Wichita eagle., 1889-07-03


portant clerk of the state department. On
his way to call on Secretary Blaine the other
day he wished to make some inquiry, and az
he was passing through the corridor accosted
young man whom he thought he had seen
in the department, saying to him: II beg
your pardon, sir, but are you not a clerk in
the state Department." The young person
thus addressed stopped short, gazed at the
great statesman who was once the head Of
the department and whose fame is as broad
as the two hemispheres, and in a tone in
which disgust was mixed with wounded
pride replied: "No, sir, am not am not
"a clerk in the state department. l am an
attache of the foreign office" Senator
Evarts was 50 astounded by this display Of
dignity and Anglomania that he says he
actually forgot the inquiry which he had in
tended making of the young person, and
walked on quite crushed.
Speaking of the crowds at the postofice
department reminds me that the man Of the
administration who performs the most hard
work. and does it with the most ease and
thoroughness, is First Assistant Postmaster
General Clarkson. For more than three
months he has been engaged from 9 to 3 each
day, with but one or two days Of intermis-
sion, at that most trying Of all work, that
which makes greatest demands upon the
nervous forces and the patience, the recep-
ton Of business callers. All day long and
every day the line Of humanity, male and
female, black and white, important and un-
important, files past his chair. He is the
most imperturbable of officials and for all has
the same manners and the same prompt and
decisive reply. He never grows tired of his
task and never complains. The nearest ap-
proach to a grumble that was ever known to
escape his lips was the putting Of two conun-
drums, based on his recent experiences. The
conundrums, which remain unanswered,
were: "Why does the man with bad breath
persist in standing within two or three inches
of your face!' and why does the man with
a still, small voice always stand about ten
feet away from you and talk in his throatr
Mr.. Garrison is a lover Of fine horse flesh,
and during his recent visit to Col Goodloe,
In Kentucky, filed his stables with blue
grass thoroughbreds Every evening, from
9 TO 8, Mr.. ClarkSon and his son, Croker, ride
through the pretty suburbs of the capital,
both being enthusiastic horsemen and gallant
riders. The first assistant postmaster general
has fallen in love with Kentucky, and If Ken
lucky were not Democratic state he could
probably be induced to take up his residence
there. He and Col. Dudley, Cen Alger and
one or two others had as the guests of Col.
Goodloe a fine opportunity to study Ken
tucky'S famous hospitality, and they unite in
the declaration that for horses and pretty
women and hearty welcome the blue grass
country beats the world. Col. Goodloe has
six beautiful daughters, every one of them
on nm ubn 40
like the wind and is not afraid of anything
equine. The first day he was there Col. Dud-
ley ruined himself beyond redemption by
speaking Of ''the hind knees Of horse" and
during the remainder of his visit the gallant
colonel was under a cloud. No man that
talks of the hind knees of horse can expect
to hold up his head in the presence of the
bellies of Kentucky, where little girls play
with colts instead Of dolls, and where the
graves of favorite horses are reverently dec
grated with flowers and wreathS on Memorial
day.
Kentucky is the greatest country on
earth, says Mr.. Clarkson. 1.-THE people there
spend half their time talking horse, and the
other half eating good dipners. Nobody is
ever in a hurry in kentucky, and when there
is big dinner on hand all work and all bust
ness stops. They bring guests hundred
miles to a dinner party. If there are any
people In this world that enjoy life, it is the
people of Kentucky"
Gunther, the Chicago candy man, who is
known all over the world as collector of anti
quities, and who is the principal promoter of
the scheme to set up Libby prison as war
museum in Chicago, was recently in Wash
ington. While here he picked up q number of
valuable relics, as he picks up things wherever
he goes Gunther has spent fortune for old
books, letters and relics, and now has the great
est collection in America One of the articles
bought by him while here was letter writ
ten by Guiteau. Mr.. Gunther says it Is
singular fact that Guiteeu letters are now
scarce and valuable, being highly priced from
tie collectors point OF view all over the
world. There is an excellent market for
Guiteau relics in Europe, and even in Asia.
The assassins YVES surely a shot that was
heard around the world. While in Washing
ton Mr.. Gunther also secured letter of
Abraham Lincoln's to add to his already
large collection of Lincolniana. It is re-
markable fact that letters by Lincoln are
four times as scarce and valuable as letters
by George Washington, and Mr.. Gunther &C
counts for this by the fact that while Lincoln
was a great public man but four or five years,
all OF that time too busy to write many let
ters, Washington was conspicuous in public
life for nearly half century, and was, more
over, much more inclined to letter writing
than the emancipation. In very few years
any good letter written by the hand of Abra-
ham Lincoln will command high price,
Hay and Nicolsy, the Lincoln historians,
say there are hundred stories about Lin
coin to one letter or memorandum worthy of
A large part OF their labor in
writing this notable history of Lincoln and
his times lies in the necessity for constant
vigilance IN winnowing the wheat from the
chaff. For every story and incident that
they have been able to verify and use hun
cred have been rejected as worthless because
or so badly distorted as to be TN
safe material. A somewhat remarkable fea-
ture of their work is the necessity, constantly
arising, for sitting down upon the preteu-
sions of this man or that concerning the part
played by the ambitious narrator in Lincoln's
career. There are in this country today" |
,ays one of the historians, probably hun |
ired men who believe they are entitled TO |
credit for suggesting to Lincoln the emanci- |
patton proclamation, and for convincing him |
VI the wisdom of that step.
$50 with thousand other incidents of Mr..
Lineoln's career. The trouble seams to have
arisen in the fact that Lincoln was always |
willing TO listen 10 advice, but in the end al |
most invariably exercised his own Judgment.
There are in circulation, and we have had /
brought TO our attention so many doubtful |
stories OF Lincoln that we have been COM
oelled to adopt the broad rule that we win |
Use nothing that IS unsupported BY corroho-