The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-01-09
EDITORIAL PAGE

Samuel McCune Lindsay. Pm. D.. an at
tache Of the United States Department OF
Labor, has for some time past been max
ing study OF the railway employees in
the United States. and he has ascertained.
he says that there are nearly l. 200 600
employees OF all classes engaged in rail-
way transportation. He further learned
Jhat Tor al employees except the unskiIled
day iabOTers, the railways Of the United
states demand mea who have good com
mon school education as a general basis
They then require the major part OF their
employees 10 work their way I'D through
the lower grades OF the service familiar
ling themselves By actual experience in
the service with the needs OF the better
paid positions for which they have spe-
cial aptitude and natural ability College
graduates frequently begin in train serv-
ice, assuming the position OF fIremen on
freight engines The better general train
ing and education a man has before enter
ing railway employment the more rapid is
apt to be his advancement. Freedom from
the use OF intoxicating liquors is gener-
ally demanded, and enforced Some roads
have recently established rules against
the employment OF habituaI cigarette
smokers. on the ground that such men are
pIoyment through a disordered nervous
system.
The age qualifications have. DR.. Lind
say said changed greatly in recent years.
and are now uniformly lower than they
were ten years ago
Nj Willard J. Law. Of the Govern
ment Printing Office. was during the civil
war a lieutenant in a Southern regiment.
In the battle Of Fredericksburg. Va.
which resulted so disastrously 20 Cen
eral Burnside's army. he was acting in
some capacity on the STAFF Of General
Robert F. Lee While the battle was
raging his sympathies were excited BY the
cries Of the wounded OF both sides. for
water. the forces being so close that Fed
eral and Confederate in many instances
lay together. To relieve them he asked
permission Of General Lee to 90 out on
the field. It looked as though the ven
ture meant certain death and the general
would neither give nor refuse permission.
The young lieutenant collected as many
canteens as he could. filed them with
water and placing them around his shout
ders. started on his self-imp0sed mis-
sion As ne descended the outer side OF
she breastwOTks at Marye's Hill. first one
cannon stopped firing, then another and
another, ceased its work Of destroying
human lie, until not cannon OF a rife
on that part Of the battle feld was being
hred- The truce was maintained so long
as the brave fellow was engaged in ad-
ministering 10 the wants OF the wounded
When he had finished he returned 70 his
former post and al once the cann0nade
was resumed until the battle was soon
raging as fercely as before.
Mr.. J. Howard Larcombe. Of the Pen
sion Bureau, is one Of the veterans in
the telegraph profession. although he
stopped using the key regularly when he /
was appointed TO the Pension Bureau BY |
the direct Instructions Of President Grant !
IS reward for meritorious services TO |
the Union Army in the South during the /
war. These services were often performed /
at the risk OF his life. Mr.. LarcOmbe be-
gan ms active business life as a school /
teacher in New Jersey. Soon after Morse 4
succeeded in getting a telegraph line
constructed between Washington and Bal /
tlmOre, and DC was demonstrated that the l
sending OF messages b. wire was an ac-
complished fact the telegraph line was
extended 10 Philadelphia. Mr.. LarcOmbe /
took great interest in the subject from
the beginning one Saturday he called on I
Prof Morse while the latter was in
to see his machine in on /
Grafton At the suggestion Of Prof
Morse he began 20 study the use Of the
Instrument, and IN a short time had mas
tered Its lutricacies. enough TO both send
an receive on the tape. the sOunder not
having come into use A short time after
ward telegraph Office was opened at
Lancaster Pa, and Mr. I-arcombe was
placed in charge. The opening of the war
found him in Huntsville. Ala. acting as
assistant superintendent Of the Memphis
and Charleston Railroad He was ont
Il 81 % lou. nN to
he and his family encountered many Vi
cissitudes- Finally the Union forces cap
tCred Huntsville, and as soon as possible
NJ LarcOmbe moved North
When Captain Charles H Davis. now
superintendent OF the Naval Observatory.
was a lieutenant attached 90 the Nedi-
-erranean squadron. he harbored the idea
that he could win a small fortune AZ
Monte Carlo. He tells the following story
on himself; 4 did rot intend. he said.
TO endeavor TO break the banks. but
was convinced in my own mind that I
could by ris6iug some OF my money in
crease my funds In hand C0nsiderab Iv /
Accordingly / made the subject one OF Z
ieep and long continued study. and by
The time We reached the vicinity OF the Z
amous gambling place had evolved
theory that ! felt sure would win out. So .
)he Gay atteF serr-lng the necessary
shore leave 7 took a s-0Ud!y proportion OF
my funds and visited the bank Little .
lime was lost in Ctiag into the game. I
md Inside OF .->~cy minutes I was
put every sOhtar- penny ascer-
aimed, however. that my theory was
nathematicall- correct. but practically
wrong. and this was because the wheel
urned so iast that YOU couldn't keep
rack OF it."
The friends and acquaintance OF Dep
.ty Marshal Henry Johnson. Of the United
states branch Of the Police Court are TO
be numbered among the thousands. Most
Il the time since he attained his ma
ority he has been in the service of the .
Government. Mr. Johnson's first appoint
IenJ was by the late Charles sumner
he eminent Senator from Massachusetts
Il which State the former was also a
ative. Before reaching the age Of TWEEN
y-One Mr. Johnson had made a circuit of 1
he world on a United States man-Of-war.
nd en- route visited many of the princi-
al cities in both hemispheres. After
aHng the position given him by Mr..
unsrer he remained at the Capitol for a
0ng time. but subsequent 90 the Senator's
cath was appointed 90 an important .
ierhship in the office Of the Recorder OF
leeds. This he allied for something like
tteen or twenty years and was removed .
" Recorder theatham, the present in
not. as the latter informed him .
Tor cause, but that he wanted 90 give
place 20 the son Of Bishop Arnett. Later
IT, Johnson was given the place he now
OllS IN the United states branch OF the