Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-06

The coming of the telephone has revou-
tionized many OF the methods of doing
business. and in way has it operated
more forcibly in changing old customs than
In the relations Of public men wiki leading
member of the administration In oden
times Mr.. Senator and Mr.. Representative
were obliged to so to the departments in
person on nearly every occasion when they
wanted 10 talk over a matter in which they
were interested. Incidentally they adver-
tised to the world that they had called ana
there was a demand to know the business
that brought them to the officials Office 1t
was embarrassing at times. Especially was
there embarrassment on the part of men
from without the city whose call could
mean only certain things TO the alert
gatherer of news
Now all that has been changed. II has
become quite common for public men 10 SIT
in their homes and 10 discuss at length
with the head of a department matters
that interest them From without the cry
men do the same thing. No one IS the WIS I
and the fact of the conversation having
taken place is known to no one unless 1t Is
to the girl at the telephone exchange, and
she is supposed to keep mum. Even If the
conversation Were overheard by any one
the identity of the parties is generally not
divulged. that all the secrecy OF a con-
ference with locked doors Is attained
= * 4 !;
'The car was turning Thomas Circle,
said Il local teacher of English literature,
when the man in the next seat jumped off
ana the smoker on the back platform took
the vacant place. That's fine thing you
have there he said confidentsIly. l looked
up from the copy of the Midsummer Night 5
Dream / was reading to see a stolid.
tanned be-sCabbed laborer looking at my
book with eagerness. 'Shakespeare's the
greatest ever he continued. not noticing
my surprise; you find all you want In
him and great deal more you ought TO
know. Ever read him much? confessed TO
having taught him for ten or twelve years.
oh you will know some more about him
when you have taught him twelve years
more He said 1t without offense and with
conviction. Ever been to Niagara? | ac-
knowIedged trip. I know as much about
her as any man living. and don't know ALL
Why, sir I've seen that falls all seasons
and in all weathcrs, by sunrise, by sunset.
in the moonlight and in black thunder
storms. Never saw her the same. No.
stree. she's always different. Look at her
when she's froZe, Look at her in the
spring, That's nature, always different
always newt Well, sir that's Shakespeare;
he's just like nature: there amt no end TO
him
II began to think l was wasting my time
teaching if the. uulettered and INGRAM
NAUTICAL got the gist of a critical matter so
closely, when my ltteratteur opened up
again Some folks say that Shakespeare 5
rough: seems to me, when they say so, they
amt true to themselves And he leeaped
Off the car"
There is a sword in one of the cases at
the National Museum that has n more
interesting history than is indicated by
the label. But then many of the objects
IN the museum have that. 1t is hard to
compress all the really interesting mat
ter into label space. The sword in Ques-
tiou is merely common cavalry saber
and it is stated that it was the property
OF Gen. Nathaniel Lyon who was killed
at the battle of Wilson's creek during the
civil war. The additional facts about the
sword are rather more unusual and ro-
mantle.
Lvaa never wore any Insignia Of his
rank in the field except pair of very
plain shoulder straps When he was shot
the body was put into an ambulance to
be sent to the rear. What happened to
the driver was never known. Probably he
was killed too. Anyhow. the ambulance
team ran away and ran straight into the
confederate lines. 1t so happened that
the wagon charged straight into Il Mis-
souri, battery that had been recruited
mostly from St. Louis. The body of Cen
Lyon Immediately recognized by a
number of the men and officers who had
formerly served under him One of the
battery officers was Churchill Clark, a
cousin of the general and when the body
was sent back to the federal lines next
day under a flag Of truce he unlocked
the sword from the belt and put ii on. In
less than year he was killed in action.
and his brother, Lucas Clark, took the
sword and wore il till the surrender Of
Kirby Smith under whom he was SerY-
ing in the Mississippi campaign.
This was the last section of the con-
federate army to surrender. The sword
was brought home. and years after a
cousin of Clark's, who knew the history
OF the Lyon sword induced Mr.. Clark to
give it to him. Afterward IL found its
way into the collection of civil war ma
tertaI at the museum, where its chief
interest is in showing the type of saber
used by some of the regiments in the war
aud the fact that 1t was once the prop
eTty OF Gen. Lyon.
:: X ::
'There must have been some lively
spriuting done lass week by persons who
were anxious TO get upon the water wagon
before the beginning OF 1895" a policeman
remarked to n Star reporter one day this
week after he had done duty in the section
q the city where victims OF strong drink
gre usually most numerous. Saturday
night before Christmas q sober man on the
streets on my beat was the exception ana
not the rule. 1t seemed as If free liquor
had been dispensed and that every one
who had accepted hospitality had been
Knocked out All night long It was case
of calling the patrol wagon and locking
up those who were unable 20 take care
OF themselves. A. the first precinct there
was not cell room enough to accommodate
those who had become weary from the use
of alcoholic stimulants. and some Of them
had to be turned out before they were IN
q condition to care for themselves"
The policeman recalled one case in which
young man. a clerk in one OF the depart
rI,Cnts was locked up for intoxlcation ana
who had to be turned out about > O'CLOCK
ir the morning to make room tor another.
4 ought to be hCrsewhpped he re-
marked. as he stood at the rail in front of
the desk Sergeauts desk ana tried to brush
his clothes with his hand.
That's a very easy thing TO get was