The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-12-20
RANDOM SHOTS.

ouhCe-seekerS COmesalsO. Iney come ike the
wolf on the fold, after the manner OF Byron's
Assyrian, though they had no cohorts and no
purple and little gold. But they come, and
come with their minds fixed on 1900 places,
though they were cheerfully willing to com
promise on $4,000 positions, but anything else
was looked at askance where 1t was not re-
garded scornfully As time wore on and
board bills ran and money in hand'ran out,
with no position yet in sight, some OF them
fell into the frame OF mind Of the gentleman
back in Jefferson's time, who came here to get
the mission to the Court of st. James and
finally compromised on pair OF old breeches.
These accepted the positions OF doorbangers
and the like at 81 200, which were the only
things Offering. Others declined them as
no. COMFORTING with their dignity and went
home wiser and madder than they came.
Ihis was the case especially with one Ohio
statesman, an ex-member of the Legislature
which elected Senator Brice. He was offered
the janitorship of the House, a 81, 200 place,
but refused it with rejoicing at heart that he
had return ticket home. He might have
taken 1t had it not been for fear that his con-
stituents would not understand the real
power and influence of that necessary Office.
He thought his constituents would picture
him as sweeping out the Hall Of Representa-
tives every morning, scrubbing up at least
once week, and cleaning the common Gus
pidors. III g decided that the place was not
compa tible with his political standing at
home, whittier he returned to maintain that
standing.
The remarkable oil painting Of ex-Speaker
Reed, recently hung in the lobby of the
House, has given rise to much criticism, jo-
cose and serious. The name of the artist is
not on the canvas, but think l have solved
the problem OF its origin. 1t is evidently one
Of these ol-paintings- -while-you-wait, such as
you may see the gifted 'artist" on the Avenue
turning out at the rate of about one in eight
minutes. Mr.. Reed, perhaps, stopped in that
paint shop and had his portrait painted W hile
he waited, and told the ''artist he was In
deuce Of hurry, too. The result looks like
three minutes job.
Mr.. I'll. w. KING bit, one of the principal en-
ployes Of the Methodist Book Concern, in
New York, read paper at a recent meeting
OF ministers in that city, In which he
favored using the basement of the
churches in lower New York for billiard
and pool tables, ten-pin alleys, and the sale
OF "soft" drinks. He declared that the
churches i'll that section cannot and do not
compete with the saloons, which offer the al
lurements necessary to gather the young men
in, while the churches offer nothing but hard
benches and prayer meetings. Mr.. knights
idea is to draw the young men into the base
ment by means of healthful and innocent
amusements, and perhaps they may be drawn
to Christ before they get out. don't see why
the plan shouldn't be tried. The attendance
OF the churches referred to is said to be at a
standstill, where 1t is not decreasing, and this
in the most populous districts of New York
mol ch nru;yor ;,
churches, and il preaching won't attract sim
ners why not try playing? OF course, Mr..
Knights suggestions are innovations, and
therefore startling, and equally, of course, the
ministers opposed them and resented the
charge that they were not doing all that could
properly be expected of them Nevertheless
Mr.. Knights statements about the perfunctory
attendance on the churches in question were
not denied nor satisfactorily explained 1t
seems to me that unless something as good
can be offered they had better try the click of
the billiard balls, the rattle of the ten pins
and the popping Of the soda bottle.
II
One OF the things at which we have all
wondered Is, why do not the physicians, COM
ing in hourly or daily contact with disease,
themselves fall victims Sometimes they do,
but not at all in what would seem to
no tho piopoTGlon Wnen Jne rl6kS
they incur are considered. One dan
ger of the hourly contact of physicians
with disease has been generally recognized,
that of the carriage or transportation of in
fictitious disease in the clothing of the
physician. To obviate this, or render its oc-
currence as little likely as possible the
physicians OF Washington have adopted what
seems to me commendable system. 1t is
that Of selecting some specialist by the
general practitioners within certain limits and
the reference to him of all cases of an in
fectious or contagious character. Thus ten
physicians In one section would combine to
send to the same throat specialist all cas- es of
diphtheria and scarlet fever, complaints pre-.
Valent usually among children. Where the
general practitioner finds such a case In his
rounds he would first return home and there
take all necessary precautions against any
possible chance of his carrying the infection
into non-infected quarters, and would then
report the case to the specialist. Thus the
patient would have the advantage of the SER
vices OF specially competent doctor and the
risk OF the spread OF the malady be lessened
| understand the system has worked admir-
ably, and that statistics of the Health Offi ce
show that among diphtheric cases treated by
specialists the mortality has been markedly
less than among those treated by the general
practitioners. 1t would seem proper, under
these circumstances, to extend the system to
all cases OF contagious and infectious diseases,
whether occurring among children or adults!
A competent corps of specialists could then
attend to these cases, the patients would be
mr. ha AaN H..