The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-12-25
The Happiness Befiiting The Era Of Peace
and Good Will BaniSheS Visions of War.
Mr.. CIRCUITS INGENIOUS LITTLE BILL.
Will Probably Receive Official Con.
alteration In, thc Dilu Far Distance
of the Wheness of the Wherc-A
Truc ana Touching Christmas
Story OF thc Nations Capital.
Especial Corrcspondence.)
VirSinian Bureau.
Washington, Dec. 24th, lS9

aged VIII seemed to occupy more OF the
peoples thought and to constitute more
largely Il TOPIC OF their conversation
than long-beardcd. snow covered Santa
Claus, the ease is now reversed ana
the battle cry is changed to the anthem
of Peace OH earth; good will to man.
There is no war and there is no panic,
and tomorrow the organ and cornet
will awake the music, while the drum
and buglc lie unnoticed and untouched.
Patriotism fingers and builds the plat
form which the nation trcads upon this
holiday. ana patriotism still is the
plinth from which rises. firm and i'm
movable, tho monument of peoples
hopes, garlanded with the flowers os
the childrcEs ioy.and pointing through
out the ages To the God of the sacred
inSpirat ion.
Here In Washington is the change
especially noticeable. and while not one
jot nor little of the determination cN-
pressed last week can or will be aba ted,
the Congress and the people have dis
missed those subjects ana to the calm
dclibcration of the country's needs. are
giving their attention pausng only To
join in the one day of celebration known
through all of Christendom.
Nr. Groui on Po>tofliccs.
Representative Crout, of Vermont,
has introduced Il bill relating To the
fourth class postoiliccs. which. il pass
ed by Congress. would save the mem
hers great amount of worry over this
class of patronage. hut which rob them
OF all party advantage in their distri-
button The bill provides that the
postmaster shall keep in the postofice
open to inspection. book containing
the names Of all the patrons oC the Of
flee. and shall send n duplicate to the
Postmastcr-Gcncral. These he shall re-
wise at the end Of each month II fur
thcr provides that whenever n vacancy
Snall occur or a maiority of the patrons
Shhll tle n written request with the
PoStmastcr-Ceneral. he shall appoint II
person. not patron of the office. "and
When practicable n commissioner of tho
Circuit Court OF the district" to give
motto" to the patrons of not less than
nNc DAYS not more than twenty of an
election. said notice 70 bc posted i'm In,
poStoihcc on the day named the ner-
son or commissioner shall omen tho
meeting at the appointed time ana ~
,'Nc ana count In open meeting alI bnI
ioiS cast, ana If no one receives n M, .
loritN or all the votes east on tho frs,
nlhot. another shall be taken. and so
on until a ma aiCrity votes for some onn
candidate. Then he person or commits
.ioieI Shah send the ballots and Ger
NY the result to the PostmnstcrC:on-
craI' and If he declines To appoint the
ie,Son elected, another election shall he
hcld. provided. however. that tho Poet
1haStcr-Gcncral shall not decline to an
sons " h"itS ieil-
Inis Is n great bill 1t is now in the
H"r'l,nitlre 1,i on Postofliccs ana Post
lt"ads. and VII probably he s,oo,,i,,
tn, mere long after r'r. Grout is sleeninS
'nr uulct chnrchyard among the vine
clhd hills of Vermont,
n True Christmas Story.
.. ne Hhtle or story was reached in
,rn,,,t,; ,ne i,strici commissioners offices this
frn,or'linG r,,.G which makes Il good one for
made II wonderful difference I'm no h,,'
pihesS tonight of poor str,Irrjip,,
woman ana two bright-eyed children
5uSt II year ago last month Thnnn.
W ,.iknh became a fireman In one of The
aShlhSton companies. His loving wifo
aha TWO little girls Of one nnd two
years completed his family. and Ton,
was happy In his new work. ana wns
quickly known as a brave and daring
hrenan. warm and impulsive friand
'@.lu @ surely ne was tender husband and
happy father ''''u
All went well with the Sulljyans for
nearly the year, then Tom was ta,tnn
III ana three days before the expiration
oi ms year service he died. Then his
WIG found herself face to face with tho
world. her two children TO care for
ana without II dollar In their little
home.
kind ncighbor came and sat nv
Mrs. Sullivan in her sorrow. and then
she in the goodness Of her heart s,,rns.
ted sending the little girls to nm asv-
lum Here the tears were STAYED and
standing above the little bed that hold
her sleeping children Mrs. Sullivan said
Never, never, while can earn enough
20 feed them" and hours after she fell
asleep repeating the words and sun
plemcntcd them With prayer that only
woman can whisper for her Offspring
Thc next morning Mrs. Sullivan left
her children with her ncghbor. and
bravely started in pursuit of work
more than one day passing and more
than one night heard her resolve and
caught the whisper of her prayer AT
length i'm dingy little tailor shop she
round some sewing at 80 cents per day
ana no eight hour days at that. but as
she stitched and stitched she felt that
IL was at least work and the So each
week would keep the babies from want
she had told the tailor of Tom and
MS labor as fireman, and 81 few weeks
ago customer brought in q bundle
wrapped III n newspaper In reading
the paper he saw something of the
pensions which were made to the Wild
lws OF iircmcn. This he read to Mrs
sullivan. and her eyes were armed with
tears as CLEAN of hope came to her
end she saw releaSe from fbaI,, ,,,orI,