The morning times., 1896-03-20
is SEEN By | FREHCHhlN
MIR. SChurmann Writes Home His
Impressions of Washington.
IS A PROVINCIAL CITY
he Calls the White House Middle
Glass villa and Thinks the Country
Suffers from the "Malady of Bureau
cracy''-Thinks Congress Talks Too
Much.

Mr.. Schurmann, the French mpresario.
has been writing letters to his wife dur
ing his Anne rican tour, giving his i'm
presslons of this country. The New York
Herald prints the following communication
written after NJ. Schurmann's visit to " ash
ington:
My Dear Louse-Here am in the Capital
of America. 1t is charming little city,
neat and tranquil, and built altogether
like our beautiful provincial cities. l
noticed especially the parks and the shady
avenues, which are planted with trees,
and which there are few persons here TO
enjoy.
1t is Versailles over again.
l know well that you cannot look upon
Versailles as the capital OF France, when
we have Paris. and Washington produces
precisely the same effect on me when |
compare it with New York.
On the one hand is the large, queenly
CITY, full of life and force, with its populace
of workers, ever grumbling and struggling
for daily life; on the other hand is the
calm. provincial city, with its army OF
Officials. who are as numerous as they are
useless.
America suffers from the same scourge
as old Europe does. namely, the malady
OF bureaucracy" There are five times as
many Officials here as are needed, and,
as with us. all the work they do is 10
blacken from time TO time immense piles
OF paper which cucumber the offices until
they are carted away Or sold at the price
of waste material.
AT THE WHITE HOUSE.
The President lives in sort of middle
class, two-story villa, in the middle of a
| park. 1t looks very like the country house
| of some wealthy retired merchant. II is
known as the White House. Though there
| is very little style about the building. it
! serves more than anything else TO empha-
| size the greatness OF this American Re
| public and of the genuine democratic
regime. Neither guards nor soldiers are
| TO be seen. The house. indeed, is open
| to every conner. You desire to see the
| President, to have talk with him about
some personal matter. Nothing is easier.
| You have five minutes interview with
| his private secretary, who is very
amiable gentleman, and at once the desired
| interview is granted.
In addition to the hours devoted 10 such
! solicited interviews, the President gives the
| public several hours on three days OF each
week. All you have to do is 10 enter and
| present yourself before him. No special
dressis required for this occasion. Helistens
to you smiles and shakes hands with you.
/ 1t is really Characteristic, and this absence
OF all formalty and all ceremony is. indeed,
| the most perfect and the most conclusive
| incarnation of this republican government.
| How little we know i'll France Of such sim
plicity! At Paris there are mere ceremonies
| before one can see the president of the Ie-
public than there are at ST. Petersburg
1 when one desires TO talk for h,4lf an hour
with the emperor.
MR.. CLEVELAND WAS AAIABLE.
And lie is indeed charming fellow, this
President of theirs. Large, stout, jovial,
amiable. preposscssing, with kindly smile,
he really won my heart completely during
the ten minutes that / Grated with him.
Here one cannot say by way of a joke.
l"Do you want To go up into the obeIisk?''
| One does go up here and without fatiguing
ones self. since there is an elevator in the
building which works admirably.
What shall say to You uf the Capitol? 1t
I :
What of the deputies and the Senators?
AS with us, they do a good deal more talk
ing than legislative work They are more
free and easy, and they are not so reserved
However, this is quite natural in a country
where, in order to be elected a deputy, one
has only to be the father of eighteen chill
dren. all of them born in the same district.
If the same conditions were imposed on US,
we might succeed in making a successful
fight against the increasing depopulation OF
France What would not one do to become
a deputy? 1t is true that it is not in the
power of every one 10 become the father OF
eighteen children A the same time, it il
very unjust Chat only the men should be
rewarded for acts of this kind. 1t is rather
on the women that an honorary distinction
should be conferred.
The food at an American hotel is certainl
unsatisfactory. The chickens are serve
wholly ra w and the ducks are also uncookeG
when they are put on the table | canno
compliment The American culinary artists
OUR TOoTHPICK SHOES.
For the rest, there ere artists here ir
every trade. When you buy a pair oI
shoes you receive coupon which entities
you to have them blacked free of charge
In the store where you made your purchase
on the back OF this card are the portrait!
of half dozen colored persons with theS'
words underneath: Portraits of ON
artist shoeblacks.' / very much doubt
no owever, If in This artistic profession ont
can find persons of the calibre of Patti ol
Duse. The shoes in this country are use
fuI in another way. They are so pointet
that one has only 10 take them off afte
dinner in order TO use them as toothpicks
There is an astonishing number of col
ored personsiin Washington. Indeed, ther,
must be more oolCrcd persons than Whit
persons. You see them everywhere.
is they who are employed in the hotel
and on the elevators. They are coachmen
Wallets de cbambre, and, above all, boot
blacks. Among them also are lyric artists
and upon my word, they are II OF bad ones
l saw some in music hall who kept mt
in roars OF laughter by their coDtortion
: and their nasal tones.
l was also present at what is known as
''cakewalk." This is a special and yer
curious entert ainmeDt, which. / am col
, fident, would be very successful in Europ
r if there were Colored people there. Imagin
: to yourself colored man singing on h
| stage while another passes by at the othe
end. Two minutes later he reappearS an