Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1889-07-11
Washington Letter
FROM OUR REGULAR CoRREsroNDEN'

WASHINGTON, JULY oSl, 1000.
The town is smiling at the dignilied,
not to say naughty, departure of the
Persian Minister for the land Of his ia
theirs. The Persian mind looks with
dlsfavor upon the publication Of attacks
either humorous or otherwise, upon the
Shah of the faithful. The master cyl.
IDENTIFY takes more kindly to such abuse
than does the man, inasmuch 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, | believe, that behind the lofty
resignation of the Persian minister,
with the laundry name, is lowly mo-
tive. Ever since his arrival here, the
envoy has longed for home. The Co.
reans who fled home IN six months
were as nothing to the Persian diplo-
mat. But lie might have had the cour.
age to say so, and not have gone howl
Ing home with 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 Ben jamin Harrison Mckee can
hit the baby oyer the head with us ma
ny busters as he chooses and find 9th
er relaxations from the burdens society
imposes on the juvenile great. The
president has announced that he will
spend as much time with them as pos
sible, only remaining in town when alb
solutely Necessary. No President in
the last half century has passed the en-.
tire summer at the White House. The
hot, sitting all Of city is not to be IL
voided by hundred feet of grass plot
in front of any house, and every Presi.
dent has learned tins fact and has
sought rest and reiuvenation in the OPP
ell 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
haired George Bartle who was
appointed from Virginia as clerk in
the State Department forty-four years
ago. For more years than he cares to
remember, Mr.. Bartle has had his desk
in the room of commissioner and Par
dows" and has acted as a keeper of the
great seal. Here he fills out commits.
sions for whatsoever the President sees
fit to "repose trust and confidence IN
and affixes the seal. The seal cost over
$1,000. 1t is mammoth affair and
has table Of its own. The pressure is
applied by turning long steel bar with
a heavy ball on either end, which move.
ment screws down the hammer with
great force. The design of the seal face
is fully designated by law enacted
June 20, 1882.
There have been four seals IN use
since the foundation Of the government
and these are preserved in the State
Department. All were intended to
conform to the law, but one failed in
important particulars. When Daniel
Webster was made Secretary of State
he found the old seal badly worn 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 are called in heraldry
were twice the width of the white, in
stead Of being of equal width. These
inaccuracies were nOC corrected lOl MA
ny years and indeed were never object
ed to by such lucky gentlemen as hap
pered from time to time the impress on
their commissions. The last and COR
rect seal was made by Tiffany, and no
effort was spared to improve the picture
Of the eagle, SO that now no American
need feel ashamed of the picture OF the
proud bird Of freedom Oh his pardon or
commission as the case may be.
The Washington Post has applied a
severe test to the public school system
of the capital, and in its issue Of yester-
day gave its readers the fruits of the in
vestigation. Twenty-Five thousand pu.