The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-05-03

after-taking advertisement of a patent medi
cine. "The regular cleaning force" of the
Capitol, lot of slipshod darkies, have about
as much idea of dirt as Adam had of the fif-
teenth amendment, and the daily perfunctory
swish and swipe of their mops and brooms
cause woman to instinctively yearn for soap,
water, and scrub-brush. These masculine
housekeepers have no idea that the Capitol is
not as clean as parsons pantry after dona-
tion party, nor have any OF the hundreds of
Congressman any notion that these inlaid
floors are dim with dust, and that it has col
lected and drifted into all the corners, and
over cornices and ornamental panels, and
about the carved caps and into the luted
bodies of the massive pillars. Men do not
realize dust and ''small dirt" Beings who
can walk all day over that seven hundred and
ffty-one feet of tobacco-staned marble and
sit alongside Capitol cuspidor for five or six
hours in comfort cannot be expected to know
that mere clean dust is besprinkled over every
object they touch or look upon.
DUSTY DIGNITY.
The marble dignitaries who perch in the
inches of the Senate galleries have little
crowns of dust on their marble pates, and it
is safe to say that not one of the lately escaped
Four Hundred have the remotest idea that a
big flake of dust has settled upon the tip-tilted
nose of Mr.. Il. KosciusZko, who occupies
pedestal in Statuary Hail. nor that the creases
in Ethan Aliens marble boots are level full of
dust, and that Samuel Adams's cuffs and John
Winthrop's ruff are in such condition as must
cause an angel of the old school to squirm
with vexation. Had Roger Williams dreamed
how marble part in the middle of statues
head looks when transformed into little
black ditch he would have sacrificed his flowing
locks and gone about doing good with prize
lighters shave of hair.
A MATTER OF TOWELS.
Democracy rather belied its reputation as the
great nnwashed, for in the previous admins
tration, during one session of two hundred
and forty days, 13S,550 towels were washed.
Six hundred towels per day was the average,
and the wash bill of the House of Representa-
tives for one year was $2,770.95. The chief
wear and tear of these articles comes from
washing, as no two gentlemen ever use the
same towel, even to drying their finger tips,
and no Congressman ever uses the same one
twice. SO generous was the last administla-
tion in purchase of towels that for the Senate,
at least, no new ones Will be required. Col.
Valentine says they have considerable supply
of towels purchased six years ago and in con-
tinual service since that time.
BOOKS, JEwEIRY, AND PILLS.
The country pays for not only Congress
mans services and toilet conyeniences and
luxuries, but it is made to put up for his
mental recreation. The following titles are
sample of literature which becomes the private
property of the man who orders it. In one list
of purchases for the House are found such
titles as "Hucklebery Finn" $50 Soups, 15O
Salads, "Four Novels" "Rohinson Crusoe,"
''How TO Make Money" "Three Vassar Girls,'
"Wit of WRuen," "Baby's Kingdom"
''Dahlgreen's Etiquette" "Little Chick"
DAILY Tricks" ''Rng Round Roses, - ''Baby
World, "Called Back, /" 'Songs of st. Nicho-
las.n Less romantic and infantile tastes are
displayed in purchase of such works as Ban
croft's 'IIistory of the United States"
''Progress and Poverty" Blaine and Grants
books, and dictionaries by the dozen.
While this may seem to be digression from
the subject of housekeeping it is not so, for
all of these curious supplies are ordered and
paid for under the fiction of necessary equip
ment and repairs. What is eyerybody's busi-
ness is nobody's, but it is not complimentary
fact that our public men should take adyan-
tage of their position to supply themselves
with private toilet accessories. The Clerk OF
the House will show on his books the most ex-
traordinary and frequent purchase of such
articles as tooth, hair, and nail brushes, combs,
sponges, soap, gallons of cologne aud bay rum,
Concluded on the Eleventh Page.l