New-York tribune., 1902-02-16
GOSSIP OF THE CAPITAL.
r,RINET CHANGE WITH SCARCELY A
prpPLE-SUPPOSED YOUTHFUL SEN
ATOR-BRYAN'S SUCCESSOR.

washington Feb. i (SpecaD.-The change in
-, bead of the Treasury Department made
tn ~, ripple in the affairs of that depart
nc Secretary Gage became private citizen
l"'I' .hort five minutes while his successor was
- sworn in. and Secretary Shaw. without a
ting of drums or a fanfare Of trumpets. took
- seat made vacant by his retrement-so
nlv are things managed in this republic
-. shaw and her daughter entered with quite
= Wttls ado into the social life of the capital
have mastered the intricaces Of the social
De with seeming ease. Mrs. Shaw brings to
auties here the experience attained as wife
,roUa's Governor, and her success and popu-
.v in that position insure her success as a
rher of the Presidents official family. She
~ English descent, her father, Thaddeus
-..rebaw. having been born in the tight little
~, and her appearance, fine physique and
f-.sb complexion suggest her origin. Mrs. Shaw
: one of the most democratic women in official
20. and her manner is marked by sincerity and
-.-5,ality. The Secretary of the Treasury and
rife are at present installed in one of the
.ovvn hotels and have with them their eldest
,sngbter. Miss Shaw: their two other children
ri a lad Of eighteen. and Irma, girl of fif
an being at boarding school. Miss Shaw is
tr mothers efficient aid and, while not beauti-
fI has a fine and interesting face. a well stored
-,s and the tact that is the birthright of the
American girl
loyal supporter of the junior Senator from
1-ontucky made a journey to the Capitol the
obsr day TO see his Senator but through
,s mistake Edmond Spencer Blackburn the
handsome young Republican who represents the
with North Carolina District, was pointed out
.o him as the distinguished statesman from the
Blue Grass State. so that's joe" said the
etitueut leaning over the gallery and eying the
voung member, who looks more like under
graduate than a digniied member of Congress;
10 Blackburn, of old Kaintuck? Wall, all 1 kin
say is that when Joe fust come to Congress he
must have been in long clothes
A correspondent writes to the Department of
state that the recent archaeological discoveries
in Greece and the adjacent islands have been
so numerous that a proper understanding of
their significance has been welnigh impossible
Al present students are mainly interested in the
Islands Of Leucas and Ithaca, and it is hoped
that the excavations there may throw a new
light upon the home and surroundings of
odvsseus An important field is also being de-
veloped on the island of Crete. Seven tombs
have been unearthed within the last three
months which are thought to be of Mycenic
origin and contain skeletons of men and wom-
en- marble statues. gold rings, bracelets and
various other ornaments and figures. One of
these held a remarkable carving in carnelian,
rectangular in form. but slightly rounded its
sides and surmounted by two striking figures,
one representing a man in a kneelng position
graphing huge bull by the horns. the other
the figure of the Babylonian demon of the
Storm the monstrous Typhon, standing upon its
hind legs mouth open and holding aloft be-
tween its feet the figure of an animal. Upon
it's back is the heavy fringed tunic of the Baby
lonian kings. The corridor leading to the tOmbs,
cut out of solid rock, is 16 TO 13 feet long and
about 3Ia feet wide. The bodies discovered in
them are in a poor state of preservation, in some
cases only the teeth remaining. Among other
objects of interest that have been discovered
are an earthen vase in the form of a wine
bourer the neck and mouth representing the
head OF bird; small bronze mirror, rectangu-
ier blocks of ivory surmounted by figures OF
mariners and light golden heads OF bulbs used
Rs the medal pendants for necklaces and
eolars.
A foreigner. taking notes upon the habits and
customs prevalent in the United States. visited
the Senate the afternoon Of the day that a
wedding had occurred. which nearly
every member of the upper house attended.
There was, naturally, plethora of frock coats
TO be seen on the floor, and many of the solons
wore bridal flowers in their butonholes. This
Inspired the visitor to make the following entry
IN his notebook, IAN American statesmen wear
froek coats and many of them affect button
hole bouquets the favorite color for the latter
being white"
One Of the most promising young men in the
House Of Representatives is Elmer Jacob
Burkett who comes from Mr. Bryan's home,
and is that great spellbinder's successor in
Congress Mr.. Burkett is only thirtythree
years old. and looks even younger, but he i'm
presses one with his dignity and reserve force.
With an acumen possessed by few young mem
bers he has refrained from exploiting himself
the floor OF the House, has rarely engaged in
debate made eloquent speeches TO the CALLER
ies. but he has worked to some purpose in the
committees Of which he is a member, and has
proved himself so efficient that in this Congress,
his second term, he was rewarded by place on
the Committee Of Appropriations an unusual
honor for so young a member Not long ago:
however, he broke the silence he has maintained
since he first took his seat, and made speech
on the permanent census that won him the ap-
House. even those who dissented from him eX-
pressing admiration of the mastery way in
which he presented his views. Mr. Burketts
alma mater is Tabor College. Iowa from which
he was graduated with high honors in 1890, and
of which he is a trustee. After receiving
MS B. A. Mr.. Burkett taught school for two
years then entered the State University, where
he took a course in law, being awarded the de
gree of IL. b. in 1893 and Ii. NJ. in 1S95.
Since being admitted to the bar he has prac
used law in Lincoln, and is regarded as one OF
The ablest lawyers in Nebraska. His cOnstitu-
ency is almost unit for his election to third
term, and some OF his admirers predict that the
toga OF the upper house viii day be be-
slowed upon him.
A certain member Of Congress noted for his
convivial tendencies. who halls from State
that does not prohibit. had amusing time
dinner the other night apropos of wee bit Of
blue ribbon he wore in his buttonhole the in
Egnia OF some order TO which he belongs. The
butler bearing the wine ignored him as com
pletely as though he were not at table. and
passed him again and again in filling the other