Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-01-25
Rambler Finds Much Good Human Nature Was
!: J., Mixed With Business
In History of the Lansburgh Esta bIishment

for the house Of Joseph Gutman in Bal
timore. 1t was for small wages and
long hours, as was the rule then. Per
| haps If costs advance and leisure in
| creases in the next 100, as in the past
! 100 years, one of our descendants,
| putting a 81 stogie, will say, MY
grandfather worked in Washington in
1922 for 800 a week and pounded d
typewriter from $3.50 in the morning
until in the afternoon, with only an
hour or SO for lunch" And the lis
tener to this sad tale will say: Per
fectly terrible that employers should
have driven their hired men so hard!
To think of a man shaving fully five
hours a day for only 800 a week. 1t
brings tears to my eyes mot to the
ears) to think OF the sufferings of our
ancestors 100 years ago"
Well, Gus and Max, on their small
pay, saved enough cash and built up
next door to .Gutman. at the corner OF
Lexington xnd Baltimore streets.
Then, Washington looked good 20
them, and they opened in the fancy
goods agency over the Bank OF
Washington, as you Will see by the
directory of 1850. This agency sold
handkerchiefs, socks and 100 other
things to those little neighborhood
stores which you must remember.
Max was the inside man and Gus car
ried samples from store to store. The
two sample cases We're large, and,
when full were heavy. He carried
case in each hand and labored hard.
An old woman. said to have been the
tollgate keeper on the Seventh street
pike at the District line, showed him
how he could carry these cases more
easily by hitching one TO each end OF
plant pole and carrying the pole on
his shoulders. as you have seen pic
lures of coolies doing. | do not think
that Gus followed this style OF trans
port in the streets of Washington, but
this Is no doubt the genesis of the
story that Gus began life in Wash
ington carrying a pack on his back
and selling collar buttons and shoe
strings.
Gus married Miss Louisa Himmel-
rich of Baltimore before coming to
Washington, and their children were
Solomon, Carrie (Mrs. Harry Jacobs),
deceased; Henry. Minnie (Mrs. Charles
A. GoldsmIth). Blanche (Mrs. Myer
SinCer). New York; Bernard. deceased;
Genevteve, deceased; Joseph, de-
ceased; Aline, Lester, living in Ne"
York; Orlando, deceased In infancy
Irma (Mrs. Cohen) OF Pittsburgh and
Stanley.
solomon is president of the Lans-
bursh corporation, Henry is first vice
president and Stanley second vice
president. You all know Henry. past
potentate OF Almas Temple and holder
of rs honorary Masonic affiliations
thi oughout the United States.
The Rambler called on The Stars
Photographic file room for the Lans-
bursh photos on this page. and pasted
on the photograph of Henry. used in
The Star in 1922, was this legend:
Call Me Henry Lansburgh, past po
tentate and senior representative OF
Almas Temple. who recently. at San
Francisco, extended the invitation to
the Imperial Council to hold their
1923 session In this city. The invita-
ton was accepted, and the Shriners
will meet here June 5. and :, 1923.
The Rambler is using this picture of
Henry and hopes that he will not OBJ
ject to having his picture in the paper.
The Rambler has IL on what he be
lieves trusty authority that of the
$500 members Of Almas Temple some
thing over 1000 are to be attributed
to Henry and the cooperating no
bility.
The children OF James Lansburgh
were Mark, secretary of the corpora
ton: Bessie (Mrs. Meyer Cohn), Bea-
trice (Mrs. Leonard Weinberg), Bal
timore, and Eugenia Mrs. Samuel T.
Schwartz). Washington.
Gustav Lansburgh died at his
Washington home. 101S Vermont
avenue, April %. 1911. James Lans-
burgh died at his home, 251l Four
teenth street, October %, 1917. He
received a master Mason degree in
Lebanon Lodge. No. Z, Washington,
In 1871, and the thirty-second degree
in 1888. In 1883 he was elected to
receive the thirty-third degree hon
Supreme Council. His widow, Mrs
Hannah Lansburgh. lives in Wash
ington.
Having done heavy work in getting
his story with the help Of directories,
Star files and old advertisements, the
Rambler wants to say something from
the heart out" Gus and Jim Lans-
burgh were honest. I never heard
my friends in the olden time say that
Gus and Jim took any sly or ques-
tionable way to sell goods. What
you bought from Gus and Jim was
what they told you it was. They
built their business that way. They
were also generous men. AS" they
made money they spent money and
they gave money away. There was
nothing Of the tight-wad in Gus or
Jim. They were full Of good human
nature and they mixed it with their
business. When each passed from
the world. a multitude of the old
people of this town said, not for the
effect Of saying it, but because they
felt that way, Poor Gus. Poor Jim.
I'm sorry