Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-06
ADJUSTMENTS,

Boston Symphony Orchestra at
Metzerotts Hall will be the first concert
this season of the Boston Symphony Orches-
ira. The popularity Of this orchestra in
this city is undoubted, and especial interest
attaches to the concert tonight as 1t will
be the first appearance OF the new con-
ductor Mr.. Emil Paur. Nine. Lillian Nor
dica will be the soioist, and will sing an
aria from Goupod's la Refine de Saba"
and one from Beethoven's "Fidelio." The
orchestra numbers will be Beethoven's Sym
phony in Minor No. 5. Dvorak's Slavonic
Rhapsody No. 2. and Berlioz's overture,
"Benvenuto Cellini."
1.-The White City by the Lake" is the title
Of an illustrated lecture to be delivered by
Miss Janet Elizabeth Richards at the Uni
versalist Church tomorrow evening Miss
Richards has already proved herself an &C.
complished speaker and the lectures she
delivered last winter were both interesting
and successful. She spent a long time at
the worlds fair and will give the result of
her observations In an exceedingly attract
I've manner. The lecture will be illustrated
by numerous stereopticon views.
The Story of the Reformation What
promises to be very pleasing entertain
ment and lecture is the Story of the
reformation, to be given by the Christian
Endeavor Society of St. Paul's Church as
sisted by friends of a number of other de-
nominations, at National Rifles Armory
this evening and tomorrow evening The
lecture will be delivered by Mrs H. E. Mon
roe, and in connection with ii will use about
eighty-five stereopticon views. rare works
OF art and assisted by about 100 persons n
number of whom will appear in sixteenth
century costume. During the evening Miss
Lily Runals will sing several selections The
proceeds or this entertainment are princt-
pally for supplying new books for mission
purposes in Africa, and not for the benefit
of st. Pauls Church as reported.
The Half Holiday In the Departments.
To the Editor OF The Evening Star:
All hail to Mr.. Campbell of New York for
his thoughtful amendment in favor of CIV
ing the departmental force few hours a
week to themselves; at last they are recog-
nized, not as clerical machines, but as
human beings. having homes and the thou
sand and one household cares like other
heads of families. One thing alone needs
to be suggested to make these few hours a
veritable boon to this entire class of the
population of the District. Do not let this
half holiday be on Saturdays, when every
thing else is closed and clerk can attend
TO no private business of his own; a Satur-
day afternoon only prolongs the inertia of
Sunday. What can he or she do on a Satur-
day afternoon? At II banks, real estate
building associations and half the stores
are closed; the matinee Is about the only
thing open and the very one he or she does
not want, their evenings are free all the
week. Let this afternoon be, say, on Thurs
day, whilst the rest of the community is
alive and busy; then the clerk can trans
act all his private business, pay his rent
gas bills, pay notes due in bank, invest his
little savings, hunt up tradesmen for re-
pairs, do shopping, house hunting, go to
libraries, galleries, museums, etc. Now, all
these items are perpetual daily scrambles
in his life unless his family is large and
responsible enough to do them for him
whilst he or she is in Office.
The benefit of the change would soon be
apparent in the regularity of the attendance
at the departments. There would be no get
ting in late trying to do a job before office
hours; no sneaking out "a few minutes be-
fore l. to catch a man before he closes"
1t would at once relieve the chiefs of d.
visions from the constant request "for an
hours leave to attend to private business"
which Is annoying to the heads of bureaus
and bugbear to the clerk to have to ask
Ich a favor, merely to break his neck to
do one single necessary errand which he
misses half the time, as, ten to one, he finds
the business man gone to lunch;" not be-
ing able to wait for him he breathlessly re-
turns disguised to his desk, with his errand
unaccomplished and a leave marked against
him. Not only would this dispense with the
constant asking for petty leaves, but also
with many days on on reports Of sick
ness, which is often grudgingly practiced
when the clerk Is desperate for a little time
to him or herself, and has recourse to that
hateful and dangerous subterfuge; 1t will
also suppress the calling on the clerk of
agents, collectors. etc, who come to him
knowing he cannot come to them conven-
iently. Heaven knows what boon the
Saturday O'Clock during summer was, but
that has been nullifed by the II o'clock
closing of business. What the department
clerk needs is pot time to rest and loaf
he or she can do that on Sundays. He wants
to be able to come in contact with the world
during business hours. Nothing can be done
before or after H. except perhaps actual
marketing.
Let Mr.. Campbell amend his amendment
by shifting the departmental half holiday
to some other afternoon than the business
and trade half holiday of Saturday, and his
name will be blest in half the households of
the District. T. Ms