Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-12
MI.THINCo ~ 81.
5 GE4 @V

left by the stage manager. The coat was
handed to Colonel Bob before he had
breakfast. 1t was rather outrageous
thing to do as far as personal liberty and
rights are concerned, but it showed how
hard the police could work when they
wanted to help out friend. The police of
that city regarded 1t a reflection on
them that Colonel Ingersoll was robbed of
his coat and were determined to square
themselves in his favor regardless of the
consequences.
The new system recently put In opera
ton in the bureau of supplies and accounts
of the Navy Department to increase the
efficiency of the clerks of the bureau is not
a bowling success said an official of the
Navy Department to Star reporter. "and
the chances are that it will not be extended
u the other bureaus of the department as
was SO confidently predicted several weeks
since. The plan of the system is that each
clerk is required to make a written report
daily of the time he enters and departs
from the office. a fine or demerit of one to
ten black marks is made against every
clerk who is heard to speak on anything
except official matters, to read news
paper during office hours. or indeed, to do
almost anything else that is not strictly of
fetal The clerks, by a sort of general
agreement, reported themselves as present
dI y u CICth every morning, ana look no
notice Of the fact. when it was a fact, that
they were a few minutes late, for they
more than made it up during lunch time.
This having become apparent to the pay
master general of the navy, who is in
charge Of the bureau, supervisors were ap-
pointed to note the exact minute of the
arrival of each clerk and in cases where
the personal report did not agree with the
watchers explanations were called for and
made The system is an old one and has
been discarded in nearly every bureau of
the government as impracticable, but it is
likely that it will be continued in use until
the end of this month, when it will be
abolished and the clerks worked on their
honor instead of their formal reports. There
Is such a school room air about it that
grown men rebel against it as strongly as
the clerks did against the time clocks in
the Treasury Department, and which were
abolished by an act of Congress The
strong point against this efficiency system
Is that 1t is not needed for IL is as well
known as any other thing in the Navy De-
partment that the clerks of the paymaster
general always did more than an average
days work. Indeed, it was necessary that
they should, for the Spanish war put an
immense amount of extra work on them
in the way of supplies, accounts, pay rolls
and the like. Notwithstanding this extra
work the bureau always kept up close to
the work that came in, the clerks volun-
teCrinS for over six months from one to
three hours each per day to keep the work up
to date The new system was not put in
tijCI SLl4pH uiILll Il snort time dBO-lGSS imam
three months-when all necessity for it had
passed away. Paymaster General Stewart.
who was recently retired, considerably
amazed on the adoption of the system for
during the many years he was in charge
ne never discovered that there was any in
efficiency. Indeed, his reports We're always
IN praise OF the efficiency of the clerks of
the bureau"
''As has always been stated. the death and
marriage column of a family newspaper,
like The Star, probably furnishes the most
Interesting reading 10 many readers, and es-
pecially to the female readers observed a
careful reader TO a Star reporter but to
persons who have passed or are reaching
their thTec-score of years the local mention
of deaths have peculiar interest to men
as we'll women. Ordinarily men pay but
little attention 70 deaths until they reach
the stated age, but after that they are the
most careful readers of the deaths reported
and especially TO that portion stating the
age Of the decedent. If it happens that the
decedent is Of or about, the same age as
themselves, it has rather a depressing effect
upon them. though they rarely state it. 1t
matters not much whether those who are
reported dead are known TO them or not,
the effect upon them is about the same
though the depression is greater. of course
when they are personally acquainted with
the persons This is the exact opposite of
their experience when they were younger
or until they began to get toward the three
score The change commences after pass
ing the hfticth milestone and gradually in
creases. With many old persons they rare
~ can recall anything in the death they
nave read about unless it was Of personal
acquaintance, except the date of birth and
the age Young men rarely give any atten-
tlon TO death notices Of the mention or
report Of deaths. though young women do
but Inc latter seem TO remember about al
most all they read about them, except the
age. A young woman will remember how
many are in the family that has been left
ana IN case 1t was of a woman and 1t was
stated VIII remember the family name of
the decedeat as well as her married name
nut the figures Of the age do not seem TO
make any impression. The secret of all OF
hardly ever seriously thought of excent
in the case of their own family but life
while as one gradually nears its end
thoughts of death are constantly forced
upon them by the circumstances of life
ana dally and hourly experiences This is
what makes Things that were formerly
without special interest, nearer TO them and
a. d consequence specially interesting Ii
- the case with the poor well as the rich
IhouSh the latter may have more time IN
comment upon It.. 1t is the same with a
gathering of old persons, for 1t will be oh
served mat their conversation Is very large
| ~ upon the deaths of their acol,aintances
particular stress being laid upon the ages
ana rarely of the causes of DEATH
Plants Peculiar Effects
"A curious miami o,,;.,,.