The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-04-14
A BIC DIFFERENCE
CONTINUED from Page Nine. !

anu MAC Veagn are dong. They are
the kind of cabinet officers who take
with the discriminating Washington
public and large things are expected
of them as the administration progress
ses. Nowhere else in the country is
SO little attention paid to mere Office
as in Washington, but probably no
where else in the country is there so
much real appreciation of official great
ness and of the man in office who makes
good.
Two members of the cabinet walked
through the White House grounds the
other afternoon grumbling. It was
after two o clock, post meridian. 'sI
suppose because he eats no luncheon
himself, he thinks no one else needs
any said one of them, not intending
his words should be heard by any other
than his colleague.
'Well, it has been pretty hard for
me going this late without snack to
eat retorted the other. 81 don Il
care to go through the day between
breakfast and an evening dinner with
out bit of nourishment. y
This is only sample, A lot of
people in Washington are grumbling
at President Taft disregard of the
luncheon hour, or, more appropriately,
the luncheon two hours daily. He goes
over to his office at nine o'clock in the
morning and as "a rule does not leave
it till six O'Clock in the evening.
It is true that the President works
slowly. He d, es not turn matters off
the way President Roosevelt used TO
do. He fingers longer to talk and he
does not drive ahead to that eternal
point so rapidly. But he is working
like Turk to master the duties of the
Presidency, is giving careful attention
to every big problem and question that
comes before him. For that reason he
has found necessary to sacrifice lunch
eon-that dear prescious institution to
leisure official Washington.
For instance, your army officer or
navy officer, fortunate enough, after
having exercised his pull, to get berth
on shore in one of the Bureaus at Wash
ington, saunters down to the office about
10 % 'clock in the morning-an hour
after the Government clerk is supposed
to be hard at it, although it might be
mentioned that the Government clerk
very rarely breaks down from over
work or from concentration of his brain
power upon the transaction speedily of
the Government s business.
Then your army officer or your navy
officer works away from 10 clock till,
say l clock, when he feels the pangs
of hunger. No snack for him. A good
luncheon at home, whittier, perhaps, he
prefers to walk, sauntering up the
fashionable streets and avenues, and
by 2:30 p. m. or by 8 p. M, perhaps,
he will be back in his office again to
work for an hour and half or two
hours before the official day closes.
! And so it goes with your cabinet
officers-only most of them work much
longer hours-and with your assistant
secretaries and a great. number of other
government officials. Short as their
working day is they must have abund
ant time for luncheon in the middle of
the day, even though the people who
have business with them are inconven-
fenced and have to wait to come around
again or have to tarry another day in
Washington and pay expensive hotel
bills accordingly.
Heretofore there have been two hours
right in the middle of the day when not
Il HtSl "dis LII Inv
offices. Mr.. Roosevelt used to get his
shave at l clock, .thike" over to the
house for luncheon and TO then return
about 8 o clock. All official Washington
took up that practice more or less. But
President Roosevelt used to work late
at night very often and the most OF
your Government officials are very care
full not to do that. They spend their
evenings at the theater or otherwise
amusing themselves with their friends.
Now with President "Bill y Taft Just
through long day of nine
hours, without stopping for luncheon,
except for a couple of big apples-one
red the other white-brought him from
the White House, there is likely t. be
a change in every Department of the
Government accordingly. Suppose the
President should want his Secretary
of the Treasury or his Attorney General
at 1880 D. m. or at 2 p. m. that official
better be within call and if the Pre-
sident develops the habit of calling for
his subordinates all through the early
afternoon they will be careful about
loafing at home during luncheon or
making themselves comfortable at the
club.
President Taft is not much of night
worker as was President Roosevelt, al
though he knows how to take matter
home with him and give it his undivid-
ed attention during the evening and
then get up and joint it again in the
early morning. The new President is
perfeet glutton for work when he gets
settled down to it. but at present he is
familiarizing himself with a lot of bust
ness which is somewhat new and. as al
ready stated. is not disposing of bust
ness as rapidly as he probably will be
able to do later. He does not mind.
however. whether his cabinet officers
prumble or not because they are kept in
a cabinet meeting till after o clock.
which is long after their accustomed
hour for luncheon. He just plods away
At the task in hand and if he wants
The advise of Mr.. Secretary there is
nothing for Mr.. Secretary to do but
attend the pleasure of his chief and
throw to the winds all thought of a
eisure meal The upshot of the whole
business probably viii be that official
viii abandon leisure and
81 horate midday luncheons and prob
ably take to the wedge of pie and glass
IF milk style of midday meal. which is
n