Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-09

Written Exclusively for The Evening star
Customs change but / would like some
of the old customs 10 be restored III 'i'e
departments remarked an old clerk III
the customs division of the Treasury De
partment to a Star reporter. There YVES
a time, but il has been some years sgo'
when pocket knives were regularly lssueo
10 the clerks They got one each year.
The knives were of a fine quality and We're
issued stationery They were lssueu
the same as erasers are now supplied upon
the requistion of the clerk, approved by
tie chiefs of the divisions or the CHEF
clerk of the department. OF course, the
ordinary clerk does rot have much WHIT
Ting to do in connection with his duties,
but he has some. and especially in sharpen
ing lead pencils, and in cases where he has
steady use for three pencils, black, red
and blue this is considerable. An eraser
be used to sharpen pencils, hut there
is not one man in ten VINO can Use an
eraser as he can handle penkntfe. The
knives issued by the Treasury Department
were of standard grade. The same kind
every year, and always of the best ire
same custom prevailed in al tne other de-
partments. with the possible exception OF
the War Department The state Depart
ment issued very nice knife. ana tnlnk
does so still There has, however. not been
a knife issued in theSTreasury Department
for over twenty years / do not know VINO
to blame for doing away with GUS
tom which had prevailed, l am informed,
almost since the department was estab-
Hshed.''
There is no explanation for the laws
of business, but they are much more clean
cut and generally observed than the laws
which are practiced in the court houses.
said a prominent commercial traveller to a
Star reporter land one which / find ex-
lists everywhere is the rating that Is given
unmarried women who are in business.
There is hardly any exception to the rule
as regards credit to them. When wo-
man sets up in business and makes any
kind of a success in it all laws of credit
are in her favor. She is given goods on
her own terms as far as time Is concerned,
and given any amount that is within rea-
son. Neither is she pushed very hard in
case she encounters dull season, but is
waited on until she has caught a better
hold her trade In this respect 1t is
different than in the case of men. or even
OF widows The idea controls in business
than unmarried woman Is good pay,
for il is understood that she will pay some
time. 1t is also a fact that unmarried Wo-
men. those who learned their business be-
fore they went into it, fail less frequently
than men, They are, as a rule more con-
sentative than men in their purchases, and
more careful and discriminating as to
whom they give credit 10. But let the
few of US who care to sell her goods
Things different then. and, as sellers
lcok at it, she not only has to carry on and
support her business but in nineteen cases
out of twenty. has to carry on and sup
port her husband Now. remember, l DO
not say that every business woman who
gets married has to support her husband,
but the laws of business from experience
say so and governs Itself accordingly.
Some weeks ago L was out in Chicago, ana
one of my best customers there
rria u LADY, Tor in goods
and millinery. I knew Of dozen other
drummers who called on her regularly to
sell goods. for AL knew that she was
good for all she bought BY an accident
learned that she had recently teen mar
ried. to a very pleasant gentleman, too'
by the way Now, without any other rea-
son in the world, / skipped her during my
stay there simply and almost unconscious
ly applying the laws of business to her
case. She had paid my house every dollar
that she had promised to pay, and paid II
on the day promised, but somehow L did
not TO sell her any more goods.
While in Chicago and other cities in that
section. 1 met half dozen drunmers VINO
are in my line. and in talking over business
matters, / found that they. too had learn
ed OF her marriage and had failed to solicit
any orders from her. Like myself. they
knew the husband. ard knew that he was
straightforward man, and had long been
connected with a business house in Chi
cSgo, though in a different line But the
laws Of business knew no yielding, and
they concluded that they would not run
any risks Now, the result will be that
that lady. if she carries On the business,
and L am informed that is her intention,
Will have to pay cash for her goods, while
others in the same line and on the same
street will have the advantage afforded Icy
sixty to ninety days time. Another result
will be that unless she has a good-sized
hank account to her credit she will have
to go 10 the wall, not because she is Lot
good pay. but because she violated one of
the laws of business"
Though I had often read about it, /
never believed IN the north and south posi-
ton for beds" said one of the assistant
physicians in charge of one of the city hos
pitfalls, To Star reporter. but 1 am E.,w
firmly convinced that with some persons
and under some conditions, it is of great
benefit. even If II will not benefit every one
Though none of the writer's of standard
medical works far l have been able
to ascertain, have ever treated on the sub
1ect, there is occasional reference to the
matter in some semi-mzdical publications.
and 1t was from one of them that my at
tention was brought to it. The nurses and
others in the hospital haze got in the habit
of speaking of some wards as quiet wards
and certain rooms as quiet rooms al
though there was no difference as regards
the occupants of Them changes being of
daily or weekly occurrence. Some time
since one Of our patients literary man,
WHO was being treated for seeplessaess
left his own room for the reason, as he
said. that he could seldom get any sleep in
IL, and by mere chance was moved into
room on the opposite side of the ward
The change very beneficial 10 him. and
without giving any particular reason, he
gave the credit for his Improvement to the
new ROOM / noticed that the beds in what
are known as the quiet -ocms all are
placed with the heads to the north The
theory is that magnetic action has some
tfing TO do with inducing sleep. and that
beds which have their heads to the north
are best situated TO get the benefit of this
magnetic condition. Now, mind you I
cont say Tor certain that there is any
thing in magnetic action whatever that
may mean. though DO say that some per
sons are actually benefited ny having their
heads placed that way. am SO firmly con-
WINGED OF this that have had my own bed