Evening star., 1921-12-25
Heard and Seen

people of Washington are celebrating
Christmas today in church and home,
thought should be given to those
whose occupation keeps them at
work. First, in the public mind to-
the city post office. who are busy all
this day delivering parcels.
Then there is the milkman, the
street car motormen and conductors.
the telephone girls and others who
must work on this Christmas day. To-
morrow is the great day for the let
ter carriers. These faithful men will
make one delivery tomorrow. it being
estimated that this one trip will take
about eight hours. so laden will they
be with letters and small parcels.
X
Christmas music in the churches to-
day is in part the work of COM
rosers who lived and worked scores
Of years ago, when musicians were
not held in the same repute AS today.
1t is strange that while music has
always been revered. the composer
OI music WAS once ranked as d SER
want
The great Mozart. whose name ap-
pears on many church music pro-
grams throughout the city. took his
rank in the household of the lord
whom he served below the butler of
the establishment.
government employe interested
in music, pointed this out as he was
reading over one of the church music
lrnS Il Il
world has progressed. when the men
who can compose such music are
placed in their true positions in so
ciety, as among the creators OF art
one of the noblest of arts, at that"
Courtenay Dinwiddie, executive of
the National Child Health Council,
told the following story at the meet
ing of the Monday Evening Club last
week. 1t belongs to the great fund
Of family stories, of which each home
has it's share.
His family had a colored woman
of the name of Julia. who did the
wash. according to Mr.. Dinwiddie.
her husband transporting the clothes
to and from home. One night he started
with a big bundle of freshly washed
clothing. 1t had been raining. and
there were puddles along the street.
The unfortunate man slipped. the
bundle hit the street, opened up. and
its contents went into a mud puddle.
Needless to say, he couldn't deliver
the wash, and he hated to take it
back home. But he was forced to
face the music"
A week later the colored man
showed up at the Dinwiddie home
'ha
family. of course, had found out what
had delayed their wash and were pre-
pared for Sam.
That worthy, however, did not say
word about his mishap.
Sam" asked a member of the fam
lily, didn't Julia have anything to
Say about the clothes when you had
to take them back"
Sam grinned.
.'Julia-she done chatted quite
while about dem clothes he said
They were having fun with Harry
Shilling, appointment clerk at the
Washington city post Office, over the
notice to appointees which he got
out last week in taking on about 500
temporary helpers to deliver the gi-
gantic Christmas mails.
Shilling was a captain during the
world war, and can face fire and
shell better than he can jokes. Any
way. it wasn't his fault that the
printer set it up that way. Here is
the way part of the instructions to
the appointeeS read:
Follow closely these instructions
in singing the accompanying papers"
Further on appeared the following:
Thine record sheet-Sing last name
first. followed by given name
No sooner had this historic in
stance of transposition of letters ap-
peared than associates began to rag
the appointment clerk. They would
come up to his desk. sing out their
names and insist on singing the ac-
companying papers"
CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.