The record-union., 1893-10-24

partment that he loses no time in dispos-
ing of business, and the recent report OF
efficiency in the mail service shows that
since he took charge there has been a
marked and gratifying Improvement,
and that the efficiency of clerks IS higher
than 1t has been in years.
Just across f street from the Postohice
Department is the Department of the In
terror. 1t is great white building with
vast reaches of gloomy halls. In the
southeast corner, on the second floor
above the basement, are three rooms for
Secretary Hoke Smith. The first room Is
really little more than q corner Of the
hall, partly fenced off, and held by Claude
n. Bennett. the Private Secretary, as a
reception room. This room is always
open. Mr.. Bennett is newspaper man,
and one of the best Of Private Secretaries,
having the faculty of getting rid of some
visitors without offending them and OF
knowing the visitors whom the Secretary
should see. This reception room has a
few Indian pictures on its walls, and
what looks like a gigantic wardrobe IN
the corner, taking up much space.
Just beyond this reception hall is the
Secretary's public office. 1t is a plain
room, with paintings of Secretaries Smith
Ohio and Ewing, and crayons of later
Secretaries on the walls. There is a desk
in the center Of the room and tumble Of
excessive furniture about. That is char
acteristic of the department which is eV
erywhere crowded. In this room, and at
the hours fixed for receptions, the Secre-
tary, who stands good deal Of the time
to receive callers, meets people who have
business with him. He has happy way
Of pushing business SO that there is no
unnecessary stealing away of his time. y
Secretary of the Interior who is not a
workingman is soon found out. and the
fact discovered has something to do, no
doubt, with the business habit of the de-
partment, No one ventures to say that
Mr.. Smith is not a worker. He is at his
desk at more frequently than later, and
when he leaves at it is to continue his
work at home.
In the Interior Department, as in other
departments, the example of the head
impresses itself upon the subordinateS of
every degree. The Secretary who begins
early and works late furnishes a good eX-
ample to the clerk. 1t is ethical in the
departments among the clerical force to
arrive on time, but not before, and TO QUIT
promptly. OverWork voluntarily in
dulged in is apt to make the worker un-
popular, and overwork without extra
pay is oppression. 1t has only been pos
sible for Mr.. Smith to acquire complete
grasp of his department by continuous
application, and this he has given with
such energy as to fully justify the late
Justice Lamar in his judgment that he
would prove to be a successful occupant
Of the important office.
On the east side of the building in which
Secretaries Gresham and Lamont have
their offices are the offices of Secretary Of
the Navy Hilary A. Herbert. They are
on the same floor with the other depart
ment office Secretaries, and face the east,
the White House being opposite Secretary
Herbert's room. Mr.. Herbert has two
rooms. The first is his worshop in which
he works little, and which is held by his
Private Secretary, l.. II. FiDney. This
room has some good portraits of former
Secretaries of the Navy on the walls and
some naval pictures. 1t is apt to be dark
and gloomy, but it is a frequented
office. Secretary Herbert has stitfened
the rules of the Office since he took pos
session of it, and he managers to escape
much of the visiting that Secretary Tracy
permitted so freely. But this is accounted
for, in part, by the ease with which his
Assistant Secretary, Mr.. McAdoo, re-
lieves him of much of the talking of Wis
itors.
a great deal of Mr.. Herbert's time is
spent in his inner Office, which is devoid
of adornment, and upon the desk of which
there is always a mass of papers, plans,
designs and what not, to be considered
and passed upon, Here he is called upon
during the day by the heads of the many
bureaus of the navy, and here, until
about or $780, he remains to push his
work. 1t is busy Office, and the Secre-
tary of the Navy has much business to
dispatch that interests men having cross
purposes. To one who tancies that the
principal occupation Of the Secretary is
to listen to salutes and keep the ships of
the navy steaming about the world, the
veXatious duties OF the Secretary would
prove amazing.
In ordinary times the Navy Department
is one of the best show departments in
Washington. Before the Chicago Expo
sitiOn opened, there were in the halls
near the Secretary's office many models
of our latest ships of war. They are now
all at Chicago, on board the brick ship
Illinois, and there is little to be seen
about the building after one has passed
the two anchors at the entrance, to indi-
cate the character OF the service to which
the east side is devoted.
No Cabinet officer is so pleasantly To-
Gated in many respects as Secretary of
Agriculture Julius Sterling Morton. The
Department of Agriculture is in the pub
lie reservation south of Pennsylvania
Avenue, and to get to it one must pass by
areas of lawn, diversified, Immediately
in front of the department building. by
handsome beds of Well-kept foliage plants
These supply visitors with object lessons,
and many caller has gone away with
the determination to have just such beds
as these at home. The Secretary is at
home in his office on the ground floor.
He has no stairs TO climb, and there is
little use for an elevator in the building
as it is not lofty.
The visitor to the Secretary of Agricult-
ure can call early and find him in. He is
never later than S:l5 in reaching his office,
and he says that he has the two best
hours Of the day Immediately after his
arrival. The man between the Secretary
and the public is j. S. Charleston, his
Private Secretary. He is diplomatic, ex-
ercising discreet discrimination, and
really keeping very few business people
from his chief. He has room made very
gloomy by wall covering of veneer,
Scarcely relieved by map or two and
bookshelf, in addition TO the Secretary's
desk and the desk of typewriter.
In the Secretary of Agriculture's room,
next to the reception room, there is more
light and little SuperhuOuS adornment.
4 fine bouquet of flowers from the gar
dens of the department ornaments his
desk. There Is photograph of Uncle
Jerrv'' Rusk on the wall, and some pict-
ures of high bred cattle on the Secretary's
Nebraska farm. On the manIel there is a
photograph, taken lofty years ago, IN
which are seen Daniel W. Voorhees,.
wearing a beard and heavier head of
hair than he has now; Mr.. Morton as he
aupeared when he was seeking admis-
sion to Congress as delegate from the
Territory OF Nebraska, and Senator Rich
ardson of Indiana. There are also photo
graphs of the house Of the Secretary at
Nebraska City, with the infant grandson
EyA EA gREEA 80