The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-05-28


/ 10 make booze but the people are
! still coming it in the hills and swamps
/ a Hawaiian paper recently published an
/ article that has a familiar sound. It
/ complains Of the professional witness
/ and the general ''cussedness' Of tie in
/ former.
Mr. John A Mcdonald, Of The Agri-
! cultural Department, Is in Porto Rico
/ arranging 10 establish an experiment
station.
Mr.. Herman Jacobson. the foreign
mail expert of the Postofce Depart
/ ment, is probably the most proficient
linguist IN the Government service. He
has a speaking and writing acquaintance
with nine languages. and has dealings
/ with all OF them. He handles q great
4 deal Of the foreign correspondence of
I the Government and causes thousands
| OF cuTtOusly addressed letters to find
/ their Intended destination He has han
/ died many important pieces of CORE
/ spondence for the Government and for
{ individuals He is a thoroughly edu-
! Gated man, and he has use for all he
/ knows. He deals with the Germanic and
! Romantic stock Of languages. but does
! not claim familiarity with the SIavonic
| stock
/ MI Jacobson speaks German. English.
/ swedish, Danish, Dutch Norwegian. Por-
( tugueSe, Spanish, and Italian. with Latin
/ and English as starters. II fs his busI-
( ness to take all letters addressed in
any OF the foreign languages and find
/ out who they are intended for. Hun
/ dTeds Of letters. addresses OF which the
clerks and mail agents cannot deter
mine. are referred TO him He sorts the
/ foreign mail for the department The
PRESIDENTS foreign mail goes through
Lis hands for translation. He Is called
/ on TO translate many messages for the
departments.
! Conventions on the subject Of mails
4 have been held to fix the universal guail
laws and practices, and the results of
/ all the conventions held in foreign ccuu-
tries since Mr. Jacobson has been work
/ Ing for the Government have been trans
/ lated into English by him ! conven-
I ton was held at Lisbon In 1885. one at
Vienna IN 1891, and one in Washington
/ IN 1881 The volumes prepared BY him
/ from the convention reports are stand
ard literature of the mails He has also
handled the various parcels post con
Ventions- He has prepared a book on
Danish in regard to the Danish West In
dies
Complaints in German and Spanish
often come to the department, and Mr.
Jacobson is promptly called on to see
what is the matter The Swedes and
Norwegians Of the Northwest and the
Mexicans of the Southwest write cur
ious letters, and Mr.. Jacobson trans
lates them There is hardly limit to
lis duties.
Mr. Jacobson is Dane by descent, a
German by birth and education. and an
American citizen for thirty years He
has learned and experienced the voting
business and has voted for men who
we're elected and for men who were neg
lected- He is q handsome and affable
man and il is encouraging 10 believe !
he viii be able to serve the Government !
ID his valuable station for many years. |
Mr.. c. G. Maynard, assistant curator /
Of the National Museum. is the eIectri- /
clan OF the Smithsonian Institution
There are many wires and devices TO |
keep in order and there are many deli |
cate Contrivances to be used In the work /
Of the two institutions. Mr.. Maynard /
has proven abundantly able 10 take care
OF the work and has had time to devote /
20 research He is q native Of Michi- /
gan and was appointed several years ago |
from Maryland He is an authority on /
many matters besides electricity
Mr. Maynard has charge OF the large /
and interesting transportation section /
OF the Museum. There is nothing in the 1
Museum Of more value and interest than |
this department, which is complete from /
tAe year TO date The arrangement Is /
pronounced by critics TO be IDEAL In /
this section is John Bull. the able-bodied !
but clumsy old stalking horse Of all the
iron horses. John Bull is an object of /
interest still and is almost as great a |
spectacle as he was IN the early part Of /
the century. This primitive locomotive !
has been carried to several expositiors /
and has proven everywhere an object OF
unfailing interest.
Dr. John ". Abel. medical examiner
Of the Pension Office. who died few
days ago, was sincerely liked BY the
people Of the city as well as bv his az
sociates in the department His son.
Mr. Joseph Abel. is a clerk in the Ru-
reau Of animal Industry.
Soldiers returned from the PhiIfp-
pines are inclined to talk OF their ex-
periences when they get to the Ma
tional Museum and see the many relics
Of the war with Spain The numerous
seasoned veterans OF the war between
the States smile indUIgentIy at the re-
CiJal Of the tgTTors OF war in the far-off
zone OF trouble. they sometimes steer
the boys around 10 the SpottsyIvania I
tree and tell them Of things that han
pe1ed around II in 1851
There is in the building one veteran |
who aas a vivid recollection Of that
SpottsyIvania tree. This is Mr.. Y. " /
Wallingsford. the guard OF tho front
door. Re was a SpottsyIvania on May
Z. 1864. when there WIS 4 sure enough
rain of balls. The Confederates were
in their entertainments behind this tree
and scveral others like It. and the
Union soldiers were making a desperate
effort TO disIodse them. The Confeder-
ates we're shooting with terrible accu-
racy. and Mr. Walljngsford said the
mimic balls that came his way made
the most vivid music ne ever heard.
Il Kept rim vcry much Interested. and
he doesn't know whether he hit the tree
or not ne las profound respect for
the craftsmanship and staying power
q the 'Pebs"
The tree was cut down by the mimic
balls Of the Unicn forces. and it fell
NJ n 10 .rrl-s - . ]