ier .CHE PITTSBim DISPATCH, - TUESDAY, MARGH 5, 1889. i i s M SIM Tlie City of Magnificent Distances, Palatial Resi dences, Beautiful Avenues, Numberless Parks, and the Amazing SPLENDOfi AM) GAYETI Inside Pacts About life in Congress, the Parlors and in the 'A LIST OF WELL-PAID POSITIONS TO CHOOSE FEOM. The First View of Washington. r APPROACH the capital city of the , United States, from jl what point you trill, (there are two land marks -which will strike your eye when von are yet miles away, as yon arise' to the tops of the hills in your progress, or look far along unobstructed valleys. They are the two landmarks of the city most marked in their contrast, the one the pencil-like shaft of the Washington Monu ment and the other the graceful, airy, al most unearthly, dome of the Capitol. Miles away, in the country, at almost every turn, the top of the monument will meet the vision, and only at rarer intervals the less ixalted dome, but always affording a sense of relief after the other, as a suggestion that somebody who at some time lived in the city had a higher idea of art than was exhibited by barbarian Egyptians in the construction of their obelisks. AN INAPPROPRIATE MEMORIAL. Seeing this shaft afar, before other ob jects divert the mind from its contempla tion, one is led to wonder what mind con ceived that its form was the most appro priate memorial for the "father of his coun try," when the same amount expended in this useless and uncanny shaft would have erected a fine library building, an art gal lery, or have gone far toward the endow ment of a great national university. This landmark, visible at so long range, is useful for only one thing, and that is so much that one can almost forgive the misconception. For from its windows, near the top, glorious views are to be had, hardly finer, to be sure, than from the dome of the Capitol, but with the immeasurable addition that in one of the views is included the dome itself, which, of course, is lost to the landscape while it is under one's feet. Come though you may to the Capitol a thousand times you will never tire of this dome. It is such a boon to Washington as the matchless one of St Peter's is to Borne. "With the one exception of St. Peter's it is the grandest dome of the universe, sur mounting gracefully that long and pillared pile, which, with all its imperfections, is one of the most imposing edifices of the world. THE BEAUTirCIi CAPITOL Seen a thonsand times and it is always new. Tt has more phases than the moon. A pace ot poetry would not describe its subtile changes, with the varying light, and once seen by rail or highway, from suburban hills or down suburban valleys, it is never The Souse Mr. Blaine Owns. forgotten, but always awaited with an tlmost tremor ot anxiety, to know what sew beauty it will present to the eye and the imagination. Washington is surrounded by hills. Not long ranges, nor high peaks, but gentle promontories, a few hundred feet above the comparatively flat point between the Poto mac and Anacostia rivers, on which most ot the city is built From scores of these points ot vantage the city seems spread out ct one's feet, and after the first range of promontories is exhausted, and one pene trates back miles into the country, the Desks rise higher, and ever a little higher, and the city continues to come into view now and again in a magical sort of way which suggests its determination that the eyes of the country shall always be brought back to this central point. A BIEDSETE VIEW. Particularly fine views are to be had from the Soldiers' Home, from Fort Myer, from Arlington, from Georgetown Heights, from St. Elizabeth's Asylum, and from a dozen points down the river on both the Virginia and Maryland shores. Coming up the river on one of the many steamers which ply there for the pleasure of the residents and visitors at the Capitol; miles awav the monument and the dome stand out in relief against the sky, and as one nears the city the whites and grays of the Capitol, the Ex ecutive Mansion, and the War, State, Navy and Treasury Departments stand out? dis tinct from the otherwise crushed strawberry tone of the city, their vast piles indicating infallibly the business of a great. nation. One would know without telling that it was the capital city of a population of many' millions. II. Tbe Flan of tbo City. To the stranger, the plan of the city of Washington is exceedingly interesting, bnt exceedingly confusing. One would think that a place whose streets run mainly at right angles, and which are lettered and cumbered so thafone always knows which way to go to reach a certain point, must of necessity be easy to traverse. But the fact that there are four "sections" of the city, divided by North Capitol, East Capitol and South (Capitol streets, and "the Mall" on the west, and that half of the streets traverse two sections and the other half tbe other two lections, and the farther fact that tbe many avennes, named for the States of the Union, cross the squares made by the east and west and north and south streets at all sorts of iiarrfiraifiiFi t 'fVa MJufoWs ft!MVkw -Ly r- OF MIL OF OFFICIAL SOCIETY. the "White House, the Halls of of Fortune's Favorites Departments. angles, as is the case with Vermont and Rhode Island avennes at Iowa Circle, serve to make Washington one of the most difficult of cities to learn. Does one en deavor to settle the question of one's locality by landmarks, one sees the landmark from a dozen different points, and looking the same from the entire dozen. a confusing situation. For instance, the dome of the Capitol and a portion of the building are seen from distant points along the vista of 20 streets, but to tell what direction from the Capitol is the spot on which one is standing is im possible until one has thoroughly learned the city. From Dupont Circle there are 11 exits, all on prominent streets. Let any stranger enter the circle from one ot these streets, thread the winding walks, and at tempt to pass into the same street on the other side, and ten to one he will make a mistake. I have met even old citizens, on a night when there was a mo'on and the lamps not lit, wandering abont the precincts of this and other circles, endeavoring to read the names on the lamps, wholly unable to get their bearings. I found the great city of Old Seward Mansion. Leased by Blaine. London, and even that labyrinthine capitol, Genoa, unequaled for its tortuous ana nar row ways, easier to learn than this mathe matical city of Washington, which seems so very simple and is yet so very complex. POINTS OP INTEREST. It is not my province to go into any de scription, guide book style, of the number less places of interest in and around the national capital. "My desire is, in brief space, to give a bird's eye view of the city and its surroundings. It would require a volume of considerable size to convey any adequate idea of the Capitol, with its hall's of Congress, its great library, its scores of committee rooms.each containing something of interest, its pictured and frescoed dome, its Supreme Court, its "chamber of horrors," more mildly named the Hall of Statuary the courtroom being the old Senate chamber where Sumner was assaulted by Brooks, and where the historical debates and quarrels occurred previous to the war, and the Hall of Statuarv being the old Hall of Ecpresentativcs, on whose floor many a fisticuff has occurred between op posing politicians and the thousand other nameless objects ot interest in and aboutthis vast pile; the Patent Office with its myriad ot curious models of inventions; the Post office, with its wonderful machinery for the conduct of tbe mail business of this and other countries, and its Dead Letter Office, a mnseum of itself; the Pension Office, where relief for .the VETERANS OF THE WAR is gronnd out as from a mill, and from which emanates the warrant for the millions that are paid out annually to the old soldiers of the nation; the Treasury, that great banking house of the nation, with its cosh room showing at all times big piles of gold and silver, its vaults with tons upon tons of silver and gold piled high in their little canvas bags, the hundreds of employes to audit the accounts Of the Government and pay its dues, the counting and disposition of money and rev.cnue stamps, the counting, cutting in pieces and reduction to pulp of redeemed and mutilated currency, the draft ing of designs and the giving ot contracts for the public buildings of the whole country; (he War, State and Navy Depart ments, with their museum, their curious models, their historical portraits, their vast magazine of interesting documents, their multifariousdesigns for the destruction of the human race; the navy yard.the arsenal, the magazines; the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, where nearly all of the" paper money, stamps and other securities of the Government are printed; the Government Printing Office, which grinds out mountains of public documents and prints ALL THAT IS SAID AND DONE by Congress every year; the Agricultural Department, with its great array of curiosi ties and its fine nursery and greenhouse; the horticultural .gardens; tbe National Museum and the Smithsonian Institution, almost as interesting as tbe Kensington Museum, of London; the Medical Museum, with its unequaled library and its innu merable curiosities and horrors, among which is tbe skeleton of Guiteau. the assas sin; the Corcoran Gallery of Art, with its very interesting collection of paintings and casts and statuary; the Geographical Sur vey, the Signal Office and the Observatory, and many minor departments of the Gov ernment devoted to the cause of science and industry and commerce; the prison where many noted criminals have been confined and executed; the insane asylum where many noted lunatics in tbe persons of poli ticians and claimants and others gone mad; the Congressional and other cemeteries, populous with the noted and historical dead; old churches, with bricks and altars and ornaments brought from foreign coun tries more than n century ago, when the na tion was not yet conceived; these, with the outdoor attractions of tbe c ty at large, its tree and flower-lined (in summer) avenues and streets, its magnificent dwellings of XOTED MEN AND -WOMEN, its many little parks and circles, its monu ments, its more ancient parts, quaint with dwellings of the olden English type, the bujurban drives and points of interest, such as Arlington, the Soldiers' Home, Mount Vernon, Fort Washington, the ruined forti fications seen on all sides, with the scenic charms which may found in every direc tion, altogether make up an aggrgation of absorbing interest which is- not approached by even ancient Boston, nor by the vast metropolis of population on the bay of New York. Washington is not a place to visit for a day. It is a study for weeks, and months, and years, and added to tbe tangi ble attractions briefly mentioned, are the ever varying phases of political and social SotPsmm ?3"'l' 4vyt JsflfeMisM life, fast and fascinating, a magnet that is constantly growing stronger and stronger, drawing tbe wealth and genius and bril liance of the country to itself, as well as its more sinister qualities, a witches' brewing of intrigue, romance, tragedy, luxury pur ity, honesty, corruption, the den of the lob byist, the haven of the schemer, the hope of the innocent, the. despair of the sophisti cated, the butt of the cynic, the joy of the pessimist. III. Social Life In Washington. "Unavoidably the entire life of Washing ton is affected by the official element. In this also it is strongly contrasted with all other cities of the country. In Boston the class which sets the social pace is veneered by a mixture of money and culture. Money must be real if culture is a fancy. "As sume a culture if you have it not," is the unwritten law. In New York tbe Stock Ex change is king. In Chicago it is grain and pork. In Cincinnati, St. Louis and Mil waukee it is beer, and in New Orleans, Sa vannah and Charleston it is cotton. Here it is the army and navy, the President and Cabinet, Senate and House, and all the officials of the department who are exalted enough in rank to be counted. The army and navy influence is tremen dous. It is cohesive and continuous, while other circles are forever breaking in pieces on account ot changes of administration and competition for place. For instance, at this very time we are noting the demise of a social clique, the most brilliant and extrav agant that has ruled society in Washington. LEADERS OF SOCIETY. That the Whitneys have been the leaders of capital society during the last four years goes without saying. The place of the President and Mrs. Cleveland in social life has been notable because he was President, and she "Mrs. President." Their enter tainments have been eminent because they were at the White House. Without being even at the head of the Cabinet in point of rank, or "succession," (for it must be re membered that every Cabinet officer, except the newly-created Secretary of Agriculture, is a possible President) Secretary Whitney, or, rather, Mrs. Whitney, has set the social pace, and the lavish expenditure of money in this circle has forever obscured the old and inexpensive methods of giving enter tainment and pleasure in the highest circles of the' capital. " It will not do for the Harrison regime to "let up" on the striking brilliancy of the entertainments of the exalted social circles. Of course there will be the same round of formal calls and receptions, open house occasionally for the mob, and exclu sive receptions and balls for the fast set. The reinstatement of the Eepublican party will be marked by asocial as well as a po litical glorification. EEPUBLICAN LAVISIINESS. It is a saying constantly on the tongues of Democrats as well as Republicans resi dent at the capital that there is always more money spent when the Republicans are in' power. Tbe mass of the rich men ot the country are Eepublicans, and they come to Washington, naturally, oflener, and stay longer when they can meet their political friends rather than their enemies. During the Cleveland administration a great bulk of tbe visitors at the capital were men and women of the South, who had to be content with modest expenditure. With the return of the Eepublicans the tide of visitors will come from the North, and the superior wealth of Northern society will "make things hum," to use a common local ex pression. Already it is apparent from the prepara tions that are in progress, that the reign of me coming auminisiraiiun win ue a urm iant one socially. If only the Secretary o f War led tbe racket during tbe period ot tbe Cleveland's, with Vilas, and Bayard, and Lamar, and Garland, not even furnishing a lively background, the regime of the Har risons will be kept on tiptoe of social ex citement by such rich social lions as Blaine, Morton, Wanamaker and tbe rest, and the royal entertainment of the Whitneys will bo discounted by a half dozen owners and occupiers of mansions whose spreads and routs will be the wonder of the day. , AN ELIGIBLE PABTI. This digression is for the purpose of illus trating the character of the leadership of the purely political circle. The aristocracy of the army and navy cannot indulge in such lavish outlay, but thev go into the most ex clusive assemblies and give to them that dash of military life that is so dear to the society of every country. A -Washington !hr S3 Senator Palmer Borne. mother would rather have her son educated for the army or navy than for the bar or tbe church. Mothers with marriageable daugh ters endeavor to make a match with a young man of the army or navy. It does not make any difference whether he has"a cent or not. They have the money and the young man will have the social standing and a sure thing on society all his life, provided he be have himself half way decently, if he does not get drank too openly or too often carry on his illicit relations in the very eyes and ears of his social circle. The reign of the Cabinet circle is neces sarily brief, and its members must make a brilliant sortie for fame. They rub up close to the right side of the "first gentleman and the first lady of the land," they are not forced to have their every movement scanned, and they cut a great figure at the head of the socialcircle of the first class. CABINET DAT. The Cabinet Day is the most important of the social days of the week, and is reported with the greatest of particularity by the so ciety correspondents. Next in order comes the day of the Supreme Court, then the Senatorial Day, and common Eeprosenta tives are so low in the social scale that they are not allotted any special day, but al lowed to choose as individuals what time they will receive, which day is graciously and conspicuously noted in the society col umns of the local press. The Cabinet cir cle takes in the high-up foreign diplomats, the flower of tbe army and navy, citizens of wealth and "blood" and the nick and choice of the Court, Senatorial and House circles. But there is a fast growing tendency to crystallize the various classes, and it is plain that it will not be long before It will be as difficult for those who are not bred to fashionable society of the most ultra kind, with that conspicuous veneering than, can pot be mistaken, to penetrate to the upper class asMt is for the rough and ready En glish 'squire to go familiarly into the pres ence of lords and dukes and princes. A few vears ago it was a common sight to see 'department clerks moving about Cabinet ana benatoria: circles as though perfectly sure of their footing. Now they mby stand in line for three hours at a public reception 'of I tin ? 'HMPanVI ifinL the President and his wife to get a chance to shake the hands ot those dignitaries. GORGEOUS TURNOUTS. It is a brilliant scene that one may see on the streets on days of formal calls. Mag nificent blooded horses draw the most mag nificent of carriages, many of the latter bearing coats of arms. Some of the coats of arms are on the carriages of Lord Smith or Count Jones, of the leading foreign lega tions, but many are also seen on the panels of the carriages of citizens not in office, blooded officers of the army or navy, or rep resentative officials who have joined in the fad of late years to trace their lineage back to some family which was entitled to armor ial bearings. On many of the residences of these people coats of arms are conspicuously displayed, and on their walls hang family trees far-spreading as the cedars of Lebanon. Magnificently clad ladies lounge in these carriages, languidly alighting here and there at a dwelling where society decrees they must pay their dues or be counted out of 'the swim. Gorgeously dressed liveried footmen open the doors of the carriages and ring the bells of the elegant residences, abd coachmen tricked out with gold belts and gold lace and cocked hats almost as daz zling as the unequaled majordomos who stand in front of the old palaces of Genoa and Some, sit up stiff and haughty on their scats, superior even as the coachmen and grooms of these splendid people, to the open-month citizens whose nearest approach to society is to sec these street movements of the queens of the highest social circle. NATIONAE NOTABLES. But of course much of these perform ances is simply a counterpart of what may be seen in the wealthy society of any city . of tbe land. The evening receptions, din ners and balls have the same accompani ments of flowers and palms and potted plants, the costly services of the table, the viands prepared by the most famous artists of the kitchen, the wines the rarest that can Mrs. Whitney's be bought for money. The only difference is that the company is invariably made up largely of persons whose names are familiar to every boy and girl who reads the news papers. The groups of the drawing room are composed of eminent Judges, Cabinet officers, great Senators,of prominent Repre sentatives, old in the service, their names household words. Occasionally the Presi dent and his wife grace one of these assem blies, and the President's wife may even at rare intervals unbend so much as to dance, as Mrs. Cleveland has done just once dur ing her career in this city, when at Secre tary Whitney's she led in the german with no less a celebrity than the Bon. William L. Scott as her partner. Atone of these great assemblies, when the distribution of cards has been more lib eral than usual, one may stand in the street in the small hours of the night, when the company is breaking np, and hear practi cally the roll of .all the high officials of the land called out by the policemen and other attendants whose business it is to order the carriages as they are wa'nted. FASCINATING SOCIETY. This it is which makes Washington so ciety unique and fascinating, not that the machinery is different, but that it it made up of the pick and flower of the land, in wealth and intellect, and that the, personnel is known to every one. Who cares to read reports ot society doings in any other city of the country? In these a familiar name of some lord of railroads or of the Stock Ex change, or of the grand bazaar, may occa sionally meet the eye, but here a report of a reception or a dinner is a dash into the inner life of a man in whom every other man, woman and child of the land has a personal interest and a claim. Go to the theater in Washington. A President and his friends occupy a box. In J other boxes are Cabinet officers, diplomats or other high officials. In the orchestra chairs are others of the same set. Scat tered about are many members of Congress. Here and there is a white-haired Senator, or member of the House of national renown. An aged and ' dignified Judge of the Su preme Court laughs at the absurdities of "The Henrietta," or weeps at the woes of "La Tosco." When one whom we know, a famous person, a Colossus of the forum, the palace or the bench, is moved to weep, we small persons must needs be interested and laugh and weep with him. In the United States you can have that pleasure brought to your door only in this Capital City. IV. Official Life in Washington. Doubtless one of the most fascinating features ot Washington official life to the general reader would be the ordinary, everyday conduct of incumbents of office, from high to low, but this also wonld re quire a volume to describe adequately. It is i3 difficult to reach, moreover. It is only after years of daily contact that one is fitted to proceed with any elaboration in this field of description, The daily routine of life, especially of the higher officials, is not open to tbe continual inspection of the curious. I am inclined to think that the person who writes the "great Antericad novel" founded on official life must be ope who has occupied the position of private secretary to every official who is allowed such an assistant, and who las been em ploye d for a time in every division of every one of the departments, or else a newspaper writer who absorbs a universal knowledge by intuition almost from a very limited contact. AN EXCLUSIVE EXECUTIVE. Presidents were once much more easily reached bv all sorts of people than they are now. 'We have grown so numerous as a people, while the President is no more numerous than he was a hundred years ago, that the demands on him and other high officials are ten fold greater than they were 40 or SO years ago. The line must be'drawn somewhere, and It is drawn at the room ot the private secretary of the President. All may penetrate to that outer sanctuary, but he or She must be Important, Indeed, to get farther toward the sacred room where sits the chief executive. The private sec retary "sizes up" a caller at -a glance, and unless he be a man of very large political, business or social proportions, o"r unless his mission is so important as to sink the ques tion of his own obscurity, he can get no further. - - So great is the pressure to see the Presi dent that even the private secretary is forced to assume delusiveness to some ex tent, and therefore the watch dogs of the various entrances to the office rooms of the executive i mansion are also keen of scent, and know'at sight one who has business of enough importance to warrant his admis sion, and visitors are often peremptorily stopped by them with the information that neither the President nor his secretary isiu, or that they are engaged. Usually,, how ever, the visitor may penetrate the room of the secretary. NOT A HAPPY LOT. If any one imagines 4hat fee lot of the President is a happy one let him sit for a half a day, during office hourei in that inner room where the President', transacts his of- ficial business. He goes through a volumi nous mrtil, though it is only a small portion of that which is addressed to him com munications which are thought by the pri vate secretary to be of sufficient importance to turn over to him. Then there are questions from every department to pass upon fot the Presi dent is primarily responsible for the con duct of every office filled by his appoint ment, and heads of departments are con stantly appealing to him for advice. These, with members of Congress and other visitors, who come to ask for office for constituents, to talk of a thousand different things, to pay friendly calls, added to the demands of social life, receptions, special and general, dinne"rs, and so forth, and such attention as every one desires to give to private, domes tic and personal affairs as makes lite worth living, suggest that the office of President is one of the most, undesirable within the gift of the people. Yet there are several, excellent gentlemen in the country who are suspected of harboring anxiety to occupy this position. It is the one place of all others in the service of the people in which the pecupant is harassed, hounded, slandered, belied, be yond the possibility of endurance, one would think, yet there is'a suspicion that no one to whom the position were offered would refuse it. , A CABINET OFFICER'S TRIALS. On a lesser scale the heads of departments and bureaus are subject to Incursions such as those which invade the President's sanc tum, and thev are obliged in turn to build about themselves a Chinese wall to exclude those who would for trivial purposes con sume their time. Verv frequently it hap pens that a Cabinet officer is more exclusive than the President himself. To some of the Cabinet officers of the present administra tion, access has been almost impossible, ex cept ih the case of a very few high officials, influential politicians, and foreign diplo- Grand Ball Room. mats. But for the most part the more im- Eortant officials of Mr. Cleveland's regime ave been approachable and genial, and open to access as far as could be reasonably expected. The constant application for audi ences, the many who must be heard on trial subjects, because they must not be offended, the vast quantity of official work that de mands imperative attention, and which is enough to appal the most industrious and capable, arc calculated to make the official irritable, and the only wonder is that these officials maintain so even a temper and meet all who penetrate to them so genially. The popular interest, however, is proba bly directed more to the rank and file than to the more conspicuons officials. Those busy beehives, the departments, with their teeming life,Jiave for me a constant and abounding fascination. They are the base of organized' industry, directed by the State. . CIVIL SERVICE, Practically the employes of the civil service are an army, disciplined, governed by strict rules, engaged in the transaction ot the civil husiness of the Government as soldiers do the military. The various de partments and bureaus remind me in a striking manner of the plan for the scientific direction of all the industries of the country depicted in Edward Bellamy's very inter esting work, "Looking Backward." All employes of tbe Government above the grade of mechanics are required to work but six and one-half hours. They must report for duty at 9 o'clock. At some time in the neighborhood of noon they have 30 minutes for luncheon. At 4 o'clock they are free, and from the great department and burean buildings thousands upon thousands of men and women pour forth, prompt upon the minute. All work is shaped for these hoursT As 4 o'clock approaches, desks are i-icarea, oraers, correspondence, warrants, and so forth, are signed bv the chiefoffini.il of department, bureau, or division, books are closed out for the day, business is cut off sharp and square, to be taken up the following morning as though it had been laid down only for a moment. Compared with the long hours of employes in private business, the day of the workman in the civil service is an Ideal one. It leaves some leisure for pleasure, for self improvement, for devotion to things which most please the fancy of the individual. BENEFITS OF LEISUBE. It is a common objection to short hours of work that it leaves time for Indulgences, and that few of the persons who secure this boon ot leisure would use it with benefit to themselves, I do not find this to be the fact. My acquaintance of several years with the members of the civil service is that they are as a mass far superior in informa tion, cultivation and habits to the mass of employes who perform similar service for private individuals. As a class thsy are sober, serious, and devote their leisure time to domestic or social enjoyment of the purest type, to study, to invention, to literary work for pleasure or reputation, to scientific research, or to those great social questions which are agitating th,e minds of the best people the world over. There are no brighter, mbre capable, more brilliant, if you will, persons in Washington than num bers of department employes whom I could mention. The indolent, dissipated, inefficient and disreputable are rare. Is a department em ploye a drunkard or a brawler, he may be set 'down at once as the favorite striker of some influential politician, who is kept in place solely that the Government may pay him a living salary, while is really doing the private work of his master. I dare say that 'of an evening not more than 100 em ployes of the civil service, all told, would be found in the saloons or places of ill re pute throughout the city. A vast number of the employes belong to social, literary or scientific clubs, and it is with a view to gaining leisure for this enjoyment and cul ture that a great number of the employes labor for and secure admission to the public service. A question much discussed, and upon which-there is a great difference of opinion, is the employment ot women in the civil service. Scandals constantly arise from the fact that officials or politicians of influence impose their favorites upon the departments. AN ARMY OF 8CEUB WOMEN. Theie is a picturesque feature of de partment life which is not often men tioned, and which is not visible to the general visitor. In each one of the public buildings, shortly before the hour of 4 o'clock, arrive squads of women, poorly dressed, theirpoverty appar ent in every lineament They take their places on benches in the halls. The mo ment the offices are emptied of their occu pant this army of .women takes pos session. Scrubbing clothes are 'donned in a twinkling, brooms, mops, buck ets, scrubbing- brushes and soap appear as by magic, and within an hour or two floors are cleansed, furniture is dusted, the thousands of towels used during the dav are gathered together, and before nightfall the great buildings are polished from garret to cellar, and fresh and sweet for the occu pancy of the army of, employes the next day. This work of scrubbing the public buildings tnd washing the towels alone gives occupa tion to hundreds of women, nearly all of whom are mothers of families, and is of it self one of the important departments of labor in the National Capital. Government Official! and Their Salaries. But who are the department officials and what do they get? Ah, yes, what do they get? The importance of all things is meas ured by the money value attached to them. And it must be confessed that with most officials the salary attached to their offices is the important consideration. Few of the Federal offices are filled by men or women who merely seek the honor of the place, For instance, an official of the depart ments was recently promoted to a much higher position than he had previously occupied, through the resignation of one Vice President Morton's Residence. who had been his superior in'rank and pay. He stood in the line of promotion, but it was a question with the appointing power whether the promotion should be made or the place filled by a new man. The official pleaded so Hard to be given the honor of the higher office that he finally got his wish, possibly because of the imminence of the change of administra tion. Now, it happened that I and several others knew that it was not honor that was so prayerfully sought by the gentleman, but a largely increased sal ary, which he specially desired that he might settle a recalcitrant board bill, a re sult of spendthrift habits and undue confi dence in the certainty of the re-election of President Cleveland, and his consequent retention in office. He knew he would be bounced soon after the 4th of March, and like the honest man he is, he desired to re tire in good order with the blessing of his landlady. PRESIDENTAL PEEQUISITES. Of course, everybody knows that the President receives a salary of $50,000 per an num. Beside that he has a number of fat appropiiations for contingent expenses, which enable thrifty incumbents of the office to almost save the entire amount of the fixed salary. These appropriations are scattered about in deficiency bills, sundry civil bills and legislative, executive and judicial bills, and the lump cannot be dis covered witbout a good deal ot nsning. Tbe tendency amongour solons is to make offices pay, and therrfore to provide for fam ily expenses and pin money from the public treasury; and so there is a gradual widen ing ot tbe appropriations in all departments for expenses which should be borne out of the salary of the official. This comes so gradually that it is not noticed in passing by the public, but one of these days some meddlesome fellow will get out a publica tion similar to the radical almanac pub lished by the more daring wing of the En glish Liberals, in which will be grouped all of these little things, and then there will be a row in popular politics. Now they are merely mentioned from time to time by the newspaper correspondents, and then are lost to view. 'INCREASED SALAEIES. There is now a scheme on foot to pay the President $75,000 a year, the Vice President and Cabinet officers $20,000, members of Congress from 8,000 to $10,000, and other high officials accordingly; and, really, the "salaries of officials of the United States are absurdly small compared with those of for eign nations. For instance, the British Minister in this country receives over $100, 000. with an allowance for expenses and a magnificent mansion rent free, while the United States Minister at the Court of St. James receives bnt $17,500 all told. Our Minister to St. Petersburg receives similar pay, while the Eussian Minister here re ceives $75,000 a year for expenses alone. On the other hand our Senators and mem bers of the House receive $5,000 annually, while the representatives in the British Parliament get nothing at all. This puts a great burden-on the constituencies, or has the more serious effect of throwing the office into the hands of the wealthy class who are able to pay the large bills of a cam paign. Very few of the Eepresentatives or Senators of the United States Congress save anything out of their salaries, except those Chief Justice Fuller's Home. who have a sure thing on their nomination and, election year after year, and these, generally speaking, are persons who do not need the money. Usually the salary is al most eaten up in campaign expenses, political assessments, and so forth, so that very often even those who are not in affluent circumstances are forced to pav a considerable portion of their expenses in Washington out of their own pockets. SALABIES OF THE SMALL FRY. Down in the departments offices below that of the Cabinet are not accompanied by large salaries as a general thing, but they average well. All kinds of employes in the departments are better paid than similar employes in private business. As few of the offices are such as to attract applicants to fill them on account of the honor alone, we must assume that mostof theincumbents are there for the salaries, small as these are. The First Assistant Secretary of State only has $4,500 a year, though he often acts in the place of the Secretary. The assistant secretaries in all of the departments are paid at about the same figure. Next come the chief clerks and the chiefs of divisions, whose salaries range from $2,500 down to $1,800. Below these are the clerks and messengers of the classified service, whose salaries extend from $720, $840", $900, $1,000, $1,200, 51,400, $1,600, $1,800, $2,000 and up ward, though there are only a few who are "upward." The private secretary of tbe President has for years received only the small salary of $J,250, but since he has become an official who bears the blunt of the onslaughts on the President by an immensely Increased number of visitors, the pav has been thought too small, and in trie Executive Appropriation bill passed a few days ago the salary was increased to $5,000. MORE SALARIES. Some of the higher salaries of the depart ments and of Congress, about which little is known by the general public, will be of interest. The Director of the Mint receives $4,500; the Supervising Surgeon General, $4,000; General Superintendent of the Life Saving Service, $4,000; Chief of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, $4,500; First and Second Controller of the Treasury, and the Controller of the Cur rency, $5,000 eacbjEegijterof the Treasury, $4,000; Superintendent of the Coast and Geodetio Survey,-,. $6,000; Commissioner of HBIlIiSI 4ft Internal Bevenue. $6,000r Treasurer, $6,000; Bapervisiug Arch itect, $4,500: Commissioner , 9uns o m,( f4-000." Professor irMeteoroIogy in the. Signal Office, $4,000; the First. Sec ond and Third Assistants in the Postoffice Department, $4,000 eachr First and Second Assistant Secretaries of the Interior De partment, $4,500 and $4,000; Commissioners of Patents and of Pensions, $5,000 each; Land Commissioner and Indian Commis sioner, $4,000 each; Commissioner ot Rail roads, 4,500; Director of the Geological Survey, $6,000; Commissioner of Labor, $5,000f the Inter-State Commerce Commis sioners receive $7,500 each. GOOD JOBS. The Solicitor General receives $7,000 and the assistants $5,000 and $4,000; several solicitors of the various departments re ceive $4,500 each; the Chief Justice of the Supreme Bench receives $10,500, and the eight Associate Justices $10,000 each, and their terms are for life; the Clerk of the Su preme Court has $6,000: Fish Commissioner, $5,000; the Speaker of the House of Eepre sentatives receives the same pay as a Cab inet officer, $8,000; the Secretary of the Sen ate receives a larger salary than the Sena tors, or $6,396; the official reporter of the senatorial debates gets $25,000 a year, and out of this sum pays his assistants; the offi cial stenographer of the House gets a salary of $6,000, and four assistants get $4,000 each; committee stenographers usually get 4,000when constantly employed; on other committees the reporters are paid by the piece; Librarian Spofford gets $4,000; the Architect of the Capitol, $4,500; the Chief of the Government Printing Office gets $4,500, and besides a number of well paid clerks there are in that office over 2,000 compositors and other employes, making it one of the most populous of the public omces. TAKE YOUE CHOICE. These are some of the best paying offices, cited for the purpose of enabling the reader to choose which he will have. Of course there are many offices throughout the States which pay very nicely, bnt those who want them are usually well informed as to the salaries of those within their reach. For instance, there is the Pittsburg postoffice, which is worth about $4,000 a year, and the one at Allegheny $3,000; special treasury agents at Pittsburg get S4 a day; Collector of Internal Eevenue, $4,500; Surveyor of the Port, $350 and tees and commissions; Surgeon of Marine Hospital at Pittsburg, $1,800; Inspector of Hulls, $2,000, and In spector of Boilers, $2,000; Pension Agent, $4,000; Circuit Judges receive $6,000; Dis trict Judges, $4,000; United States District Attorney, $200 and fees; Assistant District Attorneys about $2,500; United States Mar shal, $200 and fees; and clerks, commis sioners and registers in bankruptcy, fees alone. The electoral messengers, who fetch to the capital the certificates of the official votes of tbe various States, get twenty-five cents a mile, one way, from the place of meeting of tbe electors. VI. Washington Literature nod Art. Possibly it may be pleasing to turn from these sordid considerations to the more aesthetic phase of capital life. There is as yet no literature of Washington as there is of London and Paris. We are too young for that. Literary interest does not center here. Periodicals and books are published in New York and Boston, and where the carcass is there will the vultures gather. National political life does center here, however, and social life will soon, and the Senator Don Cameron's Home. novelist who writes the great, distinctively "American novel," if such a creation be possible, must come here to study his fact and his fiction. There is a subtle ty about this life which eludes the grasp in the most exasperating manner, and the writer who would penetrate to its inner core must live here and breath the at mosphere. Time upon time it has been an nounced that this or that novelist was mak ing the round of Washington society for the purpose of doing it into a novel, but each one of these eminent novelists has grown timid touching the effort in proportion as they dipped larther and farther into the subject and discovered that Washington life can be understood only by those who live in it. A DIFFICULT SUBJECT. I am informed that one famous novelist finished a realistic work dealing with social aud political affairs at the Capital, which, was so ridiculed by a noted official to whom' he read portions of it, that it never got farther toward the publisher than the author's seeret drawer. These two names suggest that we are not wholly without a literary element. The impetus is in this direction. Almost every year some new name is added to tbe list of well-known persons engaged in literary pur suits, who takes up a residence at the capi tal. There . are, to begin with, a host of delvers in scientific and other mines of learning who are not widely known, but who are regular correspondents to scientific and technical publications. They have here a fine field for research in the great law and medical -libraries, and in the vast collection of the National Library, com monly called the "Library of Congress." It is an interesting sight to watch the in vestigators and students who come day after day to dig among these collections,"in the reading rooms of the libraries, working from the opening of the doors until the closing of them, never turning aside, their whole minds bent on the treasures beneath their eves. Not a few of these workers are women, and even some young girls, not out of their teens, are already old in this fas cinating hunt after hidden wealth. NOTED NOVELISTS. x Among those engaged in the production of work of fiction Mrs. E. D. E. N. South worth is doubtless the oldest resident. Mrs. Dahlgren is another lady who has become well known through her novels. 'Mrs. Frances Hodgson Bnrnett is as prominent in society here as she is in the wide world of fiction. Even as I write these lines on this glowering first day of March she is lend ing tbe grace of her presence to a distin guished company at the residence of Hon. Smedley Darlington, of Pennsylvania, read ing portions of her works for the benefit of Wellesley College, and recitations by her young' son, "Little Lord Fauntleroy," are being applauded to the echo. "Gail Hamilton" has oflener than not been a resident of the capital, and now that her relative, Mr. Blaine, with whose fami ly she usually resides, is about to re-enter public life, the presence of the somewhat irascible Miss Dodge is again expected. SHARED CLEVELAND'S FATE. A lady relative of Mr. Cleveland, em ployed In the departments, has taken a dash into literature in the form of a first novel, but the fate of the infant work seems to have retired her from the field, as the fate of politics has retired the President. Mr. George Bancroft, tbe eminent historian, occupies one of the old mansions on H street, near the almost palatial home of Mr. John Hay. S6me years ago there appeared without any flourish of trumpets a little novel of Washingtonjlfe entitled "Democracy." It is mainly a satire,- and not a little overdrawn, but it '. is, in many features, the smartest thing that has been written Of Washington ways. More than one ol the characters were so true to the life of certain; individuals that tbev were at once recognized bv all who were familiar with tbe personality of high politi- , cal circles of that day, and that is possibly the reason why the author has never per mitted his or her name to be identified with the work. It is shrewdly supposed that the writer was a member of the society depicted. There are many persons yet resident in this city who are peculiarly anxious to learn the) identity of the anthor-of "Democracy." PROMINENT JOURNALISTS. Among- newspaper writers there are a number who have made some reputation in literary circles. "SubBosa," a very bright, though somewhat hastily written, and de cidedly realistic, noyel of Washington life, was the work some years ago of Mr. Charles T. Murray, the then correspondent of The Dispatch. Mr. George Kennan, famous by reason of his remarkable papers on life in Eussia, and his experiences .there, is a conspicuous figure in literary circles and Secretary Windom's Residence. deservedly very popular. 3Ir. Charles Jordhof, Mr. W. E. Curtis, Mr. Fred Perry Powers, Mr. Perry Heath, Mr. W. A. Croffut, and others whose names I do not now call to mind, have all stepped aside at times from the monotony of daily newspa per work to take a turn in the more preten tious walks of literature, and always with distinction to themselves. And among-the women journalists of tha capital there are several who have taken a similar departure with credit to their names. Aside from these resident writers of reputa tion, many of them not yet in full blossom, it is a notable fact that most of the promi nent writers of the country do not now feel as though they had given themselves the proper schooling of the year if they do not drop down upon the capital for a few weeks during "the season," and mingle with the domestic article, or submit to be lionized t.. 1 r-.: - i- .x i .... ujj wc liuuiunaoie set wno are particularly happy when they are able to "bring out" and show off thelionine literary annual at their entertainments. PROGRESS OF ART. Art, too, is making for itself a place at the capital as rapidly as can be expected. I dare say there are more amateur artists in this city than in any other city of It3 dimensions in the world. It is the fashion able thing to know how to "paint" more than ever before, and young women and young men dabble in art to an alarming de gree. The Art League is in a very flourishing condition. Heaton, its chief instructor, has all he can do in portraits. Prof. Andrews, of the Corcoran Gallery, has a dozen orders for portraits ot dis tinguished pnblic men and women, and is just finishing those of the late Chief Justice Waite and of Commissioner Webb. Holmes, Gill and Moser, were all highly praised by the critics of the recent exhibition of water colors in New York, and all made good sale of pictures, as did also Miss Tiers, ayounglady who is rapidly pushing her way into prominence. Fisher's studio is always overflowing with pupils. Cprrea, a charming and talented young; Spaniard from Ecuador, is very succesful as a teacher and portrait painter, and is growing rich in his profession. Ulke, a dear old fellow, one of the "men of '48" in Germany, makes all the money he wants at portraits. PAINTING CLEVELAND'S PORTRAIT. Uhl has just finished a full length por trait of Judge Shellabarger, and is about to begin one of President Cleveland. Max Weyl is fairly outdoing all his former brill iant efforts, and stands without a superior as a landscape painter in America, and his equals are exceedingly few. Miss Daisy Brown, who is pronounced a veritable prodigy by Cox and Chase, of New York, under whose tuition she was for a time, has just gone to Paris, and a letter received from no less a person than the great Chia livi declares that tbe writer will do all in his power to smooth the pathway ot tha young lady to fame. Truesdell, brother to the well-known correspondent of that name, is on the eve of his departure for Paris, taking with him a truly admirable picture in a group of his brother's family, intended for the saion of this vear. - I do not mention these artists for the pur pose of "puffing" them, but to show the skeptics of New York and Boston that if Washington has "no art," as they assert, there are at least some very successful art ists here, and some whose promise is, by their own admission, as great as that of any aspirant in those less benighted cities. There is also enough of an "art atmosphere" to create quite a sentiment in favor of the fonnding by the Government of a National Academy of Fine Arts, simultaneous with a great National University, and that is a grand step in the line of progress. V1T. Tbe Future of the National Capl!aL . If the past of Washington is interesting", if the present is absorbing, the future must assuredly be a maker of concern and curios ity. It is now called the prettiest city of the world by visitors who profess to have seen the cities of the world. It is certainly pretty in its wide, smooth streets, it avennes of trees, which flourish as trees do not in any other city I have seen, the broad rivers that almost surround it, the picturesque scenery of its suburbs and the variety of its architecture. This last is not particularly superior in its artistic qualities, generally speaking, but its very variety lends the city at large a picturesqneness that is "not found elsewhere, excent in some of those rare old cities of the East, quaint in projecting stor ies, oriel and dormer windows, and rich in that color which can only come with age. One forbidding feature, however, is tha broken and straggling character of the edifices which line the streets. The older shanties, hovels and cheap dwellings, especially north and west, are being rapidly uprooted by the better class of dwellings, ranging from tbe comfortable house worth, with its lot, $4,000 or $5,000, up the edifice which of itself Is worth $100,000. Eut the streets are not filled with these. SIDE BY SIDE. Beside the mansions of the wealthy are often found the hovels occupied, if not At the Oyster Wharf. fIL'i kmWimi mmmiwmmM sWSr1" -SUSHI owned, by the poor, black and white. Ths -. shanties are often owned by rich men, or by J speculators, who are holding the property jdf for a higher price. They care little in re? gard to the character of the persons. to . whom thev rent their hovels, if they, get' -enough rental to cover the taxes, whichit is quite well known, are usually made vy light upon land held by speculators. Bat tbe streets' are filling up rapidly. The poor are being compelled, to "moTe on," tbe sbanties are disappearing; and" within five years, at the present rate of building, every street west and north will be solidly built up with dwellings, nearly every one of which is distinct in architect, ure from every other; the long lines of ash, and maple, and tulip, and other trees, win have reached maturity, tha "nuli.i which fronts the dwellings oa-MMlyerSyi ; street, from 5 to 30 feet, wJat6tT3td