The Colorado statesman., 1909-10-09

-
SSszsr.E H the little angular
tiles that go to
make a study of reigning houses prac-
tical, romantic and interesting as
Secretary Adee. However, he makes
his routine life worth the living by
seeing the funny side of everything
and taking an optimistic view of that
which lacks in humor.
Recently the secretary was discuss
ing with a friend the claims of GER
tain prince of Africa to recognition.
II have no doubt this man is descend
ed from King Solomon and the queen
of Sheba,' said the secretary.
''It is entirely possible. l remember
once caller told President Garfield
that he was descended from Char
lemange. Let's see, said the presi-
dent, 'Charlemagne has been dead
about one thousand years. Allowing
80 years to a generation, which is
generous, that would mean over 80
generations, and calculating at the
usual rate of increase in families I
should say there ought to be about
100000 people in the world by this
time who have the blood of Charlie
magne in their veins. It's highly
probable you are quite right conclud-
ed the president.
That reminds me-" continued Mr.
Adee I'VE have quite a number of
descendants from passengers of the
old Mayfiower by this time. 1 should
say, figuring it out as President Gar
field did there must be about 1,OO0,-
900 scattered all the way from Florida
to Alaska and from Maine to Cali
fornia. One day Secretary John Hay
was talking to a friend and the friend
asked him if he was descended from
any one who came over on that ia
nous ship. I don't know responded
Mr.. Hay, but 1 will have an expert
look it up An expert was called in
and the next day reported back that
Secretary Hay was duly descended,
on his maternal side, from a May
flower pioneer"
On a par with Secretary Adee in
optimism stands Assistant Secretary
OF the Treasury James B. Reynolds,
a former newspaper official and an
administrator of the customs service
par excellence. Secretary Reynolds
was entertaining some callers recent
ly when one of them happened to in
quire about a plaster model of a IT
story building which stood on the
mantelpiece in the secretarys office.
Promptly leaving his desk Secretary
| Reynolds took position alongside the
cast, and, placing his thumb and index
finger on the pinnacle of the tower. he
began:
This, ladies and gentle, is the new
Boston customs house. You know in
New England they never tear down
anything they ever build up. Conse-
quently, Boston having outgrown its
| present building, we have been sorely
beset to increase its size. But how?"
With twist of the wrist and a
slight jerk of the elbow Secretary Rey-
nolds deftly removed 16 stories off
the cast and there stood revealed a
| one-story building of Grecian archi-
lecture, with peg in the top which
had previously held the other 16 sto-
ries in place.
This" he continued, sis the orig
inal Boston customs house. You will
readily perceive that it is low build
ing of some architectural beauty,
placed in the midst of an environment
of tall buildings, of which the stock
exchange is one. No Bostonese COM
| ing down State street can see the GUS
toms house, and this fact has been one
basis of grave complaint. 1t would
have been exceedingly difficult to en-
large the present building on the sur
rounding ground without burying it,
| especially IL 1t were to be seen over
the top of the stock exchange. A
| council of wise men was called to-
gether and eminent architects con-
suited with the result you now see
the old Boston custom house buried
under 16 stories of stone and mortar.
When they had found out what they
wanted l approved the plan, but /
told them the new building looked like
a combination of a roadnouse and a
hose tower However, these 16 sto-
ries fell off the mantelpiece the other
day and stuck bottom side up on this
bit of wire which runs through them.
| take it that this is a good omen and
that we shall go on collecting GUS
toms duties in Boston, no matter what
happens"
Washington Short of Chicken.