Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-07-09
ABOUT PASSPORTS.

The Documena That Place n Man Under
the Stars and stripes-Hew They Are
Issued-PersonaI Descriptions Made
Out by a Clerk with an Observing Eye.
From the Washington Star.l
This is the great season for passports. The
clerks in the State Department in charge OF
that branch OF the work are kept busy taking
descriptions Of portly papas, slender spinsters.
elderly mammas and young daughters, not to
mention young men with lisping foreign ac-
cents, who come to have their citizenship certi-
ned to before going abroad. The business is
done in large, light room on the first floor OF
the big granite building where Mr.. Blaine for
mulates his vigorous foreign policy. very
polite gentleman asks you some pointedly per-
sonal questions, examines you critically makes
pen picture of your prominent points, takes
your dollar, and you are insured against diplo-
matte accidents. The applicant for passport
must have someone to identify him. Then he
must answer as to his age. his place OF birth.
and give little of his pedigree, as well as de-
scribe his occupation. Then the passport man
writes down very careful description OF the
applicant-his height, his weight, whether fat
or lean, the color of his hair, the color OF his
eyes, whether cross-eyed or straight, the style
OF beard, the shape of face, the length OF nose,
and general description Of that feature, shape
OF face, whether long or round, hign cneeK-
individuality of appearance. All these things
have to go into the passport papers.
Seeing Ones Self With Others Eyes.
If one wants an utterly impartial opinion Of
ones personal appearance it is necessary only
to get out passport and read the description.
The man engaged in this descriptive writing
has been at it for number of years and Is
quite an expert He is regarded also as a
r1hv Of
Of the human countenance has been prolonged
and critical There are difficulties in the work,
but he is a most accurate portrayer Of person
alities. u requires skill to give an accurate
and at the same time satisfactory description
of lady who is not quite as well satisfied as
she appears to be with what nature has done
for her in an architectural and artistic way.
Many women would prefer to run the risk Of
being sent to Siberia or locked in a Russian
dungeon rather than have it said in their pass
port that they were born so years ago, are un-
married, angular, with high cheek-bones and
sunken eyes, wear false teeth, artificial bangs,
ordinary proportions. In cases where this is a
perfectly accurate description the passport
man must exercise diplomacy. 1t might not
DO to point out as q distinguishing feature OF
fashionable lady that she had extraordinarily
large feet. for instance. or that she had a
nostache on her upper lip.
The Handiness OF Passport.
A man may imagine that passport is unnec-
essary luggage, but he Is apt to be corrected OF
this impression If he acts on 1t. There are
countries such as Russia, where he cannot go
without It But where greater liberty is allowed
travellers, and apparently there is no need of q
passport, occasion may arise at any moment
when having one would save lots of trouble.
You might go to Ireland. No one would de-
mand that you show your passport on the bor-
der. But just suppose some patriot got the mo-
tion that you were British spy or an ''emer-
gency man." You might GO hungry for want
of hospitality and walk many mile because
,conveyances did not happen to be for hire when
you wanted them. You might find yourself
the object of boycott Then it would be that
document proving you to be one of that ma
tionality next beloved to Erin's Isle by the sons
of Erin would shed comfort about you that
can be appreciated only in distress.
You might be anywhere most in Europe and
commit some slight offense that would throw
you into prison. You might hit a man in the
nose-a trifiing thing to do in this country, but
one regarded with the utmost seriousness in
foreign countries. If you were an entire
stranger you would send for the American Con-
sui. If you had passport 1t would be all
right with you; but il you had not-well, your
position would be awkward, to say the least.
You would find it not an easy thing to prove
your citizenship, and you might spenda consid-
case where you would want your State Depart
ment accident policy. E.t
1t is easy enough to get passport and they
are convenient when necessary. Formerly the
fee was IS. but the last Congress reduced this
to 81.