Evening star., 1897-05-08

Mc. WILSON'S seventy-three inches unmls-
takably proclaims him farmer: which
means that he is no more like than Hy-
perion to a satyr the caricature spread
abroad by the comic weekies of the man
OF the fields, engaged in the act of pur-
chasing a gold BRICK of abolishing his ho-
tel looms gaslight by the exhalation of
lungs. Of slumbering in an upturned fold
ing bed Being first-rate American
lions of his kind, Mr.. Wilson is a fine-look-
Ing, generous, sturdy-looking figure of a
man who knows what the dome of heaven
looks Ike at sunrise, and who in his hot
youth was perforce compelled to master
m&ny hard lessons, among them the actual
meaning Of the couplet, Peace hath her
victories no less renowned than war" For
when the torch of civil war gave forth
its first red illumination, young Farmer
Wilson was all for seizing musket and
rushing to the front out of hand. But the
family to which he belonged was large
poor, and needed its men. who were strap
ped TO the plough; moreover, his brother
Peter, an older man, wanted to go, and had
the law of primogeniture, observed by the
scotch, on his side The two men drew
lots, and Peter went to the war, and died
In It, The younger man returned TO his
ploCGiDg of the fields, to be seized upon
as a parliamentarian by his neighbors a
few years later.
An Excellent TaIker.
He is an absorbed and an absorbing
talker. He possesses the Scotch gift of
mental concentration to such a degree that
only q blaze in his office or something
equally startling could serve to interrupt
his fire of ready yet condensed speech
when he is once launched on a favorite
subject. For example,:
Among the men with their coats off,"
said Mr.. Wilson to The Star man the other
day, ARE the dairymen of this country
They are just setting about to tackle one Of
the biggest jobs they have ever under
taken. and, If 1 have any kind of gift of
prophecy, they're going to win. The prob
lem Is this England is buying S65, ,OO0. 900
worth of foreign butter a year. The United
States supplies perhaps l per cent of 1t,
or little over 100000 WORTH while little
Denmark supplies nearly $30.O0O,OOO worth,
buying American COW feed for the purpose
of holding this immense business. We
make the best butter in the world. Then
why can't we sell at least as much Of it to
the British people as little country like
Denmark? That's one of the things I am
going to find out, If 1t takes all of the spe-
cial agents in this department to get me
the facts; and 1t will be of the sur
pr1ses OF my life II at the end of three or
Tour years we are not furnishing Great
Britain with at least one-half the butter
she imports"
Then the Secretary plunged into disaui-
sttfon upon ways and means of accom-
plishing the task; methods of making,
havoring, sailing, refrigerating, packing
and shipping the butter; and became so en-
wrapped in his subject that by the time he
had finished his room was more than COM
fortably filled with visitors nervously fun
bling with their watch chains in their anx-
tety to see him.
Although I can't remember ever having
felt any disposition to shirk work." said
MI Wilson, when he had cleared his office
OF this particular relay of visitors Il must
own own 10 an extreme WEAKNESS that has
sailed me at times lately. I am not given
enough OF chance to get down to real
work, which l never find wearisome but
am compelled to exhaust the larger portion
IpDn In yiot r
liminary fiddling,' which is exhausting In
the extreme Providing all of the appli-
cants were of proven worth, it would de-
light me to give an Office to every man or
woman who asks for one; and the genuine
commiSeration l feel for the literal hordes
OF persons whom l know to be deserving
who are constantly applying for positions
In this department does not contribute to
the amplif1cation of my vitality"
Kind Heart.
Then he rose from his leather desk chair
to receive an exceedingly pretty and neatly
dressed young woman in mourning, who
had entered his room while he was speak
ing. The young woman had long, slender
hands. like those of a musician; in speech
and manner she exhibited every evidence of
carefui rearing, and yet the purpose of her
visit to the Secretary of Agriculture was
to obtain position either in the dusty,
busy seed division. as a charwoman
Inc Dig envelope she carried contained ex-
cellent Endorsements. What she said in
low tone to the Secretary apparently
touched him.
Why" he said to the young woman,
you could not do the work of a charwo-
man man: :, You are not devised for it. Your
place is out in the sunshine" he concluded.
pointing through the window to the sun
Illuminated grounds. clustered with beds Of
MOVERS. The young woman smiled YEARLY
tary, she said, and Mr.. Wilson was
thoughtful for long time after her de-
parture A dozen similar distressing en-
counters day cannot fail to wear upon
man with sympathetic disposition
HIS friends who visit him occasionally
at his Office and bring children along with
them are compelled to endure utter neglect
themselves at such times The Secretsrv
only has time for the children. A well
known society woman, one of Mr. Wilson's
old Washington friends, dropped in to
make him short call at his Office the other
day. She brought with her a little deer
eyed pure-blooded Indian girl six or seven
years old, whom she recently adopted
Ihe Secretary of Agriculture reached the
little 'papoose" In stride and snatched her
up into his arms. He ratified out chill
drenS talk to her for ten minutes, and took
her all over his office. showing her the pic
lures that line the walls, the little Indian
maiden not uttering word nor changing
feature. but simply gazing into the Sec
retarys eye with an expression that plain
ly revealed her individual opinion that the
gray-bearded man pampering her was
she had ever met When this had been
going on for some time the lady who had
accompanied the child advanced to the
Secretary with twinkling eyes.
"Eh-good morning, Mr.. Wilson," she
said. extending her hand with smile.
How do you do? You didn't see me when
came in, you know" The humor of the
situation made the Secretary little red,
but he frankly owned up that he could
never see grown folks when children were
about him.
His Hobby.
Secretary Wilson is another Of the cabinet
officers who puts in from nine to ten hours
Of work a day at his department. He be-
longs to the careful, plodding type of
workmen. He likes to make the drafts
in his own handwriting of the more i'm
portant letters and documents to which
he appends his signature. Disaster be-
falls him when, as often happens, his old
farmer friends from Iowa walk in upon
him at his office, for single visitation Of
this sort eats a considerable hole In lis
working day; and it does not console the
Secretary to be aware that it is his own
fault. He will not let such visitors depart
within reasonable time. much as they
protest that they fear they are trenching
upon his Indulgence. He lines up on a
leather sofa alongside 4 couple of these
prosperous-looking elderly agriculturists