Evening star., 1897-04-10

. ATsF III OF SpeciouS reason
- 4fi ~ ing, and the teacher
EL1 who does not try TO
impress the possible
honor upon her small boys is neglecting
her duty.
But after ell does the President have
much the best of it in the daily scramble
of humanity? Is it then SO desirable a
place when all It's cares and trials, its
slignts and scorns, its downright drudgery
are placed in the balances, alongside a
salary of $4,000 year, and the plaudits
OF the few people whom he has appointed
TO Cftce? The former would outweigh the
latter ten to one, and yet the first polit
cal seed 20 sDrout in the heart OF the
American small boy is the thought that
one day he may become President of the
United States" If devoted mothers really
imagine that such future is III store for
their men children, they should set to
work vigorously, to make those men chill
dren strong and vigorous SO that they
may come to their honors with a consti-
tuition of iron. To these qualities might be
added, the patience of Job, the wisdom of
Solomon and the meekness of Moses bui
havlng all these it will avail him nothing
and ne have not Suavity and finesse with
which to put away without offending the
lmportunate office seeker and general bore
Inc administration of President Mc.<in-
ley but flve weeks old, and the honors
OF the office have driven him already to
seek peace and rest in flight To most
people, more particularly those who never
have been in Washington, ii seems in
credible that lew visitors can SO soon
wear strong man cut. One can scarcely
call $4,000 people "a few" though they
are spread over five weeks time And
when IL is taken into consideration that AT
least lo,oU0 OF these were office seekers, or
seeking ONCE Tor others, and look an hour
or even fifteen minutes time to each dele
gatlon, the strain on the man who has to
listen to ali that gabbie is tremendous.
The President of the United States is
one OF the hardest worked Office holders
under the jurisdiction of OLD Glory. He
iabors longer hours than any other man
IN the District OF Columbia, and he adds
10 MS official burdens those of society
IMAM which. nothing on earth is more ex-
acting.
MethOdicaI in His Habits
president Mckinley is methodical in
MS habits and customs as a pic:a Of ma
chinery. He feels that he mus. be, TO en-
able him TO get through the awful amount
OF work that piles up before him each day.
And yet he finds his health giving Way
before the strain that has been IMPOSED
upon him by office seekers and curious
sight-seers. One day is a sample OF all the
rest, except that some days are a little
more crowded than others. TIE President
rises about 4, and breakfasts with the
family at $50 in the pretty little dining
room which -overlooks Lafayette Park. For
halt an hour after breakfast he lounges
around with the family 4 half hour which
is probably the pleasanJeSt of all the day
Tor Major Mckinley, as the veterans all
speak or hlm even now, Is essentially a
home-ioYing man, domestic in his tastes
and interested in all that interests ms
wife, to whom he is as lover-like us in the
long-ago days, before he dreamed of be-
ing the chief magistrate of the nation or
al in he lar l.. Ill
this morning hour more than any other
too, because, if they have guests which
they do great deal of the time, hey can
be entertained comfortably without cere-
mony, and those are the kind OF guests
that the President most enjoys. There is
no hint OF restraint, no drawing apart from
his kind, no apparent fear that The dig
nifty OF his office will be forgotten in the
intercourse between MAJOR Mckinley and
his guests. He is frank, easy and uncon-
strained, and therein lies his popularity
with ali classes.
By 10 O'Clock the President gets into
his office To do this he passes from his
library, which, by common consent, is the
sitting room of the family now, into the
cabinet room, and from there into the
private office. His special mail is all laid
out for him to glance over. Here is where
the secretary to the President Mr.. Porter
gets in his fine work. He gers to his desk
at least an hour before the President and
with the stenographer, goes through the
three or four hundred letters that are the
advance guard of the avalanche that comes
during the day. The President does not
see much of that mall however 1t is
carefully culled, applications for office go
ing to the proper bureau, political TRADES
into the waste basket; begging letters,
crank letters and letters of unsolicited adj
vice are all consigned to the same cavern
Gus maw, which yawns for .hem handily
1t would doubtless aStoniSh the writers of
this class of letters to know that the
President never sees one of them. In the
nature of things he could not, because life
is too short and time is f1eeting.
The Raid Begins.
From among the hmrdreds. yes. thous-
ands, of letters that come to the White
House bearing the name of the President,
perhaps a dozen or two are found worthy
of his especial attention and these are On
his desk for his perusal. He also finds
lot of documents ready for his signature.
These disposed of, he talks for few mo-
rtents with the private secretary about the
business of the day. and by that time the
great American public is clamoring to be
turned in on him. At 10 o'clock the raid
begins. Senators and representatives in
congress have the call, and the aStute
study in ebony who guards the door TO
the office of Secretary Porter, as he has
guarded the same door for half a dozen
other private secretaries of Presidents, new
er makes a mistake in his man.
Just wait, gentlemen, your turn next
anu long StTOIS arm Is set ike a log
across the entrance, while the doorkeeper
looks over the crowd to see who may with
proprity be let In. 1t is a scene for a
painter, that big waiting room, packed to
discomfort with men and women waiting
to greet the President. and most of them
after something. There are 1egless and
almless veterans, in faded blouse of blue"
and in the nartiest of spring attire, but
the bit of a bronze button the lapel of
each is often associated with a tiny knot
of ribbon, which means medal of hon
or" man. There are cranks who have in
ventions that they want the President to
see and recommend. There are other
cranks who have presents for the Presf-
dent, which they desire to present in per-
son. There are myriads of curious people
who want to shake hands with the Pres
ident In his own Office, instead of perform
ing that ceremony down stairs in the east
room, as they would have an opportunity to
do each afternoon. The women have
schemes all their own. 1t is not often
that they are after Office, though some
women who want post offices prejudice
their chances by coming to make special
plea of the President, because they are
women" Many of them have sons whom
they want appointed to cadetships at West
Point or Annapolis. Dozens of them have
schemes for raising money which they
are sure will go like hot cakes, IL the
President will just indorse them. Others
work the charity racket. They have con-
rfc fofr via