Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-07-18
WASHINGTON LETTER.
(From our Regular Correspondent
WAsHINaTON, July 10Th. 1889

not to say naughty, departure of the
Persian Minister for the land of his
father. The Persian mind looks with
disfavor upon the publication of at
tacks. either humorous or otherwise,
upon the Shah of the faithful. The
master evidently takes more kindly to
such abuse than does the man, mas
much as the Shah still remains in
England, where the most scandalous
stories of his filthy habits have been
published and where the people look
upon him as a great show, something
in the line of the "hairy man" or the
"dog- faced child" The truth is. l be-
lieve, that behind the lofty resignation
of the Persian minister, with the laun-
dry name, is lowly motive. Ever
since his arrival here, the envoy has
longed for home. The Coreans who
fled home in six months were as moth
ing to the Persian diplomat. But he
might have had the courage to say so,
any not have gone bowling home with
a tin can tied to his tail. America
never meant to insult the grandee but
cannot be responsible for his failure to
understand joke.
The Presidents family is located for
the summer at beautiful Deer Park,
where Benjamin Harrison Mckee can
hit the baby over the head with as
many busters as he chooses and find
other relaxations from the burdens
society imposes on the juvenile great.
The President has announced that he
will spend as much time with them as
is possible, only remaining in town
when absolutely necessary. No Presi-
dent in the last half century has passed
the entire summer at the White House.
The hot sitting air of city is not to
be avoided by hundred feet of grass.
plot in front of any house, and every
President has learned this fact and has
sought rest and rejuvenation in the
open country or by the sea.
When one speaks of the uncertain
tenure of Office under the spoils system
he does not allude to the example of
white-haired George Bartle who was
appointed from Virginia as clerk in
the State department torty-tOur years
ago. For more years than he cares to
remember. Mr.. Bartle has had his desk
in the room of commissioner and
| hng of
the great seal. Here he fills out COM
missions for whOSoeveT the President
sees tit to "repOse trust and confidence
! in and and allXeS the seal. The seal
cost over 81 Geo. tits IA mammoth af-
. far aud has a table OF its. own. The
pressure is applied by turning a long
steel bar with a heavy ball on either
end, which movement screws down the
hammer with great force. The design
OF the seal face is iuliy designated by
law enacted June -. 17S2
"A..iaye been iua.sea's iau5e since
the foundation OF jle government and
these are preserved in the State De
partment. All were intended 80 con-
form TO the law. but one failed in i'm
portant particulars. When Daniel
Webster was made Secretary Of State
he found the old seal badly weTn and
he ordered new one, BY some mis-
chance the eagle on the new seal held
only six, instead of thirteen arrows in
his sinister talon, and the red stripes,
or pales as they were called in heraldry
were twice the width of the white, in
stead of being of equal width. These
Inaccuracies were not corrected for
many years and indeed were never OBJ
jected to by such lucky gentleman as
happened from time to time TO, find
the impressions their commissions. The
last and correct seal was made by Tiff
fany, and no effort was spared to i'm
prove the picture of the eagle, 50 that
now no American need feel ashamed
of the picture of the proud bind of
freedom on his pardon or his commits
sion as the case may be.
The Washington Post has apRIisd a
severe test to the public school system
of the capital, and in its issue of yes
terday gave its readers the fruits Of its
investigation Twenty two thousand
pupils of the different grades engaged
in contest for eleven gold medals and
eleven honorable mentions. The sue
cesful compositions. as published are
so unfortunately weak that one shrinks
from the thought of what dryel the
unsuccessful ones must contain. Even
after weeks of preparation, alter down
right old at home and friendly criti-
cism from teachers, only three of the
efforts deserve even honorablemention
The lesson, is as Senator ingalls, says,
an easy one. If the public schools fail
to teach pupils the use of lucid English
and do not develope in 22,000 scholars
twenty two fairly good writer's. the sys-
tenn is failure as it exists in Wash
ington.
The most onice. after huntinp every