Evening star., 1898-09-03

va
thing very thoroughly as far as 1t WENT
remarked soldier who wears two medals
for marks manship to a Star reporter. land
that is that craftsmanship as generally
Understood is not necessary; that the SOL
der who has had practice at rifle ranges
mahes as effective Il soldier as one who has
devoted years to target practice at the rifle
ges. / don't want to be understood as
saying that a soldier can be much of
success who does not know how to handle
his rifle for il Is absolutely necessary that
he knows how to shoot For effective ser
vice it is not necessary, however, that he
should be specially skilled in marksman-
ship: that is that he can place bullet after
bullet in space the size of target ten
inches in diameter. There are no such
restrictions in actual warfare. 1t is cnly
seldom that there Is any fancy shooting to
be done. and in every case the target which
Is the objective point is a man. Tons and
tons of ammunition have been fired by the
various regiments OF the National Guard of
the states during the past ten years, under
the idea that skilled craftsmanship, by its
results in actual warfare, would repay the
Ell ICrmOus expense of the practice, and the
idea was encouraged that the best marks
man the best soldier. The effect OF
this was bad, in that II discouraged many
young men who were not specially skillful
the guard. When the time for actual ser
vice arrived it was surprising how few of
the crack MAJ ksnnen of the National Guard
entered. All kinds of engagements kept
thcm from going in. Many of them were
coed, but others trivial One of the results
was that many regiments entered the
vice without any of the most skilled marks
men ard others with but few. The for
lures of war prevented but a few regi-
ments from doing the actual shooting that
was necessary, but those that did draw
prizes and get into actual service did as
well and rendered as effective service as
IL they had had their best rifle gallery
shooters with them
*
The weather may have something to do
with it," explained a Post Office Depart
nent clerk to a Star reporter but II is the
experience Of all department clerks, 1
think, that there are many off days during
a year when. try they may, there is
not much progress made with the work on
the desks of the clerks. The average clerk
prides himself more than outsiders have
any idea OF n the amount of work that he
or she and their associates accomplish in Il
day or any certain tine, and nothing gives
them more pleasure than favorable COM
parsons. There are drones in the depart
ments. as there are 1roneS in all the other
vOcations OF life. The department lrone is
as easily recognized by the other clerks as
one Of the figures on the department clocks
They spend their time talking of every
thlnS else except the work in hand from
politics 10 religion, bicycles to base ball
with very frequent reference to leaves of
absence, sick leave and pay day. They be-
gin talking Of lunch hour at lO.3O and of
closing time at go O'Clock The subject of
leaves of both kinds and pay day is TO
tEeIII the upOermOSt, and they weave all
Kinds OF theories and maginations as to
now the former can be secured and increas.
ei and the after hastened In davs mast
the drones entertained their hearers with
dissertations OF the Strength cf their iniu-
e-ce ana the weight of their political
friends The civil service law did AWAY
with that branch of the case, for in latter
Gays efhcie2cy record plays more 1rnpor-
u nj part II departmental life than political
pull There are no known reasons whv
certain days are not as productive as far
as the amount of work performed by
cIerk Is Concerned, but 1t is generally rec
oghlzed that there is less work done on
MONDAY than Saturday, though SATURDAYS
are during the summer season generalIy at
Ieast one hour shorter. Tuesday and Fri
cay are also big days, as far as the Post
once Depa rtment is concerned WedpnS
day Is the lay when the most work is dora
III the treasury Department and indeed in
All OF what are known as the uDper danart
Hlehts- ! ne day preceding public holiday
Is nearly always a light day and the sec
ond day after generally a heavy dav Nv
experience has satisfied me also that the
average clerk will do much more work
aurlIs very hot than during very cold
II IS wonderful what an enormous Num-
Der Of shoes is sold and delivered through
the mails observed a representative of A
shoe manufacturing house 10 a Star report-
er. there being a half dozen big concerns
In this country which do not seek anv
other trade People who are in the habit
OF gong TO stores and trying on a dozen
inherent pairs Of Shoes if they desire have
many advantages over the purchaser by
mail. but the mail trade keeps on growing.
a great deal o. it. Of course, comes from
small towns villages and country places,
where dealers keep only a limited suppIv
anu 'hat Oh the coarser grades. The need
OF II comes from those who have got accus
toned TO buying by mail, and who think
they get better goods with big manufac-
tory behind them as indors.r, and who
think they can do better buying direct from
tne manufacturer, rather than from mid
dienen or dealers. While the mems shoe
business Is. is l said, constantly on the in
erase, several of the concerns which tried
20 make similar success of the yomen's
shoe trade have hard work to keep 1t going
ana are about giving it up as a failure, The
CHncuIty with he trade is that the ladies'
COD bless them, and forgive M for telling
the truth about them-are too particular,
ana they want 10 see what they are buvine
before they give up their money. They re-.
Turn pair afcer pair of shoes they order by
hlall' ana when pair does stick they i'm
aslhe Ihey might have done better had they
Aade iurther changes, and drop the mail
OrdeF business IN subsequent purchases
4hs trouble with women-young women. |
cans that they think people I5bk at
their shoes, and they regard looks as more
important than wear. / think the shoe
trade journals all agree that there is a
limit to the mail trade in women's shoes.
that the limit has been reached and that If
Is likely 70 grow less. except in few lines
oI sp-claities. generally high-grade goods"
Ten Shaftsr took the army into Cuba"
remarked returned army surgeon to a
Star reporter. but If II was not for Cen
eral QufniHe the army would not have been
able TO get away from there. In all my ex-
Perience in the western country. where in
former years the people took their quinine
as regularly as they took their meals. 1
never saw anything like it. The soldiers said
We shoveled the quinine Into them. 1t was
rot as bad that, but we were forced 10