Los Angeles herald., 1892-12-29

grand old men OF the world.
! Justice Field has been great student
all his life, and to this day, am told, reads
more books than any of his confreres in
the court. He takes great interest, too, in
the education of the bright boys who serve
the court as pages, fetching the books
which the justices wish to consult and at
tending to all their demands. One day
years ago for Mr. Field has been a mem
Der of the supreme court for thirty years.
being the senior justice) he happened to
catch one of the pages reading cheap
| novel. Clapping his hand down over the
volume, he said, looking the boy in the eye:
| What is this you are reading"
"a story book, SIR" the page replied.
'If were you" said the justice sternly,
| "I'll tell you what would do with this
book. 1t is this" And he gave the novel
a fling out of ths window.
Robert" he said to the page. "you must
not read stuff like that. Let me send you
something that will do you good and help
| to make q man of you. If will send you
some books will you promise to read them"
! The boy promised, and next morning a
wagon drove up to his mothers house and
dropped full set of 'Macaulay's History
of England" From time to time other
standard works followed, and for five or
six years Justice Field kept the youngster
supplied with choice assortment of stand
ard reading, much of it extensively bound.
Now that page is one of the most accom-
plished and successful of the professional
men in Washington.
| One of the causes of the dullness in
Washington is the impending change in
the administration. The cabinet ministers
and other high officials of the government
who are to retire so soon do not care to
make much of social effort during their
last winter here. All of them have spent
in Washington twice as much as their sal
aries have brought them, and they are nat
urally a little weary of paying so dearly
for the fieeting honor of serving Uncle Sam
and having their names printed in the con-
gressional directory. The prospect for the
winter is therefore very poor. The worst
of it is that there will be no gayety at the
White House. The president has caused
The official announcement to be made that
there will be no social events of any kind
at the White House this winter. do not
understand that this cuts off the usual
| New Years and other state receptions, but
1t may do SO.
At any rate. without the White House
taking part in the social activities of the
season the winter will be gloomy one
for the thousands of women who come
the capital every winter for peep at soci-
ety in the American capital. The White
House is naturally the hub of the social
Wheel and when the White House is
| closed on account of the recent presence of
death and the cabinet houses are open
only in a sort of desultory fashion the
whole social vehicle gets stuck in the mud.
There will be much weeping among the
fair devotees of fashion, and the cabmen
and florists and dressmakers and caterers
and lot of other commercial people will
add their tears to the briny current.
| The event of this week is a novel and
striking entertainment to be given at one
of the theaters by the newspaper men of
| Washington. The proceeds go to the Ma
tional Capital Press club, which embraces
in it's membership about all the correspond
ents here, and there are nearly 200 of
them. Craftsmanship and society have
alike taken an interest in this affair out Of
compliment to the press, which is such an
indispensable adjunct to all the activities
Of life. The newspaper men have dozen
or more of the most famous actors and
actresses in the country ON their pro-
! gramme. Many of the stars come from
New York and Brooklyn, where they are
| playing every night. In order to appear in
Washington they must take special train
| early in the morning, arrive at Washing
ton half an hour before noon, drive to the
theater, appear in their acts and away to
another special train, which will hurry
them back to the metropolis. Considering
that the distance from New York to Wash
ington is 230 miles, and that an hour must
be allowed to get the actors and actresses
from the railway station in the former city
to the theaters at which they are to appear
in the evening, this is somewhat remark
able feat. The special train on the return
trip is expected to break all records for fast
running.
Tom Reed and John Allen are to be two
of the star performers at this novel show
One is to tell what he knows about news
paper men and the other what he doesn't
know. Amos Cummings is to play banjo
solo. So great is the interest in the enter
tainment that the newspaper correspond
ents have been compelled to put the choice
seats and the boxes up at auction. The
boxes sold for $780, $500 and $500 each, and
large number Of seats brought ten dollars
apiece. The auctioneer was Colonel Bill
Sterett, of Texas, himself a newspaper
writer and one of the most strikingly
gifted men in Washington. AS a story
teller, wit and quaint commentator upon
the affairs and persons of the day he is
worth going miles to hear. Rough and
rugged, but with agreat heart and good
head, he is one of the most popular as well
as one of the most delightful men ever seen
in this city. Senators and representatives
court his acquaintance, and the members
of his own craft are very proud of him. AS
an auctioneer he was great success
The newspaper correspondents of Wash
ington come very near to being able to run
the town when they set out for it. An in
stance of the peculiar power which they
WELD was found in the fact that when they
had their auction sale Of boxes and seats
for the big entertainment both houses of
congress were practically deserted. When
the matinee comes off both houses will be
adjourned in honor of the event. The gov
ernment's contribution to the show is the
| famous Marine band. One correspondent
proposed as a novelty at the matinee to
have the entire supreme court come on the
| stage in their robes Of Office and dance
minuet or hornpipe. The correspondent
was only joking, but when certain sem
ator heard of the suggestion he turned pale
and exclaimed:
"That would be a disgrace to cur coun-
| try, but if you newspaper fellows say it has
to be done it will be donel"
| ROBERT GRAVES.
England is supposed to give the lead in
g. ,s<~.e, f~rsv ri of In nod