The Washington herald., 1914-04-09
Statesmen, Real and Near.
Bv FRED @. KELLY.

Representative Simeon ID. Fess, OF
Ohio. who Is one OF the scholars Of Con-
grcps. owes much Of his success in life
to the fact that the limbs OF a certain
tree back home grew In just the shape
they did.
Fess was raised on a farm. and as his
father died when he was small a great
deal of work fell to his lot But the more
he worked the more he desired time 10
| read. Whenever he was able to save a
dollar or two he spent the money for
books whereupon his brothers would
juflp all over him, inquirtng:
What good will the books do you
after you get them
All his relatives and friends advised
him to try to forget his frivolous ways
and stick to work. Every time they
caught him reading. they cited cases Of
boys who had idled away their time over
books as he was doing, and grew up to
be poets, paupers and dressmakers' hus-
bands
Fess then tried to read in secret. but
there was not a place in the house or
the barn where he could be alone. In
variably somebody discovered him and
forced him to go from Milton to milking.
In despair Fess looked about for a
place to read in peace. and he discovered
the maple tree that was to become one
OF the best friends he ever had.
It had one large limb that a boy could
straddle and ride comfortably for hours
at a stretch, and it grew at an angle
that permitted the main trunk to serve
as an excellent support for ones back.
Moreover, there was a hollow place in
the trunk where books could be kept.
The foliage was so luxuriant that one
could hide there with Ralph Waldo Emer-
son or John Bunyan and be effectually
concealed from the view Of those who
busted themselves with the more routine
side of farm life. such throwing
down hay or pluckinG potatoes from the
warm mother earth.
In that way and in that tree Fess got
himself launched on his scholarly career
as an educator and statesman. Except
for that tree he might have ended up
as a painless dentist
Representative Denis O'Leary, Of New
York. received a letter a time ago from
a constituent who expressed an earnest
desire for an assortment of garden seeds.
OIyeary sent them. but there must have
been a slip-up on the part of Mr. Burle-
sons Postoffice Department, for few
weeks later O'Leary received another note
from the man deploring the fact that the
seeds had never reached him
why amt | just as much entitled to |
seeds as ANYBODY eIse?' the writer de- |
manded Two of my neiShbors sent for |
seeds the same time as l did, and one !
Of them has had his in the ground now |
for six weeks already. His plants Is be- |
ginning to show above ground. Is II IN !
not Just as good as my neighoorsE And |
so on for couple Of pages. Then at the |
bottom Of the letter was this brief post
script:
Representative Stephens. Of California,
GOT a request for garden seeds from a.
woman in his district. who wished TO l
grow things in the ground Without
wasting a moment. stephens placed /
almost a dimes worth of seeds in gov
ernment envelope with his Congressman
frank in one corner and sent them on 10 I
brighten the landscape in California
When the woman got the seeds she read
on the envelope the words. 300 fine for
private use"
So she promptly sent the seeds back
with this note of explanation:
Il am much Obliged for these seeds, hut
wanted them to use in my own private
garden. and / couldn't possibly afford to
paw a 500 fine if ! were caught planting
Ihem."
With the exception OF Smith and
stephens. the commonest name in the
House of Representatives Is Taylor.
There are four TaylOrs and they hail
from New York. Colorado. Arkansas and
Alabama All are Democrats. Moreover
they are in perfect accord on the great
ITnra
The four TayIors have been in Congress
together have they failed to vote the
same way Every Taylor agrees per
rectlv with every other Taylor.
Representative Henry Vollmer. newly
arrived member OF Congress from Iowa.
MAS in public life here in Washington
IN previous ocCasion-some twenty-five
years ago. That time he was distributing
,Ierk in the House. a position that car
led with il such duties as jabbing the
'arIous bills into proper pigeon holes
I was not so onerOus a position in those
lays that one didn't have time for other
hings. and VoIlmer used to sit and listen
o the debates by the hour. dreaming of
he time when he. too. would place re-
marks in the Congressional Record.
When he came here recently TO take
his seat. Vollmer was escorted over to
he House by his colleague, Maurice
They're just finishing up the debate
m the education bill" explained Con-
lolly.
Well. I'm glad they're finishing up"
aid NolImer: they were just starting
he debate on the education bill when
left here twenty-five years ago"
On his return here after a quarter of a
entury. Vollmer looked all over the
'apitol for familiar faces. He found
My three. One was Serene Payne. and
he others were two colored doortenders.
COPYRIGHT. lsl4 BY Fred e. Kelly. All rights
Tessued.l
ARMY ORDERS.