The Irish standard., 1896-03-21

every night, and his position as secretary
of state keeps him busy giving and re-
turning such invitations.
And here. by the way. is one feature of
Washington's social festivities which
many of the good church people do not
like. 1t is the Sunday evening dinner.
common among diplomats, and not un-
known to Secretary Olney. He frequent
ly gives dinners Sunday evenings, and
at such times has many of his friends at
his table. One of the leading pastors
preached against these dinners not long
ago, and it would not be strange If an
anti-Sunday dining society were formed.
Secretary Olney is usually the first man
at the state department in the morning.
He is one of the hardest workers in the
present cabinet He rises at o'clock
and reads the papers before breakfast
He has his breakfast at 730, and by $50
is ready to start for the Office. lie reaches
the department by 8:45, and often he and
his private secretary. Mr. Blandford, are
the only men there at that time. The
average secretary of state does not ap~
pear before 10, and usually takes at least
two hours for lunch. James G. Blaine
seldom spent more than couple Of hours
day at the department. He had
telephonic communication with his
house, and his butler could never tell
whether Mr.. Blaine was at the house or
at the state department until he had gone
to Mr.. Blaine and asked him where ne
was.
Mr.. Olney does not sit at the desk in
the middle Of the Office. He has little
roller-top desk off in one corner. 1t is
just in front Of the window, and Olney
is so shut off that he can be approached
only from one side.
The first thing the secretary does upon
reaching the department is to go through
his mail. The letters which come every
cay would fill a number of bushel bas-
kets. The mail, however, is sifted again
and again before it is brought to the sec
retary. Every letter that can be attend
ed to without his advice is taken out and
only the important letters are left. MI.
Olney has learned from his work as a
lawyer to leave details to others and to
save himself where he can. He first
through it, He then applies himself to
up letter rapidly, glances through it
and then dictates his reply. EIe dictates
quickly seldom stopping for a word, and
seldom changing a sentence after it has
been dictated. This work goes Oh until
about 10 o'clock At this time he begins
to receive his callers. On his busy days
he sees only those who have something
Of importance to discuss with him. He
takes one man at a time and finishes up
with him. He appreciates the value of
time and gets to the point quickly. If
a man does not say what his business is
he asks him. He decides most matters
off-hand, and generally knows his own
mind.
After having finished with his callers
his mail is brought to him to sign. He
is careful as to this part of his work. He
dictates @the letters rapidly, but signs
them slowly. He reads over every let.
ter word for word, before he signs it..
and in case there is doubt as 10 policy
or meaning he lays the letter aside and
changes it.. At 1890 his Boston mail
comes in. He looks over this and by l
o'clock is ready to leave for luncheon.
He drives home in the department car"
riage, and is gone about three-quarters
of an hour. He eats moderately, drinks
but little, and does not use tobacco. After
he is through with his lunch he goes
back to the department and works stead
lily until 4, when he leaves for his walk
or his tennis.
It is interesting to know how Secre-
tary Olney prepares his state papers.
When he has anything important to write
he does not use st5nographer. He first
Il <o-,t
carefully just what he wants to say, and
then hands the manuscript to his type
writer to be copied He revises careful
jy and when the paper is completed it
represents his exact thought. All of the
important state department papers which
have been sent out during his admins
tration have been written by him. He
wrote all the Bayard Instructions except
the last paragraph, which was written by
President Cleveland.
I called upon Secretary Olney some
time ago at the state department He
talked with me for some time. but would
not permit me to quote him in the news
papers He has number OF new ideas
as to the diplomatic service, and is big
enough man not to be twisted around the
fingers of the willy diplomats in Washing
ton. He is a man with strong back
bone. He has opinions of his own and
is not afraid to act upon them.
Secretary Ciney has a summer home
not far from Gray Gables, where the
president has been spending his summer
VACATIONS and it was probably through
the acquaintance there formed that the
president chose him as attorney general.
Olney took the place thinking that his
work would he, to a large extent, judicial
in it's nature He found it much more
political than anything else. . It is said
that he vas much disgusted with it, and
that he WAS glad to leave it for the sec
retaryship of state.
Secretary Olney lives at Seventeenth
and Rhode Island avenue His house
is within two blocks Of the British lega-
tion. within stones throw Of the statue
of General Scott, and about six blocks
from the White House. 1t is a cream
colored brick of three stories and con-
tains in the neighborhood of twenty
rooms. His wife presides over the es-
tablishn1eiit. and one of his daughters,
Mrs Minot, is with him. He has a sec
ond daughter, who is married to a physi
clan and lives in Germany.
.Shombergh's Line.
shcmhergh's line bids fair to be as much
S>>4r