The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-11-05
Familiar aota.

Familiar Facts.
Fully third of these easy going de-
partment people fit by ones window on
bicycles. Childrenlike, they must make
play even of the short journey from their
homes to the departments. During the
working hours the inner courts of the
big government buildings are jungles of
wheels. Both men and women ride-old
men with gray boards, dignified men
with high silk hats, fat women with gay
bonnets. AS sit in my window morn
ing after morning certain faces become
familiar. Here goes young man whose
native talents as an artist are such that
If he could muster up enough courage to
break away from his 'soft, sure thing"
as government clerk he would be GER
tain of making 81 career of distinction
for himself. But the attractions of this
easy, indolent, irresponsible life are too
great.
Next passes little humpbacked, nj
geon toed old man. He has waddled to
the department every morning at this
same hour and by this same path for
more than 80 years. He is worth $780,
600, the result of fortunate investment
of his savings in real estate, but he
sticks to his desk and will stick to it,
doubtless, until Death sends him yell
low envelope containing his dischage.
Now an exceedingly pretty young
woman flashes by on new and shining
wheel, with a fiutter of ribbons and q
tossing Of golden hair. A glorious crea-
ture, she, designed by nature to be the
pride of some mans home, the mother of
his children. Three advantageous offers
of marriage has she refused. She likes
her life of independence, her wheel, her
good clothes, her freedom from care and
responsibility, too we'll. To these she
will cling probably till her beauty has
faded, and if luck turns and she loses
her place in the department she will end
her days as the keeper of boarding
house or furnished rooms establish
ment
Their Good Clothes.
Many of these department clerks
drive to their work in their own car
riages. Morning after morning they
pass, with their colored coachman in gay
livery, and with their own heads turn
ing to the right and left to see how many
pedestrians are admiring them. Uncle
Sans clerical servants in Washington
are nothing if not proud. They believe
always in keeping up appearances. The
easy sort of life they lead-the work that
is more like play, the so called toll that
never rouses their enthusiasm or is to
them anything more than a few hours of
routine-gives them plenty of time in
which to think of themselves, ample op-
portunity to adorn their persons with
the latest things In millinery and fur
nishing goods.
In this way it comes about that Wash
ington excels all other American cities
in the matter Of dress. Both men and
women here pay more attention to dress
than the men and women of any other
community. It naturally follows that
these employees Of the government be-
come more or less superficial and frivol-
GUS. THERE'S not enough in their lifeworl
that is real and earnest, that takes hold
of them and rouses their better sides, to
give aid in the development of charac-
ter.
These are the last people in the world
one would look to for genius, energy or
the performance of anything the world
might care to hear of. They fall into
the rut and stay there. But they are an