The Washington bee., 1911-03-11
Public Men AndThingS
(By the Sage of the Potomac }

| was crossing Sixth street and
Pennsylvania avenue the other day.
and just as | reached the middle of
the crossing | was startled by a noise
that sounded like four "honks" merged
into one. l jumped back, and just as
| did SO red devil shot by me. When
| came to and looked up | caught
glimpse of Almond Scott showing his
teeth and grinning al me through his
glasses, a la Teddy Roosevelt, and his
red devil was shooting south OH Sixth
street At Pennsylvania limited gait.
\ a.i lsnoN hrn2cad hae had that
threshing machine of his all done over
till now it looks like a real autOmo-
bile He has it painted a King Meme
lex red, and his crest painted on the
doors so 1t won't get lost, strayed or
stolen. He also has a muffler put on
the engine SO that it no longer makes
as much noise as a plain drunk in
Willow Tree alley Really, he looks
good in that contraptiOn he calls an
automobile
Referring again to Almond, | like
to see a man display prosperity, and
especially lawyer. The best adver-
tisement any one can have IS good ap-I
pearance. Clothes don't make a man
Is an old and true saying, but let me
whisper into your Orihce that clothes.
good ClOtheS-gets a man recognition.
Now you take Almond Scott and his
red threshing machine-beg pardon,
mean red devil; don't you suppose he
will attract clients quicker than law
yer whose coat lapel IS covered with
about 10 cents worth of vegetable
soup, whose shoes are run down at
the heels, and who has to borrow a
street car ticket to reach his office
which happens to be on the curb in
front of the Police Court? Of course
he will They tell me Almond picks
up $40 or SIS every day. He can
keep his red devil on so cents day
Now figure out the profit.
My advice to colored lawyers, and all
cOlored professional men for that mat
ter, is to advertise yourself with good
There are several COlored
lawyers in Washington who dress like
they controlled SakS entire output.
like to see il Almond Scott gets
a new suit every time his wife sug-
gests 1t, and as she thinks he's the
handsOmest survivor of the Whining
ton riot, she likes. to see him we'll
dressed and naturally suggests a new
suit four times a year There are
others, too. Tom Jones always looks
like he Is ready for an afternoon tea
on Connecticut avenue; Alex Martin IS
always as neat as a New York sales
man for a champagne house; Tom
Beckett never comes down town until
he has been maniCured and masSaged
and his trousers pressed, and you
never saw Calvin Chase when he did
not look like a well-taiiored statesman;
Jim Cobb changes his clothes every
day and never fOrgets his red tie;
Melendez King always looks like a
retired merchant prince; Judge Heu-
lett IS never seen without his beaver
and clothes to conform to the ideas
of an English gentleman, and the two
Collins, George and JOhn-same name
but different breed of pups-always
look neat and natty. And there are
some others-in fact, most OF the col
ored lawyers look like they employ a
valet But there are two or three who
need manicuring from head to foot
and letter of credit to some tailor
and a letter of introduction to some
There's been a tempest in a tea
pot down at NJ Street School, and
the thing has got so gOssippy that [
concluded to make an investigation.
I got Watso-you know Watso, for
he's bird in such matters-and we
sarted out, I playing the role of Sher
locke. II there ever was a case of
much-ado do-about-nothing it's this NJ
street affair I found that Prof. Hen
derson, who never sees anything IN
the newspapers but athletics, and who
can't talk a second on anything but