reference made to her statellness
and lofty bearing, for she lived until
after he became noted man, and was
often in public with him. Well
she was sister TO my great grandfather,
and my grandfather, Colonel Ball, was
cousin to Washington. Colonel Ball
was wealthy man for the revolution.
ary times, and he raised and supported
out of his own means regiment. Dur
ing part of the war he was member
of Washington's military family and
married Frances Washington, n niece
of George Washington, being the
daughter of his brother Charles. That
gave to my father the Washington
blood on both sides, which is more than
can be said for any other family"
~
The confirmation of Judge Merrick
as a District judge by the Senate after
heated discussion regarding his age,
recalls to the New York Herald's cor
respondent heretofore unpublished
incident about the late Judge Folger.
When he was chosen Secretary of the
Treasury 1t was only intended that he
should retain the portfolio until the
agitation growing out of President
Garfield's death should subside and
confidence in the new Administrator
be established. Then he was to be ap-
pointed Justice in the Supreme Court
and Roscoe Conllling was to be made
Secretary of the Treasury. The plan
got out, and in the Senate Judiciary
Committee, of which Mr.. Edmunds
was then, as now, the controlling mind
q heated discussion arose. 1t was
finally resolved not to indorse for a
justiceship any man over sixty years of
age. Judge Folger's name was men.
toned, and the Identical objections
urged against Judge Merrick were
brought forward in opposition to
him. 1t was said that to place
man of his age on the
bench, who must retire because of age
in three or four years, was equivalent
to presenting him a life pension. Sena
tor Edmunds, justly or unjustly, got
the credit of leading this opposition
Earnest efforts, as everybody knows
were made to get Judge Folger pro
vided for elsewhere He was Offered
the Russian mission. He secured {
nomination for Governor in New
York, but the opposition of the Blaine
Republicans defeated him. Then Mr.
Conkling was offered the Justices seat
and declined. Had not the question o.
age been raised against Judge Folgel
In the Senate Judiciary Committee thu
history of the past four years NIGH
have been very different.