The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-06-26

Everybody knows the lands boys. Fred
and Charles X Lands each served in
Congress: Kenesaw Lands is the judge
who administered the S29.OCO.OOO fine TO the
Standard Oil Company. and still another
brother is a successful physician. For
mer Congressman Charles X. lands.
while visiting in Washington the other
day, was telling about the sudden stroke
of good fortune that enabled him and his
brothers to get their start in life.
The four brothers grew up on a farm
in Indiana. Besides the boys there were
two work horses. II took every cent the
boys father could scrape together and
all the farm could produce to feed the
two horses. Each day was a period OF
struggle TO keep the wolf or the door
mat. The boys dreamed of going to COL
lege and growing up to he great men, but
there was no chance. BY the time the
horses were provided for and the ordi-
nary little repairs kept up about the farm,
there was no money left
But one day fortune extended her
golden wand and the Lands boys fu-
ture was assured. One of the horses
died
After that there was more to go around.
for there was only one horse to feed.
Things rapidly took on a brighter hue.
Soon there was money TO provide the
boys with a proper education.
They shudder, though. even yet, when
they think of what might have happened
to them II that horse had lived
When ii comes to writing letters back
home. Senator Harry Lane of Oregon is
right at his best. He is the champion
fancy epistoIographer of the upper
branch of Congress, and his every day
missives are as full of flowers and purl-
ing brooks as a speech by J. Ham Lewis.
Lane has an idea that a routine letter
is insulting and sinful man writes
to his Senator and he expects an an
swer to it-an answer to that particular
letter, not merely an answer to the gen.
eral group of letters into which It NAV
fall. For that reason no form 22A or
any other form letters go out of Lanes
office. Every ietter is sufficient unto
itself-a thing apart from the others He
dictates them with infinite care. and il
the letter is particularly important he
first prepares voluminous notes with his
own hands. In any event. the letter is
certain to be ornate with much floral
phraseoIogy.
Routine letters may do for Eastern
people, where greater Formally prevails,
says Lane. but the folks out his way are
entitled to individual letters. no two
alike, and containing real language Al
most any letter from Harry Lane CON-
tains verbal flowers worth pressing and
putting away in A plush album. Even
II it's only about a little hick post
office appointment. he writes a billet
that sounds as If 1t might have been
intended for preface to a description
of sunset.
All these horticulturally phrased let
tiers mean extra work. and Harry Lane
is Obliged to be at his office soon after
I;5O O'Clock in the morning. The con-
temptation of the joy and gladness and
sunshine and epistolary art he is diff
fusing throughout the State of Oregon
that is his reward.
When he first became Vice President
Thomas Riley Marshall felt rather fat
tered at the number of comparative
strangers over the country who wrote !
and asked him for his photograph with |
autograph attached. He tried to oblige |
one and all. But the other day he went
over the books and found that his photo |
graph bill had averaged about $50 a |
month, which is too much for a man
trying to live within his salary. Marshall |
was reminded of the first time ne had |
his picture taken back in his home town !
In Indiana. They were cabinets" and |
cost 50 a dozen, which seemed to Mar
shall the acme of luxury. because he
didn't actually need the pictures. The |
idea of anybody ever paying any more |
than that for a dozen photographs would |
have seemed preposterous.
The trouble with people who write to
the President, the Vice President. and (
other celebrities for autographed pic
lures is that they do not stop to think |
that the men have to go down in their |
pockets and buy the photographs. The
doesn't provide such things,
and the photographer doesn't take pic
lures. even of celebrities. for mere physi-
cal culture motives.
So Marshall will have to be less of a
good fellow and just send his picture to