Evening star., 1922-01-22
Heard and Seen

Did you ever have a piece of ma
chinery in which you took especial
pride go wrong just at the very time
when you wanted 1t to- act its best?
Most people have had that expert
ence. Usually It happens when guests
are around or when some particular
person whom you wish to impress is
looking on.
There seems to be a perverse some
thing In a machine which makes 1t
"act up" at such times. Probably the
true explanation Is that the thing
gees wrong many other times. but it
is not so noticeable as when other
folks are around.
Tho city postmaster, NJ. o. Chance.
recently had case in point. Under
direction of the Post Office Depart
ment. he installed q certain number
of automatic stamp-veudins machines
around the city.
Believing the machines to be good
thing. delivering to the patron the
full value of stamps for money put
into the apparatus, the postmaster
was anxious they should work well
before officials of the department.
Out of all the machines Just one
broke down in performance. In the
slot designed to take a five-cent piece
1t was discovered that the buffalo
nicker' tended to jam, being slightly
thicker than the old style nickel"
Now. where do you suppose that
machine was located?
In the lobby Of the apartment hotel
in which reside poSfna Stpr Cen
eral. and the first and third assistant
postmasters general, of course.
Uncle Sam is nothing if not
obliging.
When depositors in United States
postal savings recently protested the
somewhat messy way Of taking finger
prints OF depositors, officials began
to search around for cleaner
method.
Under the old system the patron
was obliged to press the index finger
tips on a pad smeared with printers
ink and then roll the fingers on a
slip of paper. Now, printers ink is
good ink, as all the world knows. 1t
is hard to get off the hands. too.
Even perfumed gasoline and a
sponge failed to get 1t off. and ladies
who came wearing nice white gloves
didn't like it bit.
But over at the city post Office they
are using now a system of taking
finger prints that Is believed by off,
cials to be the very latest word in
the science. The depositor merely
presses his finger on a piece of paper.
Natural perspiration on the finger
leaves its mark. Then sort of lamp
black is busted over the impression
with a small camers hair brush. In
a second the dust catches in the in
visible ridges, whorls and islands"
and there is the finger print. as plain
AS can be. An atomizer containing 4
fixing solution is then sprayed at the
print and the office has it for all
time.
! wonder if in any place in Wash
ington there are as many manhoIe
covers, gas mains. water connections
and other iron pieces on the sidewalks
as along 18th street between F street
and Pennsylvania avenue.
Walking down past the Mills
building toward the Office occupied
by the United States bureau of eff
cheney, one steps upon scores Of iron
covers Of all sizes and shapes. There
are round ones and square ones, large
round ones and large square ones,
with here and there an oblong cover
to add variety.
Napoleon. it has been said, got into
the habit of counting windows as he
rode down the main street of a con-
Quered town, and il he missed any he
had to go back and count all over
again.
Any nervous person who got into
the habit OF stepping on all those iron
get to his destination if he missed the
count. CHARLES e. TRACEWELL.