The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1889-04-19
ua.n,nytnn Ieuer.
(From our regular corrcspondent.)
WASHINGTON. D. c. April Is, 1880.

are out upon the city's waste places and
leaves. Some flowers greet the passer-by
with suggestive fragrance of green fields
and high, blue skies, and the day dreams
that "in part ere prophecies and in part
are lodgings wild and vain" Ifthe prac-
teal individual has carefully erased from
his memory the records of youth, these
splendid days make hin thirsty with
visions of the near time when mint shall
be fragrant in the glass and claret and ice
be a solace. On dow town streets col
ored urchins, who are frightfully dirty de-
spite the increase in real estate values, now
offer arbutus at five cents n bunch IN the
morning and two.for-ivc in the evening,
furnishing a striking illustration OF the
truth that everything comes to him VINO
waits.
The grounds of the Executive Mansion
are nearly as green as IL midsummer, and
a white capped nurse girl bringing little
Ben Mckee, President IIarrison's grand
son. for a romp, adds to the f1miliarly
rural scene. A host of children have
PLAYED on the White House lawns every
season for three years and regard the place
as childrcn's free ground. A number OF
the children have been members of the ex-
ecutive household. Little Tao Lincoln
used to roll hoops down the hill when the
band played OF summe afternoons, ana
strut about in his miniature uniform OF a
lieutenant, playing at war, with many a
shrill, piping order tohis imaginary troops.
Then came Andrew Johnson, Jr., . boy of
twelve, with a propensity for stulling him.
self on every imaginable edible and lolling
about under the trees. Then jesse Grant,
to riot with other children, after he had
| ridden home from school on his Shetland
pony. Then the demure Fannie and Scott
Hayes, good children who always kept
| their clothes clean and their noses duly
wiped. Then the Garfield children, with
baseball and bicycle, ruling from March
to midsummer in high glee, when their
brief reign closed with the awful tragedy
of their fathers death. Here strolled Allen
Arthur, tall and undeveloped, and his Sis
ter Nellie, who possessed her fathers
mind and her mothers face, the heritage
denied her brother. Thus the ghosts of
| the White House number not a few child
ish faces, and to one with a coed memory
a score of these familiar spirits come up
even at noontime on the fairest day of all
the spring.
The only false note in the overture OF
spring is afforded by the presence of the
Office seeker. From the contemplation OF
pie with political delegations and to wres-
tie with office seekers. The sunlight that
strays into the corridors of the depart
ments falls aslant of office seekers by the
dozen, seated on the sofas, occupying the
chairs, leaning against columns, lolling in
windows, ranged along the wall, waiting,
waiting. The variety Of dress is as great
as the variety of faces and expression.
A little, thin, sensitive, bloodless old
man, with an ancient silk hat and a white
tie, sits next a bnrly, red faced, alert, New
York politician, who firmly trusts in his
ability to ''do the thing up right" Across
from the couple a Texas Republican is
seated, black moustacbc and goatee, and
broad brimmed slouchlla lat ofcourse, listen
ing with horror to a comrade who is tell
ing him that the Department of Justice
has actually had the audacity to refuse to
appoint a certain one of the Texas brethren
.- i - H. tsIIoI 1a1f 4, 1-xo,
men, when it has been plainly shown to
the satisfaction of Texas juries that he al
ways acted in sclf-defensc. Not a few
figures in tho crowd, denominated by ir-
reverent messengers in the departments
as ''the statuary," are those OF preachers,
who generally seek to 60 abroad.
Thu majority of the daily quota assem-
bled have become quite used to waiting
and make little useless appointments to
meet each other, the exact purpose of
which they forget by the time they meet
again. With the air of a naughty and I'M
approaciablc prince, whose only artistic
defect Is his mahogany color, a $50 per
month messenger stalks out into the cor
ridor at irregular intervals. accepts half a
dozen of the cards that arc eagerly thrust
at him and disappears into the Secretary's
room. But while many are called few are
chosen, and very often the office seeker
waits for the opening of business hours in
the morning until their close in thc even
ing and goes away without seeing his man,
While hundreds of more fortunate though
later arrivals go through the magic portals.
Thu first right to audience belongs to
Senators and Representatives and the of
fee seeker who has his Congressman with
him, is looked upon as a lucky fellow by
his mates and can go in without undigni-
fed delay. That is often all it amounts to,
but for the moment the lowly Office seeker
is confident that he is drawing nearer the
goal, and lives in hope if he dies in despair.
WESTON.
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