The Progress., 1892-12-31

| IEe peftOrna Ice De2au al nOOL and con
tinued till , o'C h'e5z. This unusual houl
was set Of neces. ty, for mary OF the actors
had to be taken back to New YORK by spe
cial train in tir ,e for appearaDoo on the
stages of the tn EATERS of that citv in the
levening. This tquired some lively trav-
cling, but the IA ilroa1s were equal to the
emergency. Ths people car play at a
matinee in Wash t1gtoE and at an evening
performance the same day in New York is
sufficient evidence 'Of the fact that this is a
fast age in which we live. There are men
now living il W. tshingJon who can re-
member when the Journey from the me-
tropolis TO thefapitA nj required four Gays,
and travellers were lr * if&key got through
in that time
But II was not aloJT this .kig entertain
ment that waited to tell you. One of
the most amusing incidents OF the winter
grew out of the Press clubs show. refer
to the tyPesettiDg contest between Amas
Cummings and Waiter W@Iman, the
letter writer. WiEl other members of the
| club theysSat one eyernng talking of the
old days il which 10th and many other
men now prCminenr in the legislative or
| journalistic world were compoxitors. One
Of the fads Of all megl who ever worked
with stick and rule iJthe belief that they
can still set type just as fast as they ever
could, and that Ghere is so one in the ooun-
try who can heat them.
Some such spirit as this must have aeau-
atea Cummings and Weilman, for they |
bantered each ether and dared each other, |
and finally MADE sEager ~ dinner for /
Themselves and their fellow clubmen. and
ADJOURNED to a nearby printing Office to
fight il out. With an escort of congress-
m al md l;e4,- Al I
off their coats. rolled up their sleeves and
1T tho call Of time" sailed in. Amos had !
not set any type for more than TWENTY-FIVE
years whils his competitor had left the
case nearly twenty years since Yet both
men had no difficulty in getting I'D an old
time swing of the right arm to and fro
over the type boxes. 1t is marvellous how
theinstinct Of composition survives through
all the years Of other employment
Cummings did have a little trouble in
anding the capital e. box, and his antago-
llst was once ut a less TO know Just where
,he lower case b was. But he had the ,
presence OF mind not 20 waste time trying ,
o md it. He went along as if nothing ;
iad happened, and the next time be /
wanted b his fingers flew fnstinctively .
md without moments hesitation to the
light box. Then he went back aud put in o.
be b which be had omitted, and all was ;.
veil
Genial Amos was convinced before the :,
ontest was over that he is growing old. q,
lie couldn't see the hicks in the type as he :,
sed to see them in the old DAYS, and his =,
lasses persisted in falling from his nose. -,
lis fingers were not as niInble as they 90
sed TO be either, and the result was that ~
is younger rival somewhat easily dis. -
ineed him in the race, though both did ~,
retty fast work under the circumstances. =
This incident attracted so much atten. -,
on and was Che subject of so much talk W,
nong public men and their friends. the "
that the latter have about W.
'termined 20 start up in Washington -
ght after the holidays a novel contest W s,o
thing else than a typesetting tourna- r.;
ent between statesmen and journalists. ~,
congress there is large number of men e i"a
ho used 10 SET type, and one of the pecu- .L-
.FitiSs q pr.Itsrs is that they never out H.. t,I
ow their love for the trade-once n ani D-i
inter always a pfpter; II not by prac- ch'
e. then IN the spirit -.
rbe little struggle between Cummings ~, n
d Neilman stirred the blood of the old -, ~
Ints IN Washington, and half dozen P'1
iators and representatives talked next roa =