Mower County transcript., 1890-12-03
GOVERNMENT CLERKS.
| The Important Place Which They OCCUPY
In WAAhlnRtO HocletY.

The Important Place which they OCCUPY
| In Warrington koclety.
In . Washington ball room Inst sea-
son were conversing three people-the
Baron De -, nowly attached to for.
eign legation, . young department
clerk, and girl from Boston.
"And them" said the girl, ''there are
the people in the departments hero.
They are large part Of the population.
aren't they p
'Oh, 10 departments ?" said the
Baron. Il have heard Eat zey are 70
houses Of aims for 10 paupers, hein!"
"And I have heard" said the clerk,
promptly, that the foreign legations
here are the places Of refuge for the i'm
poverished' regulations OF European
diplomats.
The girl from Boston was equal to
the occasion, and prevented tho hot
retort on the Baron's lips.
"Ah." she said, II am 80 glad, for I'm
philanthropist, you know, and adore
| poverty-of all kinds"
Half the men in the room and several
OF the women were department. clerks
The elegant elderly gentleman who
was assiduously feeding the pretty
daughter of q Chicago Cresus rejoiced
| In the possession Of a 81, 400 clerkship in
our department; the howling swell. who
was lazily allowing himself to be amused
by a sweet rosebud debutante. was the
chief OF division in another depart
mont; tho group of young exquisites,
who were N akirg the life Of the party,
were all clerks. Several OF the women,
who were receiving tho most court, fol-
lowed the same calling.
''Ah," said the Baron, after having
met a few more of the people in the
room, "ze department. clarks-zey are
Washington, ba jove!'
He was entirely right. Who are the
principal buyers in the shops? Who are
tho chief patronizers OF the theaters?
Who form the bulk OF the renters
Of houses? Who fill the churches?
Who crowd the bars? Who make
up the rank and file of ''society?" Who
are the members OF the clubs? Go call
ing before four o'clock; 60 to the bar
room before that hour; sit in tho club at
half-past three. You will find yourself
almost alone. Nothing goes on in a
social way till the departments have
emptied themselves.
! Any attempt to classify these clerks
is absurd. They come from everywhere
in America, from almost everywhere on
earth. There are Poles and Russians
and Am mericans among them. Some are
Californians, some Floridians, some
Yankees, some Michiganders. They
are rich and poor-from the clerk whose
carriage calls for him (precious few of
these are thero, but still some) to the
poor fellow who wears an alpaca coat
far into the fall and heavy frock coat
far into the spring. Some rakish bach
elors, who spend their money in forbid
den pleasure, others are the fathers
OF large and struggling families,
some are spendthrifts, always in
debt and generally in the clutches
| Of the money lenders, others are
thrifty and own property, some are not
| yet out of their teens, others totter up
on the verge of the grave. When four
| o'clock comes this strange assemblage
disintegrates; their calling gives them
| nothing in common after office hours.
Did 1t ever occur to any ono how
curiously the selfshness of men mani.
tests itself? A man-of-war goes on q
cruise for three years. During that
timo the officers are literally cooped up
together and see practically no ono but
each other. That ship goes out of COM
mission say at San Francisco, and the
officers are ordered East. Yet those of
the officers who make tho long journey
across the plains together frequently
do SO by accident The cruise being
over, it is a matter OF Indifference to
them whether they see one another
again. 1t is the same way with Gov
ernment clerks. Two men may work
side by side every day, year In and year
| out, and each not know where the other
| lives, or even, sometimes, whether he
| is married.
Curious friendships some tim ca spring
up-strange, incongruous, inexplicable
! friendships. Won --, with ferocious
burly beard and mild blue eyes, sus-
| pected of nihilistic tendencies, and said
to be political refugee, may be seen
any day or night with that dapper little
| tritler. young s., and real affection
| exists between the two, and when old
Won - falls i'll this youngster nurses
him and tends him as though he was
his brother. Or more frequently,
friendship is founded on community of
tastes, as when two clerks study laws
together, graduate together, and possi-
bly, resign at the same time and become
partners.
Where is the sociologist who will
study the Government clerk and tell us
scientifically about him? He must bor-
row from Bssant & Rice's book, and en-.
title his treatise 'All Sorts and Condi-
tions of Men. ."-Washington Star.
MiSDIRECTED KINDNESS.
| Vanished Labels Make Pretty Girl Weep
| Eitter Tears.
Maude Is q nick-looking girl, and
ovorv Ona whn kn0wa hor 1iloa hor