Evening star., 1923-06-24
Fifty Years Ago in
The Star

Visitors to the Capitol who have
observed and perhaps admired the
painting which hangs in
a Great the Senate wing, depict
Picture, ing the battle Of Lake
Erie, in which commo-
dore Perry is shown transferring his
flag from a sinking ship. will be
doubtless interested in the following
reference to that work which appears
in The Star of June It, 1873:
William H. Powell. the artist. has
been working some more on his pie
ture OF the battle of Lake Erie. at the
Capitol. and has filled in about an
acre of unfinished canvass since the
adjournment of Congress. 1t was a
great picture then, but it is now very
much more so. Thirty or forty addi-
t tlonal cannon have been brought TO
the gallant Perry to his new flagship.
THESE guns are pouring hot shot upon
the nero in q most concentrated man
ner Sixty or seventy new cannon
balls have been painted upon the
water in the vicinity of the boat, and
the bottom of that frail vessel Is so
cluttered up with them that the mon
can't row with any satisfaction at all.
The boatswain has been fioored by
good deal of discomposure at the
weight of sixty-four- on
the small of his back. Two or three
of the rowers have caught crabs in
consequence OF the water being SO
full Of cannon balls: the commodore
bootlegs are jammed with spent balls
and very large one rests directly on
the top of his uncovered head. His
little son tugs at his coat tail and
pleads with him to sit down out OF
harms way; but this remarkable man
will not sit down; he will not bulge,
and with his head laid back upon his
shoulders and his breast barred to the
iron tempest. he gazes calmly into the
blue empyrean. The artist. it should
be added, has thrown out the chest Of
the hero considerably than it was last
winter, so that a straight line from
his chin to his waistband would cut
him into three pieces. 1t is a great
picture
When the District was made into
a territory in the seventies, George
town lost its old mu-
Georpetown's nicpal identity. but re-
Post Office. according to The Star
of June 10, 1873, a movement was
started to extend the letter carrier
system to Georgetown, but 1t was
pointed out that If the Postmaster
General should grant the prayer he
would be obliged under the law 10
discontinue the Georgetown Office. This
had induced the circulation of another
petition asking the Postmaster General
not to abolish the office:
This was doubtless signed by
many persons under a misapprehen-
sion. While the law authorizes the
Postmaster General to establish the
carrier system in any city having 2e.-
900 inhabitants within the delivery
ence to the population, when II is
deemed judicious, extend the system
to small towns in the immediate
vicinity of q large post ofice by
bringing them within the jurisdiction
Of the latter. In doing this, how
ever, the post offices in the smaller
towns would have to be abolished and
postal stations, in charge of officers
detailed by the larger Offices. sub
stituted in their places. In case the
Postmaster General sees fit TO extend
tine system to Georgetown the aboli-
ton of the post office there will be
necessary. But in It's place the peo-
pie will have station with al OF
the facilities of post office. includ-
ing the registry and money order
systems, and the additional facilities
OF a free delivery of the mails. This
explanation seems necessary In view
of the diversity of opinion which ex.
ists in references TO the proposed
change,