Evening star., 1946-12-08
Fifty Years Ago

HOuHceQ LHdt george 7. COuIn, car
toonist of the Wash
Post Cortoonist ington Post, was dy-
Dying ing in his apartment
in the Garfield fats,
corner of Thirteenth and streets NV.
Loving friends" it explained, "are sor-
rowfully awaiting the end that must in
evitably come soon" Meanwhile, "de-
spite the desperate character of his ILL
ness and the complete bodily prostration
resulting from it, Mr.. Coffin retains his
mental faculties, and his wakeful mo-
nlents are devoted to tender solicitude
for the comfort of those who are with
him" native of Pottstown, Pa, born
March 80, 1850, the celebrated carica-
turist had come to Washington with his
parents as boy While student at
Columbian College, he led his classes in
] each of seven successive years and was
graduated with the highest honors
available From 1873 until 1895 he was.
employed by the Government, but In
1884 he began to contribute satirical
sketches to the Washington Hatchet
and not long thereafter became the
Posts leading comic artist. The Star
paid him the tribute of declaring: His
wit flashed and sparkled, mental me-
teoric shower, and never in all its re-
markable play did it wound or hurt"
1t was disclosed in The Star for No
vember %, 1896, that: "The private Sec
retary of President
Mr.. McKinIey.s Mckinley will be
Secretary Charles Gates Dawes
of Evanston, H., who
was chairman of one of the bureaus of
the National Republican Committee
during the campaign. He is a business
man and is interested in company that
holds patent on gas-making contriv-
ance. His home was at Leighton, Nebr.,
until few years ago. The statement
that he has been offered the position and
has accepted 1t is given out by member
of the Mckinley household today" Mr..
Dawes, however, was destined for larger
responsibilities than those then indi-
Gated. In 1897 he was made controller
of the currency; in 1921 he was ap-
pointed first director OF the Bureau of
the Budget; in 1924 he was elected
Vice President; in 1929 he was named
ambassador to Great Britain; in 1882
he was chosen president of the Recon-
struction Finance Corporation.
The Star of November 80, 1896,
chronicled the appearance of Charles
Nelson Critten-
Merchont Evangelist ton in Wash
Arrives ington. Sixty
three years of
age of that time, the famous business
man-reformer impressed a reporter as
"being entirely wrapped up in his work"
in behalf of unfortunate women. He
had been converted following the death
of his 4-year-old daughter Florence
in 1882. The first of his missions was
opened at n Bleecker street, New York,
April 10, 1883. BY the date of his arrival
in the Nations Capital, he had estab-
lished no less than 81 different rescue
centers for fallen girls. His travels
were accomplished in a private railroad
car which was in effect house on
wheels, named Good News. Thus
domiciled he roamed the country, lee
turing in churches, organizing rescue
enterprises, fighting the devil. Death
caught up with him "still on the trail"
at San Francisco, November 16. 1909.
His remains were buried in WoodlaWn
Cemetery after final dash across the
continent.
Front-page space was accorded in The
Star for December 3, 1896, to a story
relating that: 1.-THE new
Critics Eorly Congressional Library
A. Work is being visited daily
by many tourists, and
among them are good many people
of supercritical tendencies. Inventors
wandering through the halls where the
names of distinguished inventors are
traced in among the beautiful frescoed
figures on the ceilings and walls now
and then complain that due prominence
is not given to their faVorites or that
too great honor has been shown men
!. whom they rate low in the art Of Gre
ating new devices. The same Is true
with artists and literary men. Bernard
H. Green, under whose general super
vision the decorating of the library
huilding was done, made q careful study
az all these designs and has been COM