The Portland daily press., 1893-09-23

OOubuS OOA UdlS1iltSe OE bilolI IeuROTS art
not written up to date when Saturday
night comes. His chief amusement is
driving in the country with some good
fellow by his side to tell good stories and
appreciate good stories. With all his
hard work and multifarious duties and
responsibilities, he is one Of those men
who are never in a hurry. You will
have to live long time and see some
stirring times if YOU want to catch Sec
Rotary Gresham evincing haste, worry
or anxiety.
A few months ago diplomatic mat
ter of pressing Importance came up for
consideration. Secretary Gresham had
not been long in the department and was
unfamiliar with the history of the case,
which ran through several years and was
einbalmed in large number of formi-
dable looking blue books in the state de-
partment library. One night as the
doors of the department were being
closed and the clerks were rushing away
to their homes, the secretary approached
the librarian and asked for certain books
bearing on the matter. They were shown
TO him, and after an hour or SO spent in
their examination he asked for all the
books and documents there were in the
library possessing information concern
ing this case. The librarian tumbled
out about half cord of blue books
and then asked if he might go home.
The secretary nodded.
Away went the librarian to his dinner.
After an evening at the theater he went
to bed. But he was troubled in his
mind. Something seemed to be con-
stantly saying. to him that he had not
done right in going away and leaving his
chief alone in the library. So next morn
ing he was up little after daylight,
and without waiting for breakfast he
set out for the state department. The
watchmen let HIN in, and he proceeded
straight to the library. There was Gresh-
am, amid wreck of books and a floor
strewn with, musty documents, reading
away. All the gas jets were burning
full head, and the SUMS rays were stream
ing in at the window.
Secretary Carlisle works as hard as
Gresham does, but he is different sort
of man. Work worries him-that is to
say, sitting all day at his desk receiving
callers, talking about offices and back
ers and the party and Endorsements, and
all that sort Of thing, receiving depart
ment chiefs who wish to consult him as
to their bureaus, telling senators or rep
resentatives in congress why he can't
make this appointment or find place
for that protege, worries Carlisle nearly
to death. But give him a knotty point
in finance, columns of figures as long as
the moral law, stacks Of Revised Statutes
of the United States as tall as dry goods
boxes and piece of paper and a rusty
old lead pencil, and he will sit up all
night and enjoy himself. He is stu
dent, essentially student. He likes to
shut himself up in a corner, lock the
door and think and figure and evolve and
analyze.
But he is Kentuckian as well as
student, and you never yet saw a Ken
tuckian who didn't know how to receive
callers and make them feel comfortable.
I think MI. Carlisle can be more bored
by long winded and unimportant caller
and show less Of his annoyance than any
man I ever saw. Notwithstanding his
studentlike characteristics, that alert
brain of his enables him quickly to an
alyze men as well as things. He knows
what man is going to say, what he
wants, what he is trying to conceal and
how much he is endeavoring to exag-
gerate in his own behalf before the
caller has uttered dozen words. Car
isles brain is On a hair trigger all the
time, and the wonder is that it doesn't
wear out.
!. He thinks Of your side of the case
first and sees the inside Of it and detects
all your little sopl1istries and weak
nesses. He does it like a flash. Then
he states his own side, and there is per-
feet coincidence between the two. He
doesn't waste a thought or a word. He
snaps out a few syllables of about as
good English as you would want to hear
snaps them out quickly, not sharply
or unpleasantly-and you may as well
put up your shutters and go home. Your
case is decided No use to stop and ex-
plain. He has already thought out all
your explanation and could tell it just
as well as you could and better. Car
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