Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-03
THINGS
.NEMN5MlW
14gg0ZzzAy.

There's just this about it: you drop the
buck or III drop you right here told
him the buck was his and abandoned an
claim l had to the carcass and hide. he
promised to send me a hind quarter. and
kept his word. and my prospective going
was stopped
4 + i. i +
Secretary Shaw of the Treasury Depart
ment is not at all times the frigid financier
suggested by his profession. Those who
do not know him beyond his office in the
big granite building in the capital generally
think of him as a machine adapted solely
to the transaction of the financial business
of the government. His other side is behind
the curtain of professional occupation But
there is another side.
rev days since two young women clerks
of the force in the office of the controller
of the currency were standing, during the
luncheon hour. at door in the western
corridor Of the building when along came a
man whom they instantly identified as a
head of one of the divisions whom one of
the young women knew slightly. There is
caste in all the government departments,
and to be socially acquainted with the head
of division is a great satisfaction to many
of the minor clerks.
Calling to the gentleman as he passed
them, the young woman who thought she
knew him presented him. in the dim light,
to her friend. At that moment some one
wished TO pass through the door. and both
the ladies stepped aside A flood of light
from the windows threw the gentleman into
strong silhouette, and the young woman
who had made the introduction saw that
she had made mistake
why, she exclaimed in embarra ssment,
you are not MIR. So-and-So. are your"
No. l certainly am not replied the gray
haired. smiling man who looked at her
Well. who are you?" she asked.
Il? Why. I'm the Secretary of the
Treasury he replied
OH she calculated. Il thought 1 knew
YOU
And so you do. now he said. land am
very glad to have had the honor of making
the acquaintance of you both l know very
Few of my clerks. and it is a pleasure to
come into personal contact with them
through other than business channels
Good day. ladies'
And the frigid. stern, calculating man of
finance made them Chesterfedian bow
and wandered away down the corridor
X y X
Some enterprising and aspiring people in
this city recently had splendid oppor-
tunity to add to their family portrait gall
lery. said an artist of local renown There
er and 1t included scores of portraits in oil
of men and women with distinguished look
ing features. A great many people won
dered what value such portraits could have
to people who had no personal interest in
them and who did not even know who thew
were.
But they had value that was known to
some of the wiser ones. They were bought
a r,ri.n
MONIES OF some of our citizens who were a
little shy on family portraits. A dozen or
SO portraits in Oil of distinguished looking
men and women do not go begging when
their value in adding TO the social standing
OF people is considered.
Il once heard of a funny instance of a
family that had liberal display of family
portraits. friend of mine was visiting
their home and glancing around the room
he Spied portrait that he had painted of
himself. but which he declined to accept
because 1t failed to portray his likeness well
enough for his most intimate friend to
recognize it.
"'Who does that portrait representp' he
asked his friend
We'll. you see he replied our family
portraits are so old that | cannot now tell
who they all are. They have been in the
family long time you know. But they
are all numbered and noted on list that
Is filed away somewhere. That l think.
however. is picture of my great great
grandfather on my mothers side of the
family. The picture was painted when he
was but forty years of age by a celebrated
By that time the guest was so greatly
interested in another portrait that he heard
no more Later he learned that the re-
Jected portrait of himself and many more
of the same kind had been bought I'D by
his host to do duty as family portraits at
his home.
= + >. J.
TO relieve stIgnation in promotions in
the army and the consequent ineff1ciency
resulting therefrom in the lower grades
Cen Baldwin, commanding the Department
OF the Colorado, has prepared draft of
bill for submission to Congress- The pro-
visions of this bill are similar in general
lines to those of the naval personnel law
providing FOR the compulsory retirement of
certain number of officers of the navy
each year. He asserts that this bill will
meet existing requirements in the army
Without some such relief he says the army
must soon experience a most facilitating
stagnation in promotion which will greatly
impair its efficiency.
Prior to the war with SPAIN" says Gen
Baldwin all of the field officers and a
large proportion of captains of the line
were upward of fifty years of age, and
many of the subalterns were also too ad-
vanced in years to efficiently perform duty
in their respective grades. 1t Is highly
important to the efficiency of an army that
officers should be about the age of the men
under their command, and physically capa-
BILE of performing any duty which may be
appropriate to their grades. \ lieutenant
who is too adipose to keep up with the
Iustiest man of his platoon. or a captain
who cannot lead his company in a charge,
is not fit to remain on duty, although in the
next higher grade he might be very eff
cient 1t is believed that if the provisions
of the naval personnel bill were extended
to the army this stagnation in promotion
and consequent inefiiciency which must
ultimately result in the lower grades, would
be largely relieved