Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1895-10-05
WASHINGTON LETTER
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE.

the Presidents church, the following
was sent to the Rev. I. Dewitt Tai
mage Of BtookIyn, calling him to the
associate pastOrship with the Rev. Dr.
Byron Sunderland: "Hhe congrega.
ton of the First Presbyterian Church
OF Washington, being on sufficient
grounds well satisfied of the ministe.
rial qualifications OF you, the Rev. DR..
L. Dewitt IaImuge, and having good
hopes from our knowledge of your past
eminent abors that your ministrations
in the Gospel will be profitable to our
spiritual interest, do earnestly, unani-
mously, tremendously and heartily,
not one voice dissenting, call and de-
sire you to undertake the Office of co.
pastor i'll said congregation, promis.
ing you i'll the discharge of your duty
all proper support, encouragement
and obedience in the Lord. "And
that You may be free from worldly
cares and ayocations considering your
well anl wide known ability and gen.
eroslty, we do not assume to specify
any definite sum of money for your
recompense, but we do hereby promise,
pledge and oblige ourselves to
pay to you such sums of money AMI
ut such times as shall be mutually
satisfactory during the time Of your
being and remaining in the relation
to said church, to which we do hereby
call YOU" The conditions upon which
the call was issued are that DR.. Sun
derlnnd is not to Withdraw, and the
co-pastor, DR.. Adolos Allen, is not to
be disturbed in his position, but may
resign at his option, and with the con.
sent of the church. DR.. Talmage is
to have exclusive charge of the Sun
day evening services, while Drs. Sun
derland and Allen are to divide the
services during the week.
WALLER's CAsE-No Importance is
attached by state department officials
to the information respecting the Wal
Ter case, professed to have been oh.
tanned by the Steele of Paris, and can
not understand the basis for the claim
that Walters cause "has been ire
trievably lost" The record and pro-
ceedings of the court-martial are not
due in France until about the end of
the month, according to statements
made by the French ministry for
foreign affairs to Ambassador Eustis,
and, if it be true that they are in
Paris, it is said that the French min.
istry will find some embarrassment in
explaining its statements. As q rule,
exclusive items of foreign news pub
lished in any Partisan newspaper may
be classed as fabrications, destitute of
foundation in fact.
CONSULAR REFORM Sec. Olney's
return from Massachusetts was marked
by the issuance of "a civil service order
signed by the president, which practi-
cally places the consular service under
civil service rules SO far as regards
consulates of class whose emolu-
ments do not exceed 81, 500 per au-
nun, or fall below 81, 500. This order,
it is roughly estimated, will apply to
nearly one half OF the consular and
commercial agents of the United
States. 1t provides for system of
examination and the promotion to
consular offices of higher grade of
consuls holding inferior positions, and
also consular clerks, the number of
which is now limited by law. In fu-
ture the position of consular clerk will
be an opening to a consulship. The
reason why consulships of 81 900 SAL
ary are exempted from the order is
because consuls of this class are per-
mitted by law to increase their emolu-
ments by engaging in trade. In his
report to the president, advocating the
PRONUNCIATION of the order. Sec.
Olney enters into an elaborate discus
sion of the subject, and reviews the
history OF efforts in the past to bring
about this reform.
DEATH OF Mrs. GEH. CRooK-Word
has been received BY Paymaster. Gen
eral Stanton that Mrs. Mary Crook,
widow of Maj. j.-Gen. George Crook,
U. S. A., died at the residence of her
sister, Mrs. Fannie ID. Reed, at Oak
land, Nd The remains we're buried
at Arlington cemetery beside those of
the general, to whom she was most
loyal and devoted wife. She followed
him to Oregon, Idaho, Arizona and
other military departments, in order
to be near HIM in his campaigns. She
leaves no children. There was de-
cided romance connected with her
courtship by Gen. Crook. She was
southern woman, born and bred, and
naturally affiliated with her relatives
and many friends on ''the other side.
Notwithstanding this, the brave Union
soldier wooed her during the war,
and finally won her. In February,
1865, while she was visiting her sister,
near Oakland, and the surrounding
country was filled with Confederate
troops, Gen. Crook made desper-
ate effort to see her, with the result
that he was captured by the enemy
near her house and kept prisoner
for several weeks.
POSTAL SERVICE GROWING Fourth
Assistant Postmaster General r. A.
Maxwelps report for the fiscal year
ending June 30 last, is one of the
earliest to be presented. 1t indicates
13, 600 new appointments of fourth
class postmasters made within the
year, only 769 of them having been
occasioned by death, which Is exactly
the same number as last year, Dur
ing the year the greatest increase in
the number of post offices was in
Oklahoma, SO. Virginia follows with
66, and Indian Territory with 60.
Nineteen states show decrease in the
number of post offices, the greatest
loss occurring in Kansas, SO. South
Carolina loses "A, and Iowa and West
Virginia % each. Nearly 10000
regarding ordinary mail
matter was received and disposed of
during the year.
The growing mania for Washing
TONS social life is made evident, in
the New York Mail and Express. b;
the mArriaUe OF eiUht m embe of the