The morning times., 1896-02-17
SIDE LIGHTS ON CONGRESS
uIKWED FROM TIE GALLERY
Miss Wilbur's Impressions of the House
of Representatives.

Whenever one has an afternoon or leisure
| with no definite way OF entertaining him
self / should advise him to pay visit TO
] Congress.
| j know of no healthier way of putting in
| ones time, for there is that seriousness or
! purpose, tllat direct dealing with issues OF
/ Importance, and that effechial carrying out
! OF good conclusions which peryade the at
| mosniiere DfIhe place which will make ones
| mind feel robust, and send one away with IL
| good feeling OF capability and effectiveness.
Therefore Hike Congress. II Is bracing.
Allsorisofpbopie ewanderinto thegalieries.
/ People who areidle and curious, people who
| are hungry for mental stimulus, people who
| have affairs at stake and wish To watch
| their shaping.
One sees them going ana coming all day.
| They wa1itfer taiiont The lower floors OF the
| Capitol Tfey gaze Into the lunch rooms
| and restaurants, they staredown the crypt
prepared FOR WaShinst tomb, they crane
| their necks TO study the paintings In thebiS
! dome. they Try the curious echoes or the
] marble rtr1ra, they sit stupidity under the
| heavy lore or great jurisis in The supreme
| Coari, they climb the great marble stairsand
| study The colossal paintings that decorate
| tire wall above the landing.
1 And after idiin. away an boar or SO
4 they stroll into the House ortfe Senate.
| Ii is usually the House ! fird, Tor tire
| dramatic qualities Of the House are the
most numerous.
/ ALL IMPORTANT D0ORKEEPERS.
| The way they get 10y the doorkeepers is
amusing. Scarcely any one, unless he he
a regular visitor of the galleries, gets 10
| the right door first.
The daorkeepcrs haven't very inGch 70
| do. bat they do that little importantly.
! hfNy
| SoSsiping with loungers in the corridors,
| and much nf lie balance of IL oyerawcing
people and telling them where not TO go.
| / should think it would be an excellent
| way to dilute ones inteilect-H II Was
! too richly Favored ard seasoned this being
| doorkeeper. Ii one knew too much
shonld think il would be the very best
| kind or a WAY to forget tons OF intorina-
| ton, an occupation lust suited to one af-
| flicted with nervous prostration
IL obe8 brain was too active eHe's
| Derives too tense one's muscular fsrgaiiisin
too eperactic, / shoald fancy this wouid
| be the proper sanitaFium. Insomnia would
flee before this work, and ambition which
/ .snadS so many TO an untiInely death would
fade IKE ghost out OF memory.
There are advantages in Being door
| keeper no one VIII deny. l mean 10 in-
teryie~ IL doorkeeper some time ard see
| what he thinks about il.
He has Eothiug TO do but enumerate its
| adva Ses. and | suppose he has long
| account OF them.
HEAVY MENTAL STRAIN.
A party Of women straggle M to door
and start to go in. The doorkeeper, busy
with lounger tears himself away long
enough 20 lean forward and say, Are you
1 a n,pfal,er.s Ygjfe2" No We'll thss
Is the members gallery. you can't go in
here" Thea he leans back and goes
On with the conversation.
The women hesitate and talk among
| :iienlsei and then interrupt him 10
inquire:
"weI, isr't there any gallery we can
go in:''
Keep clear around to the otter side
of the House The ladies gallery is in
| the southeast corner"
He still talks and yagas and waves
something Idly in tis hand while the Lad les
straggle around flie long corridor. On the
| way aro.ind ieeysz encounter various other
| doorkcepcrs, who continue 10 send them
around, aud 1ley Ssrfi1e there at.last .afa
study tiIt House curionsls FOR aT7hile.
| Men have much the same experience, and
in fact it's quite an experience i'll politics
to encougter doorkeepers. They are al
genilemeifof Importance. They may have
been State senators for "a aught you know.
They run <nlachines at home sometimes.
Not sewing machines or tlar5esters, or
| aypresSos, on no, lndcrds Lsdu ullhs
what q Ihatiiine Is is part OF a political
education! Ifind.
| But while these gentlemen who guard
the delihAratiohs of Congress are a fored
| and tired Net with the expression of know
ing gooA thitsg when they see It. and feel
ing righteSo;nfof table in surveying their oE-n
| particularA good thing, still / must say
| | think one can have toe much OF It good
thing. III
! An old Soldier with a wooden leg or an
empty coat sleeve looks 10 me right wei
in a doorka6per's chair, but a yoangish man
with fine brow and good physique looks
wrong young man told me the other da y
| he had a pull and meant to try for sonlc.
thing OF this sort in the reorganization OF
the Senate.
what FORE" asked with aDaZenent, not
untnixed witli disapproyal.
WHY. it's Il spap,' lie returned.
Its a boomerang" said /. You'll lose
your grip, mark me-"
ARE NECESSARY EVILS
Doorkeepers on the whole have been court,
eous and affable to me They are courteous,
and, Mr.. Doorkeeper, don't misunderstand
me. They do fill a necessary post, and 1t Is
| a post of honor of no small considerati ton
, Who was il said he would rather be n door.
keeper even a doorkeeper in the House
of the Lord, than to have high honors else
! where. ] can quote that straight IL desire
Personally j should think il was no such
great honorto keep the door. Inthe days oil
| David theregwere no ne wspa pers so that tlis
only way David could hope to keep in
formed and in tonch with the inhabitants
. Of heaven was by personal contact.
Now, any one can read the papers, and
| know Just what people said and did in The
| Congressional heaven without opening door!
| for members to pa SIS III and out, and catch
ing an occasional drop Of the honey of dis
, ! course.
Dear me, started to explain myself to
| the doorkeeper, and now I'm afraid L an
| hoDejessly entangicd in the mesheS of his
| disapproval.
Bat | want to say that if it were not fol
: | a certain rubicrtnd deorkeeper, who wa!
. | exceedingly kind to me, / wouldn't have
| gotten dia gram of the House, whicf
! shows all the seats aud tells who sits il
: | them, aud | wouldn't have gotten q
| directory, showing me just where every
| man is from and on what committee he i:
serving.
These favors gave me a very pleasant
| afternoon at the House the other day, q nj
t put me en- rapport with the members OF
+ the floor. ] felt very smart 70 be talking
of Dinglcy of Maine, Bailey of Texas
Towne of Minnesota, and so on. / neye
was largely due to my doorkeeper.
So, here's q truce, gentlemen.
IN THE SACRED PRECINCTS.
: As / said the other day. no feminin,
e | petticoats ever intrude their rustic in th'
q press gallery of the Senate, but the lin,
has been broken on the House side.
" There is a woman in the press CALLER,
] now, and she comes from Kansas. Sh