The morning call., 1892-03-06
A NICE FAT JOB OPEN.
An Unhappy Diplomat Who Rep.
resents Greece.
Glory and Unreqaitsd Postage Are Great In
ducemects, But He Does Not Like
the Place.
sis the GrecIan Consul in 2"


In response to the question a slight,
smoothfaced young man in his shirt sleeves
crawled out from among pile of leather
betting and hides and YEARLY replied:
81 am it,"
Further questioning revealed the fact that
this young man is really supposed to repre-
sent the Grecian Consul in the port of San
Francisco. but the news of an impending
crisis in Greece that may convulse that little
kingdom from center to circumference Is
causing no feverish excitement in the office
of the Grecan Consul in this city.
Until last October Hoyatio y. Cook, tn g
belt and leather man on Fremont street,
handled the United States end Of the Gre
clan empires business here as its Consul.
But in tie month named Mr.. Cook died AID
since then the consulate has run down con-
siderably. Grecian affairs are not booming
in the Office here. but it is hardly probable
that this has anything to do with the crisis.
RUSTY ON STATE AFFAIRS.
Since Mr.. Cooks death his son has con-
Quoted the leather business and the con-
sulate simultaneously. His Office is on
Mission street, where the consulate is also
located
When asked for information regarding
a little bit rusty on Grecian affairs. The
cause of the trouble, he said, may have re-
suited from cheap king Offering TO take
the throne for less money and furnish his
own scepter; but he wasn't sure OF IL. All
the communications he receives from the
kingdom are written in French, ana he
hasn't time to read them as carefully as he
should In order 10 keep up with the Grecian
times.
About the only revenue attached to the
office that Mr.. Cook could think OF just then
was the paving out of net receipts derived
from the leather business for postage on
letters sent by loving relatives in Greece to
the Greek fishermen, whose picturesque
craft scars the m00nlit waters of San Fran
cisco Bay. All these eplstleS come in care
of the Consul, not that there is any necessity
for international espionage, but the fact
that the humble fisherman and cTab-hunter
lives, breathes and has his being under the
eye of a Greek Consul, hired by bis King,
imparts an air OF mysterious Importance TO
his movements, which must be quite edify-
ing, TO say the least, to his relatives abroad.
POSTAGE PAYS FOR GLORY.
Since the threatened crisis small boom
has broken out in the correspondent line.
Mr.. Cook paid away 40 cents yesterday for
postage for which there is no other remun-
Grafton than glory, which. according to the
poet leads but to the tomb.
Before the crisis Mr.. Cooks principal
of stamp collectors who wanted him to give
the foreign postage he used in mailing
weekly statements to King George of
Greece (his emplOyer) and which stamps he
purchased with his own money. This is
where the Consul came out strong in his
official capacity. He said that If the fisher
men folks would pay their own postage he
| could afford TO give away a Greek stamp
now aid then and never feel il, but the
double system engendered by the office was
too heavy drain on his resources.
From other remarks let fall by Mr.. Cook
regarding the Consul business it is plain that
the young man is not particularly delighted
with the place. There are other jobs he
liked better and thinks seriously OF resign
from the Cabinet himself. He admitted
that while the consulship OF Greece mi ht
truthfuliy be called fat job in one res pect,
still he did not yearn for Office, and IL there
was another ambitious young gentleman In
the city who wanted TO try his hand a,
diplomacy and unrequited postage he could
have the job on application.