Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-01-09
HEARD ANDSBBN


bottom Of this column for many years
go he shall head it for once. Since ne
has joined the telephone company ne
may look into this:
An employe of the company called
one day last week at the home OF
well known government official
IT have come to fix the telephone
he announced.
The officials family did not know
the telephone needed any fixing. 1t De-
ing in very good order. and, had mace
no complaint. but naturally supposed
the man knew what he was talking
about.
So they let him go ahead with his
work. He tinkered away with the
bell and the box and receiver ana the
transmitter and dragged out this ana
that and put that and this togetner
again.
After about an hour Of this the re-
pairman announced that the trouble
was corrected.
There" he said. triumphantly.
She's all right now"
He drew out a pad and noted down
something.
by the way. this is Mr.. Smiths
home?" he asked.
NO." announced the home folks.
This is Mr. Browns home. Mr.. Smith
| lives two blocks up"
Well said the repairman. as he
! backed out the door, your phone
needed fixing. anyway"
+
How the officials at the various en-
bassies here wrote a simple phrase
in too polished phrases Of their own
language to be readily understood
by their more humble oompatriots
was revealed here with the new
United States postal savings cards
put on the market
1.-THE faith Of the United States is
soIemn1y pledged to the payment of
annually" was the phrase causing
all the trouble. Inquire at any
post Office" the phrase continues.
The postal savings division OF the
Post Office Department thought II
would be a nice thing. in getting out
the new cards. which are given gratis
to applicants. to have the above
phrase appear on the card in the lam
enage Of Immigrants to this country
So. indeed. It does apuear. translated
into italian. Greek. Spanish, French
German, Polish. HUNGARIAN. Marvar
Swedish. Danish. Norway. Yfddish
Bohemian. Lithuanian. Crotian. Slo-
yak. Russian. Bulgarian. Finnish. Slo-
venian. Ruthaniar. Serbian. Portu-
eese, Rumanian, Chinese and Japan.
eSe.
Put the various embassy officials
didn't do the trans1at ting into the re-
soective languages. It developed that
their phrasings we.eA bit too polish
ed for scores Of the immigrants.
So the no.tal authorities went IN
the immigration officials at the ports
If entfv men who daily come in con-
tact with the immigrants. and know
what they speak and the way they
sneak it.
It was the immigration officials who
foreign languages. These same off,
Gals distribute the cards to immi-
grants when they are admitted, and
thus start them on the road to saw
ing in this country.
Some embassy officials. it is declared
are now complaining the TRANSACTIONS
are a bit too coarse"
80
Most Of the men Of the present gen.
Grafton, however much they may
cling to their seats in street cars
were brought up with gallantry to
| women as a leading motif in their ac-
tons.
But evidently some Of the small
hovs of the n~asent ago are holm"
raised upon other principles, If the
actions of three bright-faced young
sters on a car Mount Pleasant bound
can be taken as indicative.
The average gentleman hiding be-
hind his paper or looking studiously
out the window is at heart ashamed
of himself for not getting up and sgiv-
ing his seat to some fair lady whom
he knows does not deserve It. proba-
bly, having performed no more ardu-
Gus work that day than eat an ice
18th on F street.
Nevertheless, he feels as if he should
arise. He can't help that feeling. even
II he does remain seated. He was
brought up that way. If he is enabled
20 get a seat by the window fully so
DER cent of the moral obligation to
1--WE up ones seat to a woman is re-
moved.
But those three bright-faced kids,
very we'll dressed and evidently from
good homes. felt no moral obligation
an carrying a small child in her arms.
She chung to strap. while the three
boys sprawled over the long seat at
the end 1T the car Not a one of thu
boys offered her a seat, or even
seemed to think about such thing
Some one should have grabbed all
three by the respective scruffs of
their necks and yanked them out of
their seats. Bot nobody did it, such is
the circumspection of city life.
CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.