Evening star., 1923-04-29
Heard and Seen

this week not only removes one OF
tho most capable of government Of
ficials from civil service ranks. but
takes away one Of the most persist
ent jokers In the departments.
During his long career in federal
service Merritt o. Chance has always
liked his little joke. 1t can be said
of him that no man joked to better
advantage or purpose. for there never
was a sting in his jokes: in fact, he
has always been as ready to laugh
at himself as at the other fellow.
I'D at the Civil Service Commission
they treasured a letter received from
Chance when he was chief clerk of
the Post Office Department. back In
1907. 1t seems that he had been hav-
ing trouble in getting a fireman pro-
NOTED from $720 a year to dynamo
tender at 5000. They paid big sal
aries in those days.
So, in the course Of formal letter
to the commission Chief Clerk Chance
wrote the following:
"He has been in charge OF the dy-
namos on one Of the eight-hour daily
three years He is a very competent.
conscientious. hardworking man, and
T inclose herewith letter signed by
the chief engineer of the department
stating that he conslders MI
competent to be placed IN charse ol
the dynamos.
an view Of the statement Of the
chief engineer and the fact that MT.
has been performing his work
in a satisfactory manner, the depart
&c ~ n dynamOS
10 his care and to assume any FISK
that may be involved thereby.
Il might call the commissions az
tention to the fact that Mr.: = is
understand that mono of them has
ever been sent to Jail. think that
any man who can raise seventeen
children in the city of washington
on $720 per annum ought to be aple
TO run successfully any number or
dynamos."
When Meridian Park, on 18th street,
is completed Washington will have
another rare beauty spot, with an
outlook that scarcely will have an
equal in the city.
Even now the north end OF the park
is a. thing of beauty. But the south
end is still in embryo, to put 1t mild
". Guess the funds have run out.
The statue Of Joan Of Arc stands on
q dirt precipice overlooking the city.
When the southern end of the park
is put in the same state Of beauty as
the northern end Meridian Park will
be q tract to be proud Of. At the pres
ent time it is not altogether pleasing
to think that the thousands OF visitors
who will come to Washington late in
May and early in June must see the
park with the lower half OF 1t in the
rough.
With the lawns laid out, grounds
smoothed off and perhaps rows of
benches placed to command a view
out over the city, Meridian Park will
offer a prospect to the south that
will long be remembered by visitors.
At 18th and I streets one afternoon
last week an old gentleman driving
a new car got stage fright when
his car got stuck in the middle Of
the street.
He jammed at this and pulled on
that, but the car refused to bulge.
Behind him the cars began to- pile up.
In front and in rear and to the sides
motorists took cognizance Of him.
His eyes popped from his head. He
wore a strained look, as if he would
like to have sunk through his car and
into the earth beneath. He plainly
was ratified.
And, strange to state. not a motorist
hollered at him Nobody "cussed"
him Nobody laughed. Everybody
seemed to be sympathetic. And when
the mans car finally got under way,
relieving the traffic jam, everybody
seemed tremendously happy.
Yep, such cases do happen.
Remember about the bulldog fore
ed to wear a collar with a fringe Of
long hairs?
Well. ! saw a cat last week with
a fur collar on.
Now, there is enough fur on a cat,
any way, without sticking a fur
collar on the beast. At least the cat
seemed to think SO. She appeared
very indignant.
No wonder! Her fur collar did not
match her own fur.
CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.