The Glenwood post., 1924-05-29
u,ele Tet's Bel Tine Stories
Current Events for the Childrss
and oFown-ups, TOO
OUR STATE DEPARTMENT
AND SECRETARY HUGHES

1t had rained almost steadily for
five days. As everyone knows, chill
dren, especially as full of pep and fun
rs Ruth and Jack, are hard enough to
control in good weather, but these past
few days, they had just about made
their mother wonder what she could
possibly do to amuse them, 30 long
as they could not go out in the pour
ing rain.
And then, joy of joys, they all awoke
the next morning to find the sun as
bright as it ever could be; the robins
were singing and the whole world
seemed to be the brightest, incest place
possible.
1t was no wonder that it was a joy
to see the sun, for the first circus of
the year was arriving that morning
and mother had promised that if the
weather was nice they could get up
early and go down to see the great
train with its many wagons pull into
town. So it was that they watched
the circus arrive, were back home for
breakfast and off to school. The
school authorities surely were nice fol-
they let the children off for the after.
noon SO that everyone could go to the
circus.
Never had there been such day
Uncle lied, with Ruth on one arm and
Jack on the other, was beaming from
ear to ear as they entered the menag
erie tent on their way to the big show
Tothe onlooker, Uncle Ted was having
just as much fun as the kiddies, an6
perhaps little bit more.
But all days must end and finally
after supper, Ruth and Jack were al
ready for bed and Uncle Ted was read
ing the evening paper. They were *
filled with the excitement of the day
that immediate sleep was out of tn,
qeustion. They didn't much want t,
talk about anything but the clown
and animals and they also wanted t,
stay up awhile. So they begged Uncl
Ted for story.
"1n tell you story" he replied
'but it won t be about circus. Yo,
have had enough of that for one day
l want to tell you about our great de
partment of state at Washington, nov
presided over by Charles E. Hughes
one of the greatest of all living Anne,
leans, man who has the respect o
the entire world. He has a most RI
sponsible position.
From two small rooms in the bt
ginning, the state department toda
fills more than half of the great stat
war and navy building, really tn
state and war building now because tn
navy department occupies anothe
building More than 600 persons al
employed by this department in Wasl
1ngton and between three and fou
thousand abroad. When we stop t
consider that the secretary of stat
must conduct all business Of the Unite
States with foreign countries, we &c
some idea of the extent and respons
blllty of his work. To help him wit
this work are the undersecretary q
state and three assistant secretarie,
the director of the consular service
the chief clerk. the solicitor, economi
advisor; chiefs of the divisions O
Far Eastern affairs; Mexican affairs
Eastern European affairs; Near East
ern affairs; Latin American affairs
passport control; Western Europea
affairs; publications.; political an
economic information, and current il
formation. Then there are the grea
consular and diplomatic bureaus unde
whose control come all of the consul
and diplomats throughout the worl
who represent the United States.
"The first organized department t
handle this business was established il
lIS1 when congress created the de
partment of foreign affairs with Rob
ert II. Livingston as secretary. TIL
first secretary of state was Thoma
Jefferson, who was named in l7Ss
He took up his work in 1870, travel
ing from Virginia to New York. IL
those days he had many duties to per