Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-01-11

that has to be observed to keep orderly account
OF what is apparently confusion.
The business life OF Washington is reflected
in The STAR Office. There is no other institu-
ton in the city which serves the public in as
many ways as does The STAR. He who has
something to sell relies ON The STAR to tell the
people of it. Those who want to buy read The
STAR to learn how TO supply their wants. and
those who do not know what they want turn to
IHE STAR to find out
For the business men, great and small, it is
the moUthpiece through which they speak to q
hundred and fifty thousand people, To the
thousands of unemployed it is the means of
securing employment. The housewife. in her
little domestic annoyances, goes to THE STAR
for her cook. or nurse, or chambermaid. to
supply the place of the one who has Just left
her without notice. The capitalist. with his
thousands, seeks investments through The
STAR.
INTERESTING SCENES.
There is something picturesque in the scenes
IN the business Office throughout the day-from
the early morning hour, when the people on the
way to business hurry in with their lads" for
the day, to the afternoon, when the depart
mcntS empty their clerical force into The STAR
ONCE. 1t is the stopping place between home
and business and business and home again.
No changes in advertisements are made for
that day after IL o'clock. and no new adver-
tisements that come after II O'Clock Except
death notices.. can get in that days paper. So
there is hardly time to get the Office well
opened in the morning and ready for business
before the rush of the day begins. From 8
O'Clock until the departments are opened at
there Is n rush of clerks and many others with
ads" and subscriptions and answers to ''ads."
For an hour it is as much as the fourteen per-
sons employed in the business Office
can do to wait on the people. Yet
only ten years ago five persons were enough
to do this work. Between and 10 o'clock
there is short breathing spell. when there
are not az many people to wait on and the
clerks can get the things in order for the rush
that comes between 10 and IL, the business
houses then hurrying in their lads" before the
forms close on them at IL. On through the
rest of the day it is an active scene in the bust
ness Office and there is always something doing
until the hour of clCsing-just before midnight
Between IL and II o'clock in the forenoon the
writers of the big business houses are there
ten or dozen of them. grouped about reading
the proofs of long column ads" which bring
pleasure into the feminine hearts of so many
households by telling of bargains and dis
counts and how beautiful. useful and desirable
things can be had best and cheapest These
writers are employed by the big business cs-
adjustments to write their long advertisements
and to look after them and it is by no means
an unimportant branch of their general estab-
llshment-this advertising branch.
The rest of the day after II clock is devoted
to the next days business, many people bring
Ing tneu, SO as 10 be certain of
not being crowded out the next day, and to
taking subscriptions and making business set
Elements of various Sorts
About the time the presses start running The
STAR office Is crowded inside and there ia a
crowd about the door. through which people are
coming and going and many hundreds of papers
are sold over the counter. Always from until
nearly o'clock a changing group of people NAV
be seen Ill front of The STAR bulletin board. and
1t Is after dark before the Office inside is fairly
cleared Of the rush.
KEEPING THE ACCoUNTc.
Before the fire at The STAR Office the manu-
script copy of any lad" that had appeared in
the paper for many years back could be had
on short notice. These were burned. but since
the fire the system of numbering and presery-
ing the lads" has been kept up with perfect
regularity. As soon the lad" is set I'D the
copy Is sent back to the business Office where
1t is numbered according to the series of the
month and filed away. The books of the Office
IN which the accounts of the business are kept
show the number of every .'ad" charged upon
them, and 1t Is easy to get the manuscript if
wanted.
Keeping the books for THE STAR ia n difficuIt
and cxacting task. Every little advertisement
has to be entered, as well as the larger TRANSACT
tons, and the books have to be kept posted mn
10 date. But the system is SO perfect that a
clear statement OF every transaction, whether
important or not, can be had in a few moments
All ads. that are paid for when presented are
marked by the clerk receiving them and sent
upstairs to the composing room. The cash credit
Is put upon the clerks books and the day book
Is made up from the entries in them. Those
lads" which go on regular accounts and must
be charged are SO marked and are sent up to
the composing room. When thew are set mn
the copy is sent back to the book keeper to be
entered ON his books.
THE STARS POST OFFICE.
An institution of The STARS business of;ce
is the post Office department" In the little
boxes on the wall are the thousands of ansvars