Evening star., 1929-12-15
Capital Sidelights
ny WILL p. KENNEDY.


win, who climb upward and onward by
their devotion to their jobs when Spurred
on by laudable ambition to achieve q
position of distinction in life would find
a fertile field for authentic chron-
icling OF the youth who are earning
promotion in Uncle Sans service.
In practically every department and
bureau of the Federal service there are
officials holding high executive posi-
tions today who have worked their way
up from ONCE boys, and In private in
captains of industry" and business ad-
ministration started in as messenger
boys for Uncle Sam.
A very present tense Illustration Is
Wilson G.. Flake, formerly office boy
for Herbert Hoover when the latter was
Secretary of Commerce, and who on
January 8 sails from New York for
Bombay, India. as assistant trace COM
missioner. When JoVng Flake had
somewhat outgrown the ofice boy stage
and had proved himself deserving OF
advancement, officials Of the depart
ment planned to give him his chance in
some commodity division. Because
knew something about cotton produc-
ton, from having plowed in the cotton
fields of North Carolina, was allo-
Gated to the extile section" Mr.. Flake
naively remarks. That was nine years
ago. Since then mis- advancement has
been steady. He waS for time Q
valued aid in the New York ONCE.
He left the Washington once on Sat
urday to make q tour of the States par
ticularly interested in textiles, and will
conclude his itinerary at Boston and
Lowell, Mass, so as to fortify himself
from conferences with leaders in the
textile industry in this country as to
how he can best serve the interests OF
the American industry.
~ -
The youngest page in the United
States Senate is Phil BaSsford, who en-
tered upon his duties on his twelfth
birthday. He is the smallest as well as
the youngest page, so his associates
have nicknamed him "Peewee."
| It is quite natural that this young
man should feel at home around the
Capital, because he has spent large
part Of his life there, and was born into
that life. His father. Wallace Bass
the late "warhorSe" Of Democracy ano
former Speaker-Champ Clark.
"Peewee" Bassford is keeping abreast
of his class in junior high school on
exactly three hours tutoring per week,
with no home study.
The Senate pages have Just organized
a Boy Scout troop, with Senators
Couzens of Michigan and Brock Of Ten
nessee as patrons. The former Senator
has agreed to supply them with Sum-
n1er camp.
The state papers Of Calvin Coolidge,
carefully arranged by his former secre-
tary, Edward T. Clark, have been de-
posted with the Library of Congress in
the division of manuscripts. They nj
so steel transfer files, and are accom-
panied by card index, filling another
such file.
Herbert Putnam. the librarian of Con-
gress, says that these Coolidge papers
will be a rich mine of information for
the future students of the history OF
Mr.. Coolidge's administration. They
are at present under his control in re-
Spect to access or consultation"
Worthington c. Ford, formerly .hiei
of the division of manuscripts in the
Library of Congress and for the past 20
years editor of the Massachusetts, His
torical Society, q veteran in the quest
discrimination and treatment of such
material, has been selected to succeed
Prof Samuel F.. Bemis of the George
Washington University faculty, whose
two-year leave of absence has expired
in organizing and directing the work
abroad under the John D. Rockefeller
gift to the National Library for the
acquisition of source material In Amer
lean history.
Records covering the early history oi
the National Capital have recently been
placed for safekeeping for posterity ir
the Library Of Congress. They refer
largely to the extinct municipality oi
GEORGETOWN. They include 36 manu-
script volumes, among which are the
Georgetown Journal, 1751-l801; the
journals of the Board of Aldermen fol
almost all the years from 1905 to 1865;
those of the Common Council for almost
the whole period from 1907 to 1851, anc
journals OF corporation meetings from
1901 to 1859.
Research students have found an in.
tereSting treasure trove in the recent
gift to the Library of Congress of sew
eral hundred letters, social invitations
newspaper clippings and visiting cards
illustrating the diplomatic and Socia
life of George Bancroft and his wife in
London and Berlin, together with much
correspondence of Mrs. Bancroft'S son
Col. Alexander Bliss, illustrative OF
quartermaSter service in the Civil War
The presentation was made by Miss
Elizabeth B. Bliss, granddaughter Of
Mrs. Bancroft.
r X y
A photostat copy Of the original mar
of a portion of Wakefield, the birthplace
of George Washington, in WeStmorelanC
County, Va, based on q survey by
Joseph Berry in August, 1742, has JUS
been presented to the National Library
by Gabriel Wells of New York. There
Is also q description of the survey, 8
second copy of the same map. and the
indenture which was the occasion OF
the survey.
It is dated December 3, 1742. and re.
corded April IL, 1743, and is concerned
with certain lands belonging to Angus
tine Washington, the father of the
President, and John Washington, hi'
uncle. The signature of the uncle, at
tached to the indenture, is believed tc
be the only autograph of John Wash
ington which has been preserved.
y X 4
A staff Of six specialists is being
maintained in the Library Of Congress
to gather and verify data used in the
preparation of very important con-
tribution to photographed research in
preparation of the Dictionary of Amer
ican photography, under auspices OF
the American Council Of Learned So
cieties and the editorship of Prof. Allen
johnson of Yale University.
stock specialist and a grain specialist