Evening Star Newspaper, December 28, 1895, Page 12

THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1895—TWENTY-FOUR PAGES. AIL CAR THE WHITE M The Pretty Work Done by the Penn- sylvania Avenue Postal Route. SAVES TIME AND MONEY EVERY HOUR The System is to Be Developed and Extended to Other Lines. MAILED ON THE ROAD HE THE SUN the little white mail car on the Washing- ton and Georgetown line will have com- pleted its first week of service. Yesterds a Star reporter tum bled through the brass-lined doors, landing half on his head and somewhat bn his feet, and made the round trip to observe the working of the new system. The car itself is an old-fashioned horse car remodeled. The interior fittings are entirely rew, and comprise the latest con- veniences in railway mail equipment. The car being of the old-fashioned type ts too short, and rides too roughly to be all that could be desired. It is about sixteen feet lcng, and the trucks are in the middle ¢f the car, so that with the slack of the train and the rough starting and stopping, the inmates are pretty badly jounced about, and not infrequently thrown off their feet. On the first day's trip the two clerks were more thaa ouce thrown off their feet, and on one occasion both flat on the floo, The fittings, consist of a large pigeonhole case at one end of the car, with 240 compart- ments, the bottom ef the shelving slanting downward on the inside, so that a letter once thrown into a pigeonhole cannot by any means fall out. In the bottom of each pigeonhole is a hole to prevent accumula- tions of dust. On one side of the car is an fron rack, equipped with y stout iron Just Received. flooks, on which the mail pouches are hung. On the other side is a broad, flat table, to receive the contents of the sacks and pouches that are put on the car. Tuckad about in various convenient nooks and corners are drawers and cupboards for the storage of twine, route slips, paper and the numberless useful things required in the railway clerk's dally round of toil. On each side of the car are large doors, nicely bound in brass, through which the mail and sacks are passed out and . There is but one entrance door to the car, the pigeonhole case occupying one whole end and returning three or four feet on each side of the car. Windows and doors are covered with strong iron netting, and in every way the car is pro- cted and strengthened from any possible Net an Experiment. Introduction of the street railway while it is new The mall car in Washington, here, is by no means experimental, as scores of these cars are in operation in New York, Brooklyn, Bostor, Chicago, St. Louis, Cin- cinnati and elsewhere. In handling the enormous mails of those cities these cars have been found to be of surprisingly great service, both in saving time and expense, 30 that it was only a matter of time when they should be introduced here in Washington. The main line of the Washington and Georgetown railway, traversing the entire length of the city through its main artery of traffic and travel, was naturally the first to. he thought of when it was proposed to Introduce this service. Under a contract with the Post Office Departmert, the rall- road company, a month azo, undertook to provide a car suitable for the service, and {ts shops were set at work upon it. Quick work was done with good results. Second Assistant Postmaster General Neilson and Mr. Charles W. Vickery, superintendent of the third division of the United States rail- way mail service, have given their diligent personal attention to all details, and hardly a day passes that they do not make a round trip on the car to note its working and sug- gest improvements and conveniences. To Gen. Neilson the credit of the new system ig due. It was his conception, and it is re- garded as the greatest postal discovery of the times. How It Works. This street mail service is known as the “Pennsylvania avenue rallway post office.” It is directly in charge of Superintendent Vickery, and is scheduled and systematized precisely as would be any other route m the railway mail service. The present schedule provides for receipt and delivery of mail at fifteen points on the line. The first is the terminus in Georgetown. Here is a large, bright red box, where letters may be mailed and to which only the clerks of the railway mail service have access. The keys carried by the collectors of the city post office will not open this box. Only those carried by the railway mail clerks open it. Collecting the mail deposited in this box at the terminus, the car makes its next stop at tie Georgetown post offce, known as At the Door. Wtation A. Here a waxon a letter @arrier and porter stands ready to rec the mail to be thrown off ani taken The next stop is made at substation No. 24, it 2500 Pennsylvania sy Here there no wagon, but si who livers a pouch. Stop e also made at 941 Pennsylvania avenue, 17th street and ennsylyania avenue, the corner of F and ‘| ing the day. 15th streets, where pouches are exchanged for station C, at 1413 F street; then at sub- station No. 18, corier of 13th and Penns. vania avenue; substation No. 6, at sylvaria avenue, and at 6th streét. mail wagon stands ready, waiting for the arrival of the car. pouches destined for the general city post office and for the Baltimore and Potomac station are thragn off and sacks and pouches intéAded for Capitol Hill and other, points east are thrown on. The next stop is at substation No. 26, corner of 3d street and Pennsylvania avenue; again at the cor- ner of the avenue and 2d street southeast and at the corner of 4th and the avenue, where a wagon from station B receives and delivers. The next stop is at substation No. 28, at 650 Pennsylvania avenue southeast then at substation No. 8, on Sth street south east, and finally at the terminus at the Nav Yard, at the corner of Sth and M streets southeast. Durfg the initial week of this service pouches have been delivered for George- town, Capitol Hil, F street and the gen. eral city post office. No. deliverte: heen made to the substations, tions made from all of them. “The amount atter handied on a single round trip During Christmas week it was naturally very large, but even on such an ordinary day as yesterday it must have amounted to over a ton during the whole trip. ‘To those who have seen Little of the inside of the post office the contents of the mail bags emptied on the table would have been a surprise. Besides the hundreds of packages of letters and busheis of news- papers there were all sorts of packax some in huge boxes, some in sacks an dangerously long rolls, The Daily Trips, The car is in charge of D. J. Partello and A. B. Carter, both bright, active young clerks, who have served their time in handling mails and who were selected for this assignment because of their efficiency and accuracy. They do not work to- gether on the car, but divide up the day between them. Mr. Partello comes on duty in the morning and runs up to 1 , When he is relieved by Mr. Carter, remains on the car until 11:43 at The first start Is made at 5:36 a.m. ‘om Georgetown and at 6:55 a.m. from the vy Yard. The last trip from George- towr si S$ at 10:24 p.m. and the last one from the Navy Yard at 11:06 p.m. On holl- days but 5 round trips are made; on Sua- lays but two, and on other days’ thirteen. It takes thirty-seven minutes to go from terminus to terminus, with five minutes in- terval between arrivals and departure: When the car reaches the terminus it who ulght. is at once taken charge of by the employes of the road and switched into position at at the rear cf each train, When going westward the closed end of the car fronts the train, and the passengers, of cout ey are unable to look within. Going eas ward the open end of the car fronts the train, and It is possible to see all that Is going on inside. This is a source of end- less interest and amusement to the thou- sands of people who ride on this train dur- At every stop and each termi- nus the car fs usually surrounded by a lit- }ftle knot of boys and men, all curious and eager to see the inside of the car and what is going on. No Easy Job. From start to finish there is hardly a moment of cessation tn the work. Neither Mr. Partello nor Mr. Carter were able yesterday to do any talking. Mr. Geo. R. hultz, examiner in the third division of the railway mail service, very kindly made the round trip with The Star reporter, and explained the | muttitudinous compli. cations of the ice. n | clerk, and now and then he dipped in and assisted Partello and Carter, throwing packages and letters with all the skill and confiderce of one to se Mr. Schultz is old railway mail the manner born. ‘The first thing the clerk does with a pouch of mail thrown on at any point is 4. to unlock the stout, heavy, leathern pouch and dump its entire contents on the table. Hanging on te heavy iron rack are canvas sacks for sec- ond, third and fourth-class matter, and leathern pouches for letters. Sometimes the kayes of letters have had their stamps celled and sometimes not. When the service is in full working order the various stations and substations will cancel all let- ters. Nevertheless, yesterday several pouches came aboard the car, with hundreds of un- Stamped letters, and the clerks stamped them with the old-fashioned rubber stamp, moving like lightning and rattling the let- ters under their hands with the precision and regularity of a machine. ‘Three leath- ern pouches hanging on the fron rack re- celved the letter mail. One of these vuches was labelled to go to the general city post oifice, another to station B, on apitol Hill, and the third to catch the af- ternoon train from New York at the Balu- rcre and Potomac station. > nractical- ly constituted the classification of the B. Carter. letter mail received on the car. ving with the celerity and skill of a magician. the clerk _ open pack: t- ters and t throw one here au one there Into th pigeon-hole case, un. til, when a few blocks had bee: tra , the entire contents of the pouch had been dis posed of. As the suc cessive stations wer mee passed and pouches Mr. Par Were thrown aboard, this process was re- peated. Out of every pouch there were a number of packages that did not have to be opened, but could be thrown at once into the pouches on the rack. In regard to these packages, Mr. Schultz explained that where in the substations they have a num- ber of letters going to the same city they were tled up and a slip address, with the name of the clerk placed on the under side of the package, the top letter furnishing the address for the guidance of the railway mail clerk. All letters to go on a route embracing a number of cities in different states are tied up with the package slip on top. On this slip the address of the route is printed in plain letters that can_be read quickly and easily by the clerks. For the present many of these addresses have to be written by the clerk, because the new service has not yet fully brought out all the accessories required. By Regular Schedule. The contract with the raflroad company requires stops to be made by the motor- man at each of the fifteen points along the line, where mail 1s received or delivered without any signal being given, but when the stop has been made, it is expected that the mail clerk will signal for the train to start again, The stops are, some of them, very short. At other points, however, it sometimes takes very lively work not to cause a delay. For instance, at 6th street a great deal of mail is exchanged at each of the twenty-six stops made there during the day. The orders issued to the clerks, direct them to make up pouches for all the principal trains going out of the Baltimore and Potomac station over the Pennsyl- vania, Southern, Washington and Ohio, At- lantie Coast Line, Chesapeake and Ohio and tributary lines. All these trains are sched- uled by number, railway mail route and time, and whenever the car stops at 6th street the clerk has a pouch ready for that train which is next to leave the Pennsyl- _vanla station alter the car reaches 6th street, As the car approaches the end of the route the clerk begins to “tie out his case,” as it is called. ‘Taking the letters which have been thrown into each of the pigeon hol s them with the coarse tow str h Unele Sam provides for his mail clerk, and, with a quick turn once lengthwise of the letter and twice cross- wise, the clerk deftly tles all letters des- tined for a common point, with a slip on top, if the package is to go over a route racing a number of addresses, or be- neath if they go to any one city, writes his name on the slip and throws it into its ap- propriate pouch. He then wrices his name cn the slip to fix his responsibility for the work he doe: ery clerk keens tab on ery other clerk, with whom he has deal- stakes are reported and man who inakes them. clerk has his sianding reentage of errors and his eflic xamination conducted by the miner in his division. Not all of tie 240 plgeonholes are used at present. As the service develops and un- folis more of these boxes will be employ- ed. At present about seventy are used. ‘ne row of pigeonholes up and down on ¢ right hand of the end of the car covers all destinations in the city of Washington. Once a fixed The heavy sacks and | One bex is labeled “Official another “Senate P. ¢ another, “House P. 0.;" another, “Box Department.” Each station and substation also has a pigeonhole. The letters thrown into any of these boxes are tied up, addressed with slips and when sent to the general city post office can be ‘ily distributed as they are addressed. des the facility for prompt c of mails collected at the various substa- tions, the public can drop letters on | the mail car itself. This opportunity thus ‘far, however, has received very little attention. Perhaps a dozen letters a day are mailed on the car itself. They fall into a flat chute clcse to the table where the clerk distributes his mails, and he is bound to see them the moment they fall into the car, A Registered Sack. On the trip westward yesterday from the Navy Yard there came aboard at 4th and Pennsylvania avenue southeast, from the station B wagon, a small brown-striped canvas bag. Its lock was probably the most peculiar ever made. This, Mr. Shultz plained, was an inner registered letter ck. Its label stated that it was sent by the postmaster at station B to the genera] city pest office. As quick as he saw it, Mr. Carter whipped out a small book and ex- amined the lock, which was a peculiar tumbler construction. The combination as seen clearly on the tumblers was U-710. Dixtributing. Moving back a little ccpper slide another combinatior appeared as ( ‘The clerk quickly entered these in Fis book, together with the label address. Then upon a green card, somewhat like a posfal card, he wrote his own address, “W. E. Carter, Pennsylv ria avenue railway post office, Washington, and upon the reverse side the num- bers and address on the lock, and threw it in the station B pigeonhole in his case, to be tied up in the next package of letters to go to the station B post office, where the aster would sign it and return It to ‘arter, to whom It would be a recelpt for the registered sick. The registered sack itself was put into the pouch, ad- dressed to the general city post office. The Direct Advantages. The direct advantages secured by this mall car on Pennsylvania avenue appear at once in the first week's service. It saves one handling of the mails. Instead of dispatch- ifig accumulations of mail at Georgetown, Capitol Hill and other stations at regular intervals to the general city post office, there to be assorted and distributed by clerks, tt ts by one operation collected and distributed on the car. In other words, one cierk incessantly at work does what eight or ten are required to do at Intervals with large accumulations of mail. At the same time mail to go out of the city goes directly from each point of collection to the train at the Baltimore and Potomac station, For letters within the city the highest degree of promptness has been attained. For in- stance, if at one minute before the dep ture of the car at the terminus in George- town a letter addressed to some resident of Capitol Hill is dropped in the big, red, rail- way mail box, the clerk gets it, and In thirty- one minutes hands {t off the in the pouch labeled to go to station B. Five minutes later the wagon reaches that station, the pouch Is emptied, the entire contents dis- tributed, and at 3 o'clock the carriers are out on their routes to make their deliveries. A letter mailed ata time to catch the car on a trip that will nicely dovetail into the car- riers’ time schedule will go from sender to receiver in about three-quar of an hour. Better service than this is inconceivable, So great are the advantages secured by this new system that it is only a quesiion of time when cars will be placed on the 14th and 7th street lin ‘Today an order went Into effect by which all mail for the navy yard up to 6 p.m. is delivered to an orderly sent by Commo- Gore Howell to the navy yard terminus. Hitherto the latest delivery to the navy yard was made at‘3 p.m. This new deliv- ery by the car will include all New Yo mail leaving that city at 9:30 and all Wash- ington mail up to 6 p.m. It is expected that when larger cars are used, the postal collectors who gather up the contents of the boxes in the neighbor- hood of Pennsylvania avenue will get on the car, have the rrail collections canceled by the clerk and made up for their destined carrier routes. So, too, will carrier deliv- eries be made up on the steam railway routes coming into the city, ready for prompt service by carriers, who will at stated points along the line meet the car and get their packages assorted and in proper order for instant delivery. Gen, Neilson said todey that before long all official mail from the various depart- ments would be sent and received through the street railway mail cars. Tne weather bureau, State, War and Navy,White House, Department of Justice, Treasury, the Capi- tol and Congressional Library are all on the route of this first car. With wagon ex- changes the Post Office and Interlor De- partments and the pension office could be accommodated now, and when a car 1s placed on the 7th street line the system will be easily put in operation. —_—_>__. PIANO TOUCH ON PAPER. A Device That Has Lately Been Used— It is Simple. From the Globe-Democrat. Evenness of touch is the elusive quality |- that a plano student thinks himself for- tunate if he can attain in a dozen years of laborious practice. One of the reasons for the tediousness of progress in touch study is the difficulty of telling by the mere sound whether the notes are pressed with absolute equality of force. A device that can be relied upon to give a graphic rep- resentation of the tension and pressure of the fingers, in such a form that a student can actually see what he is doing, and cor- rect his own errors, may be the means of Saving years of hard work to piano play- ors. Such an apparatus has been con- structed in France. It is quite simple in construction, and consists chiefly of a rub- ber tube placed under the keyboard, united at its extremities by a registering drum, also of rubber. When the notes of the piano are played, the pressure on the tube cause3 a wave of air to be sent through it into the drum, to which is attached a pen that records 1ts movement on a moving roll of paper. The wave makes the drum vi- brate, and the motion is communicated to the pen, which leaves irregular marks’ on the paper. The board on which the tube rests is regulated by means of wedges ad- justed to a screw. When raised, it almost reaches the notes of the plano, and the ap- pliance is then ready for the work of registration. When no music is being play- ed the recording tape shows simply a straight line. The instrument is extreme- ly sensitive, and the peaks seen on the re- cording tape vary in height according to the degree of force with which a note is struck. In the case of an even shake the peaks show Ike a long drawn out range of miniature mountains, of uniform hetght and shape; a characterless, lop-sided shake, on the contrary, is*shown on the paper as a series of weak, Irregular and jumbled markings. This instrument is likely to be of great service as an edacational agent. Even artists of high attainments can de- rive much benefit from it, s! formance of a pianoforte by great artist can be graphically impressed on the recording scroll and can be after- ward followed and studied from beginning to end. This may prove to be almost as valuable as a method of musical tuition as the phonograph is found to be in the teach- ing of language accent and enunciation. A DAY WITH AMEMBER How Congressmen Pass the Hours of ; Daylight. THEY HAVE VERY LITLE WORK 0 DO The LaboF of This Session Falls to a Few Leaders. THE ADVANTAGES OF CLERKS SS ‘The work of a member of Congress, unless he happens to be a leader upon whom re- msibilities fall, is very light this session. re 1s practically no patronage hunting to be done, the republizans having the wrong sort of an administration to deal with, and the democrats having xot about all they have to hop for in the way of ap- pointments from Mr, Cleveland.’ With the disagreeable task of office hunting out of the way, there is comparatively little of real troublesome work that a member's cleric may not relieve him of. These clerks are great institutions, and the man who comes to Congress now for the first time cannot appreciate what a hard time his predecessor had before clerks were allowed, The man- ual labor of writing a large number of let- ters each day and of loo’ing up information for speeches or for any other purpose is now escaped. But few men in the present House have the prospect of hard work before them. Most of the committees will have nothing to do. ‘The committee on ways and means, which is usually hard worked, has firished its labors, as far as any one can see, and can look complacently upon the future. The committees on elzetions have a great deal to do, but the work ts divided cp, and It is expected that all witl be soon over with. ‘The appropriations committee has its usual work, and those other committees having appropriation bills cannot ¢ immunity from labor, but beyond there is 5 that hardly any work in sight that the commit- tees will have to do, unless, to get cam- paign material, they take up investigations. Bills are numerous enough, but very few of them demand attention, or are likely to receive any. : Upon two or three members on the demo- cratic side and half a dozen or so on the republican side will fall the labor of look- ing out for party politics. These leaders have to join the issues on the big general questions and look up the records for cam- paign material to put into speeches. The leaders must do this; ,otners 1:.ay or may Not assist, just as they feel about it. Leisure Time. The average member of the House has ample time to think over his own affatrs, or to study and prepare himself for a ca- reer, or to devote to theater going and pleasure. He dos not have to get to the Capitol much before 12 o'clock, unless he happens to have been assigne] to one of the few working committees, and he does not always have 40 go to the Capitol at all. The present peeuilar conditions make it so that he does not have to work hard unless he is ambitious,,and even the most am- bitious may be discouraged of any effort to gratify their desire of emiaenze through work. What time the member gets up in the morning dépends upon what time he es to bed, and that may depend upon any things, among others, upon what sort a man he is..-The average man break- fasts about 9 o'clock. Half an hour before that his morning's mail is brought around. rly Morning Duties. It will consist of maybe half a dozen news- papers, a lot of pamphlets, tracts and adver- tisements, and from ten to twenty-five let- ters. All the newspapers except the Iccal paper of his own home goes into the waste basket promptly. ‘These «re foliowed by the pamphlets and advertiyements, and finally some of the letters. M of the latter have to be answered. Some of them require something to be ments or els they ive work before Generally the reply in line. Before is tetter writing in- or for the meimb alied in. Those 1 off-hand are werad. can be made at once clerks were allowed, yived very trying aw the stenographer ts letters which can be answe first dis dof. Brief replies, most of them in the same stereotyped form, are dictated. ‘The clerk is thendnstrueted to look up what is required by the other letters and to make reply according to the result of his researct or inquiries. The mamber then reads his home paper and - looks ver the principal features of one of the Washingt pipers, cuts out anything about himse! slances at the stock market reports, reads the head- lines of the foreign news, reads speculations ecncerning Congress and politics, and then sets out for the dz sa’ cominitiee meeting at the ali this merning work will be s and much of it postponed until later in the @. If the meeting hour, he w or 11. If the demaniing hi: rival at the called for 10 v'eloct i nh nz of the usual is no mee this sort ttention, the hour of his ar- ‘apitol is regulated largely by | his fondness for being seen in his seat, or for mingling in the gossip ante-session as- semblage. He is likely to appear on the floor of the House any time between 11:13 and 12. 5 . At the Capital. Whatever time he has to spare between his arrival and the hour of prayer is de- voted to gossip with his colleagues. Near the elevator, by the basement entrance prin- cipally used, is the House post office. Here the member stops on his way to the hall of the House and gets his second morning mail. He may get from two to half a dozen letters. These he usually reads during the session of the House. If he did not have a clerk, he would have to answer them as he read them, but, as it now is, a note on the back will re- mind him of their contents, and he puts them away until he can get hold of his stenographer. Some members do not have any of their mail delivered at their lodg- ings, but get It all at the post office on their arrival at the Capitol, and read it during the session. Some also postpone reading their newspapers until the House meets. If the member has any bills he has been asked to introduce, or which he has had his stenographer prepare for him, he hands them to one of the clerks at the desk or puts them in the receptacle designated for bills at some time during the day. If he has a bill or resolution he wants unanimous con- sent to have coysidered during the morning hour, he endeayors to see the Speaker be- fore the House meets, to arrange for reeog- nition, and if he does not succeed in this he takes his place In the semi-circular space in front of the, Speaker's desk immediately after prayer, and, With bill held in the air, awaits the Spéaker’s recognition, meanwhile making frantfe effgtts to catch that evasive orb, the Speaker's'pye. When the recogni- tion has been arranged beforehand, he has but to stand-in hfs place on the floor and: address the Speaker. During the session, after the morning our, the member seldom pays any attention to the regular proceed- ings unless they personally interest lim. The Datly Grind. His time fs then demanded between reading letters or the newspapers, looking over the Record, discyssing some question or ex- changing gossip and stories with some of his colleagues, at his seat, in the cloak room or in the Speaker's’ lobby; receiving visitors in the lobbies, going to lunch, and making an occasional, visit to the other wing of the Capitol to see his Senator. If he is easily entertained, and is not given to talking, he may lean back in his chair most of ihe day, with his hands folded, and listen in an ab- stracted, inattentive sort of way to what is going on about him, without participating in it or fully realizing what it is. Some- times, seized with a fit of Industry or with the view of having his evening free, he may retire to the Speaker's Io mittee room, with his cler! his correspondence. An oceasional trip to the restaurant may releve the monotony, or he may saunter through the corridors seeing the crowd and heing seen, or he’ma sit for awhile with a visitor in’ one of galleries. Usually as much time is occupied in going to the corridors in response to cards as in any other way. It is seldom that he pays any attention to the business of the House, except on some special occasion, or when he has a direct inte up. After adjournment he either gets an- other mail at the post ofiice or ft is delivered at his lodgings, and this again demands his attention. All told, he may have a dozen letters during the day, or he may have fifty. The lighter mail of the afternoon he may dispose of before dinner or he may let it go over until morning. After dinuer it is a call, the theater, visitors, an evening in the parlor with the ladies, a loaf in the hotel corridors, or a hunt through volumes in preparation of a speech held in contempla- tion, to be delivered at some time, according to sentiment and circumstances. The thea- ters and the hotel lobbies are the most com- mon places of resort in the cvening. The men who, from their positions, have responsibility for the policy of the House and have to take charge of the business, in the capacity of leaders, have much more work to do. They have scarcely time to dis- pose of what is forced upon them, and some- times they point out lines of work for other members, whose time is not so much occu- pied. They deWve themselves, and endeavor to inspire the less responsible, and, there- fore, less active members, to work and re- Search which may be useful to make a po- ideal point or to aid or injure a proposition. o-—___ IN THE CHURCHES The congregation of Trinity German Lutheran Church has called Rev. * Mr. Schlerf of Milwaukee to the pastorate of the church. He is recommended by the presiding officer of the synod. Rev. Wm. C. H. Luebkert, the present pastor, ts to preach his farewell sermon tomorrow. It was mentioned two or three weeks ago in The Star that Rey. W. H. Gotwald, D. D, pastor of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, had resigned his position, and the resigna- tion had been accepted by the church council. Since then the council itself has resigned for the most part, and the con- gregation, as a whole, have refused to ac- cept Dr. Gotwald’s resignation, It seems very likely now that the doctor will be pre- vailed upon to remain in Washington. Thursday of last week the members of the Marist College at Brookland, including priests and students, celebrated the golden jubilee of the entry into the order of their superior general, Rey. Father A. Martin, a native of France. Assembly Presbyterian Church is to cele- brate the week of prayer by services. Be- ginning with the evening of January 5, there are to be meetings every- evening, which will be conducted by Rev. C. H. Little, D. D., of Logansville, Ind., brother to Rev. Dr. Little, pastor of Assembly. Yesterday evening the Sunday school of Assembly held their annual Christmas en- tertainment, which included a program of music and other exercises, concluded by a distribution of boxes of candy. The col- lection which was taken up Is to be given to the Central Union Mission and to the George Maulsby Home for Newsboys. Monday evening the Young Men's Chris- tian Associaticn held the closing exercises of the first term of Its educational depart- ment. President L. Cabell Williamson de- livered an address, during the course of which he talked about “Punctuality and Earnestness” as valuable traits of charac- ter in young men. Frank S. Brown gave five or six recitations, both humorous and otherwise, and Chas. Hayden Chase played and sang. Brief addresses were also made by Mr. Hanna, shorthand teacher; W. C. Henry, arithmetic and bookkeeping teach- er; J. W. Crawford, typewriting teacher, and Harry O. Hine, in charge of the Eng- lish department. Mr. Hanna was present- ed with a handsome rocking chair by the members of his class, and at the close of the entertainment candy was distributed. ‘There were in all about seventy-five of the Students present, and during the year the membership in this branch of the Y. M. C. A, reached above 25 The next meeting of the District Epworth League, not counting the installation of officers meeting, is to be held in the early part of February, under the charge of the spiritual department, Rev. F. J. Clark, first Mice president-elect, in charge. The officers held a meeting last week, informally, but the new board of control is not to get to- Sether until next week. When this takes place, President Mathews will be presiding over a nearly entirely new board, as recent chapter elections have changed the repre- sentation considerably. W. H. Kerr will ucceed R. L. Balns_ as president of Poundry Chapter; C. E. Roberts succeed Robert T. Carr at Douglas Memoria! 1. Middleton, vice F. T. Israel, at M 3 Engle, vice Jas. A. Edgar, Lynn, vice George S. Gib- son, at Grace, Edward W. Willlams, vice M. A. Watson, at Hamline; J. 8. Barker, vice W. H. Main, at Wesley. Services are now being held in the lecture room of the new Second Baptist Church, colored, and work is soon to begin again on the finishing of the main auditorium. A fair has been held in the lecture room for the past month, and is now about closing. The proceeds from this will be devoted to the work of completion. The Young Men's Christian Association has issued curds of invitation for a recep- ion for young men on New Year day, from to 8 o'clock, at the First Cougre; urch. This reception is to be he ly with one which Rev. Dr. S. M. and wife are accustomed to hold annually. On the part of the association, Mrs. L. Cabell Williamson, the wife of the presi- dent, will head the receiving party. A collection of fossil fish, which is re- ported to be worth $1,000 and of great value in studying prehistoric fish, has been eived at the American University, through the medium of the North Ohio con. ference. The donor is Mr. William Kepp- ter, and in the collection are a great variety of specimens, most of which are, or rather were, gathered from west of the Alle- ghanies, ,the Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor of Ryland M. E. Church ve lected as president B. F. Gilmore, and Clyde Todd as secretary, As a result of the fall conferences in the west of the Methodist Episcopal Church there has been nearly $13,000 subscribed to the Asbury Memorial Hall of the American University. The amounts and the confer- ences which subscribed are, in detail, as follows: Detroit conference, $5, the Michigan conference, $4,016; the North Ohio conference, $3,605; the Central Swedish con-" ference, Mw), John D, Flint of Fall River, Mass., has made a large donation to the American University, reference to which has been made in The Star. A present of a complete set of twenty-three volumes of the Pioneer Collections of Michigait has also been re- ceived from the Secretary of State for that state, Washington Gardner. Six books have is received from F. K. Smart of detroit. A lectern, In the form of an open leuf of brass, has been set up in St. Margaret's P. E. Chyreh, and all the other chancel furniz ture. including altar rail, puipit and com- munion set, and within the past two weeks handsome pews made in New York ar- rived, and are now in their places. Profes- sor John Porter Lawrence nas organized a choir, which has rendered the music on several cecasions, The personnel of the choir Is. as follows: Organist and director, Jehn Porter Lawrence; precontor, Edwin I. ‘Tracy; sopranos and altos, Charley Beard, Preston Cullum, Howard Bayley, Christo. pher Cox, Robert Corby, Thomas Dorsey, Conrad Doyle, Grafton Page, Will Sm: h, unk Wallace, Clark Wells, Dudley Ton cray, St. John Hartsock und Frank Wal- Jace; tenor, C. E. Latimer, and bassos, Dr. A. B. Mitchell and A. L. Barritt, It is probable that this year thers will be no joint celebration of the week of prayer which begins Sunday week except in cases when three or four churches unite. Nearly all the churches, however, will observe the season, and in the case of those churches in the neighborhood of the Luther Memorial and Vermont Avenue Churches, there is to be a joint series of me the former church, The Presbyterian. churches, of which there are the neighborhood of elghteen in the city, are to hold joint n-eet- Ings at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, and a celebration of the communion at the Chureh of the Covenant. The First Baptist Church is to hold Christmas services tomorrow. The music at the church recently has been sung by the congregation without the aid of a choir, but tomorrow there is to be a quartet, assisted by a practiced chorus of cwenty-five voices, The quartet is as follows: Mrs. Gardner, scprano; Mrs. C. B. Rheam, alto; Melville Hensey, tenor; Professor N. Dushane Clow- ard, bass, and Perey S. Foster, organist and rector. Yesterday evening the Sunfay school of North Capitol M. E. Church held its annual Christmas celebration. There was a juve- nile drill under the dire2tion of Miss’ Liz ze King, a large tree and a Santa Claus house. Candy was distributed to about three hundred and fifty scholars. ‘The Sunday school of Wesley M. E. Church has elected officers as follows: Su. perintendent, W. Relin Woodwar1 ants, J. S. Barker, Miss Nellie Huff, Mi Carrie Huff; superinteadent of the heme department, which now numbers one hun- dred, Mrs. Anna Woodward; secretary, Mor- ris Woodward; treasurer, S. Barker, and librarian, T. Pursell Woodward. ‘The Methodist Union, which was to have held a meeting Monday ing, w not meet until the following Monday at Wesley 3 Church. The union is now engaged in rals- ing the money with which to pay a debt in- curred in helping North Capitol Church. The president is Mr. G. W. F. Swartzell. A number of workers of the Central Union Mission, headed by Mr. J. M. Muncaster, are to assist Rev. Charles L. Pate, pastor of North Capitol Church, in holding the ser- vices of the week of prayer. The first one will be the watch night service, and the last on the 12th of January. Arrangements are being made for the In- stallation of the new officers of the District Epworth League, the exercises in connec- tion with which will take place at Hamline M. E. Church Wednesday evening, January 8, 1896. Presiding Elder Wilson will offi- cate as chairman of the meeting, and Rep- resentative James E. Watson of Indiana, ex-president of the Indiana Epworth League, will deliver an address. Banners will be presented to the senior and junior chapters shcwing the largest proportionate gain during the year. An orchestra has been secured to help with the music. Archbishop Gross of Portland, Ore. a brother of Alfred G. Gross of this city, has come east to attend the ceremonies in con- rection with investing Cardinal Satolli with the symbols of his new office. He will preach in St. Paul's Catholic Church to- morrow, and will be the guest of Rev. Father Mackin. He was formerly bishop of Savannah, Ga., and comes of an old Balti- more family. He began his clerical career as a Redemptorist father, ind during the late war he served as chaplain at the hos- pital in Annapolis. : =e THE ROAD BETWEEN. A Bit of Life and Desth in the Cum- berland Mountains. From the Detroit Free Press. A cabin beside the rude trail leading up the slope of a mountain—two or three acres of half-cultivated ground—poverty within and poverty without. An old end _ half- starved mule wandering about—three or four dogs lying in the sun—a mountaineer and his wife smoking their pipes on the doorstep. It is ignorance in solitude—con- tentment in poverty. It is half an hour since the wife joined her husband, and yet 1ot a word has passed between them, She knits and smokes and raises her eyes only at long intervals. He smokes and thinks and his gaze is on the tree tops across the road. Queer people, these mountaineers of the Cumberland. They are stoical, silent, vary, morose. They are always thinking and thinking. They seem suspicious even of each other. They come and go—they live—they die, but as no other class of peo- ple. They have their ways, and their ways descend from father to son. By and by the tuen speaks. Without taking his eyes from the tree tops or the pipe from his mouth he says: “Joe's a-comin’. “Reckon he ar’, looking up. A quarter of a mile down the trail is a man walking slowly and carrying a rifle on bis shoulder. Neither of those on the door- step have seen him, but their quick ears have detected the sound of footsteps among the stones. They do no* look after speaking. Their eyes are not fixed upon him until he stands before them and lets the butt of his rifle fall to the ground. Howdy?" says the new arrival. answer man and woman in replied the wife without Yes, powerful.” No more is said unt#l Joe fills and lights his pipe, and takes a seat on a near-by stump. Then the woman, her eyes on his feet, quietly asks: ‘Reckcen him orter do it, Joe?” “Of co’se him orter,” replies Joe. Yes, fur shore,” adds the husband. tll be the ole man?” said the woman after a pause, lasting two minutes. “The ole man, of co’se,” added the hus- band. One of the dogs lazily arose and walked over and licked Joe's hand, and in return he patted the animal's head in a half-kind way. It was five minutes before any one spoke again. The wife had grown pale- faced, and her fingers trembied as she plied the needles. There was something like anxiety im her tones as she said: “I wish Jim wouldn't do it. I don’t like this killin’.” “Hev to kill,” replied Joe as he took the dog's ear in his hand. Yes, hev to kill," added the husband as he arose and yawned and stretched his limbs. Joe held the rifle out to him, and he took it and hefted it and examined Its several perts and nodded his head with satisfac- th Yo’ kin drap him at forty rods,” said Joe, as he pushed the dog aw@: “From thirty-five to forty,” answered Jim, as he brought the weapon up and sighted along the barrel. “Got to make suah work.” oa suah work. Come fur it tomor- row. “Reckon I will. Day to yo’ all.” When the caller had gone his way the husband sat down and freshly filled his pipe and made another exumination cf the ritte. A long silence was broken by the wife's query: “What's the fussin’, Jim?” ‘ame as befo'."”" The ole man Taylor and our two hogs?’ Yes. He wants damages, and I won't “Gwine ter kill him?” “Fur_ shore.” “Wisheyo’ wouldn't.” “Got ter.” That ended the conversation. When he had exhausted his pipe he knocked the ashes out and rose up and entered the cabin. There was whisky in the cupboard and he helped himself to a drink. WHen he reappeared at the door he stood for a momeat, looking about, and the half-asleep dogs roused up and came gamboling about his feet. . Gwine now?" queried the wife. ‘Yes, gwie now.” Fie kicked the dogs aside and went Sf up the trail. The woman sat with her eyes en her work, and he cast no backward glance. The dogs followed for a few rods and then gave it up and returned to their dusty beds. Two miles up the trail was Taylor's cabin. It was the same sort of a Ecvel—same poor acres grown up to weeds—same poverty of pocket and intel lect. A woman sat smoking on the door- step, but she was alone. Her husband had gone down the trail with his rifle on his shoulder. “Gwine to kill Jim Green?” she asked as he was ready to go. ‘Reckon so,” he replied as he moved away. Two cabins—_two wives on the doorsteps— two men with rifles on the trall between. At that hight above the sea sound travels a long distance. Both women heard the crack of a rifle by and by, but both smoked cn. After an hour or two Taylor returned home. When he had lighted his pipe and taken a seat beside her, the wife asked: “Leave him down thar’? jeYes, let him down thar,” was the re- ply. ‘Two or three hours later a man stopped before the other cabin and said to the wo- man smoking her pipe on the doorstep: “Jim's bin. popped.” tng thar’?" she asked, pointing up the ra up thar’.” Wouldn't Break the Law. From the New York Mail and Express. A weary and disheveled man toiled pain- fully over the promenade of the Brooklyn bridge. He clung closely to the iron work on the right side of the walk and occasion- ally stopped to reflect. “Why don’t you get out in the middle here?” asked a policeman who had been watching the actions of the unsteady pedes- trian. “’Gainst the law, ole fel,” was the reply. “Guess you don't know me, hey “No, I don’t know you," returned the po- liceman. ‘Where do you live?” ‘Tne man waved his hand in the direction of Brookiyn. “Brooklyn?” queried the policeman, ne man nodded. ‘Don't know me?” he mumbied. “Why, I'm Joe Team. Live in Jol'man street.” eroloman street?" “Um. Jol man street.” “Well, why don't you get out here away from the sidi “Why,” repeated the wobbly gentleman, with a foolish smile. “Can't you read? Look at that sign there. Whatcher want me to do—break er law? Read a sign.” The policeman looked over into the road- way and this is what he read: woaded teams will keep to the right.” He Understood Her. From Tuck. Mrs. Gossippy—“About such things these, John, the less said the better.”’ Gessippy (with resignation): ‘ell me the whole story, then, dear.” as IN MUSICAL CIRCLES Mr. Bakemann's Hopes for the New Wash- ington Symphony Orchestra. Expectation That It May Give Its First Concert Early in the New Year. The new Washington Symphony Orches- tra, which made its first appearance in connection with the performance of the “Messiah” by the Choral Society, demon- strated its ability to properly interpret Handel's beautiful score, and Director Sherman was quite pleased with its work. Mr. Herman Rakemann, who has worked for several months to bring together this orchestra, felt gratified at the work of his force, and hopes that now the public, or such portion of it as attended this rep- resentation of the “Messiah” at Conven- tion Hall, has heard the orchestra and dis- covered what it can do, will now come for- ward and add to the subscription list now at Droop’s music store, so that the sum deemed necessary may soon be realized to enable the orchestra to give a concert that will fully demonstrate its ability. Mr. Rakemanr says that all he desires is to insure against loss, and he thinks that an organization such as he has assembled, composed as it is of picked performers, the very best upon their respective Instruments in the District, should receive the hearty and substantial encouragement of the mu- sic-loving community. If properly support- ed this orchestra will be a source of pride as well as gratification to the veople of Washington, for it will show other cities that this city can furnish a symphony or- chestra of its own and that it will not be obliged to go to Baltimore or anywhere else to secure an orchestra to accompany the Choral or any other society. The District has several orchestral bodies that have reflected credit upon the local instrumental musicians. First and fore- most is the Georgetown Amateur Orchestra, whose work long ago outgrew the character of amateurship indicated in its title; then there are the Wilhelmj Club, the Wagner Club, the Washingtcn String Orchestra and others that might be named. All these have done creditable work, and the new orchestra of Mr. Rakemann adds another to the hon- orable list. It is believed that additional signatures to the subscription list will be rapidly made, so that the Washington Sym- phony Orchestra can give its first concert early in the nsw year. . News comes from Mr. Harry Wheaton Howard, who is now hard at work in Ber- lin. He won his entrance into the school at which he is studying in competition with about a hundred applicants, being well up on the lst of the twenty who were succesiuL Besides devoting himself to piano, organ and composition, he has found time to complete a romantic and a comic opera, which will see the light under favorable auspices. His many friends in this city will be gratified to learn of his progress, for no young man has gone from this city with a higher ambition or more indomitable perseverance. These, united to his natural talent, should place him in the front rank of musicians all in good time. Anton Kaspar is diligently studying In Prague, and his teacher speaks in high terms of h's preparatory equipment, which was furnished by his brother, Prof. Josef Kaspar. His musicianly speech is also rec- ognized, and he promises to become a bril- Kant violin virtuoso. Miss Ruth Thompson sang Ben Bolt at the “Trilby” performance three times last week, taking Miss Clary’s place, who was called to New York. This week Miss Field- ing Roselle has been the vocalist, Miss Clary being ill in New York, and it is not unlikely that Miss Rosele will sing with the company in Philadelphia. Miss Roselle has made rapid strides since she took up her residence in New York, and has already gained quite a reputation as a choir, concert and orctorio singer. She has already en- gagements to sing in the “Messiah” and “Elijah” for this season, At St. Patrick's Church, New Year eve, there will be a special Thanksgiving ser- vice, at which Cardinal Satolli will officiate and Bishop Keane will preach. The musio will be of an exceptionally high order, the principal feature being a Te Deum com- posed in honor of Cardinal Satolli by Mr. Rufus C. Garland, and which will be given with full orchestral accothpaniment by the large choir of this church, the whole to be under the direction of Sig. Mariano Maina. The Te Deum is said to be a composition of high merit, at.d there is no doubt of its being adequately interpreted. At the First Congregatioral Church, cor- ner 10th and G streets northwest, lomo! row, at 11 a.m., the choir will render the following: Recitative and air, Comfort Ye and Every Valley, Messiah (Handel); an-~ them, Christmas (Harry Rose Shelley); an- them, Nazareth (Gounod); Hallelujah Chorus, Messiezh (Handel); hymns appro- priate for Christmas services. The choir is as follows: Organist, John W. Bischoff, Mus. Doc.; assistant organist, Miss Minnie M. Bailey. Quartet—Mrs. Hattie Meade Smith, soprano; Miss Florence McNelly, contralto; Mr. Douglas G. Miller, tenor; Mr. Elphonzo Youngs, jr., basso. Chorus— soprani—Miss Kathleen Bailey, Mrs. Flor- ence L. Barringer, Miss Elsie M. Bond, Miss Annie E. Burlingame, Mrs. Mary Campbell, Miss Wea M. Coleman, Miss Margaret B. Crawford, Miss Ermina M. Davis, Miss Helen A. Davis, Miss Ida Green, Miss Kate M. Latham, Miss May A. Levers, Miss Margaret E. Lewis, Miss Adelia Estelle Mathewson, Miss Nannie K. Mojifett, Mrs. Alice M. Offterdinger, Mrs. Mary Willie Pattee, Miss Julia M. Pond, Miss Jeannette Ray, Miss Elise E. Ray- mond, Miss Jessie Stevens and Miss Day- elie Taylor. Alti-Mesdames Emily Ell- wood Allen and Julia G. Burnett, Misses Lizzie A. Caywood, Edna A. Clark, Minnie L. Doane, Letta Fisher, Zaidee W. Gibson, Gertrude Maud Johnston, Anne Lamborn, Ellen E. Matthews, Alice H. Peabody, Mabel V. Platt and Mary E. Pond. Tenori —Messrs. David L. Burnett, Philip W. Cole- man, Henry Allen Hazen, George C. John- ston, Henry Player, David G. Proctor, James S. Raymond and Harry 8. Tullis. Bassi—Messrs. Walter Ellwood Allen, Vic- tor S. Barber, Horatio K. Bradford, Jesse c. Brooke, David H. Clark, Samuel 8. Gardner, Wilmer E. Griffith, Wilbor H. Martin, Orlando M. McPherson, Russell E. MecWhinney, Edward L. Morris, Frederick A, Pinney, Frank Ayers Nute and Dr. N. Willis Pomeroy. Librarian—Mr. Walter Allen. The First Baptist Church will have its special Christinas service tomorrow, on which occasion there will be a chorus choir in charge of Mr. P. S. Foster, at both morning and evening service. In the morn- ing the program will be: Sing Alleluia Forth, Buck, chorus; Birth of Christ, Tip- ton, N. D, Cloward; Sing and Sing the Blessed Morn, Leslie, chorus. Evening— The Glad Tidings, Brewer; He Was De- spised, Messiah, Miss Blanche Yewell; Sing, Oh, Heavens, Tours, chorus, Mrs. 'F. A: Gardner, soloist; Noel, Adams, baritone solo; Bethlehem, -Coombs, chorus, Mr. Mel- ville Hensey, soloist. The chorus will con- sist of about twenty voices from the Rubin- stein and Capital Glee Clubs. Rey. Dr. Radcliffe, pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, ranging a “vigil service” for eve, to be held in the church, on which oc- casion the music will be in charge of Mr. N. DuSlane Cloward, who has organized a chorus of forty voices for the event, The program will consist of All Praise to God, Wagner; Beyond the Smiling, Zundee, by the chorus; Ring out, Wild Bells, Gounod, Mrs. F. A. Gardner; One Sweetly Soleme. Thought, Ambrox, Mr. Cloward. —— — Living Posters. From the Chicago Tribune, The newest of all new things—newer than the new woman, even—ts planned for the an- nual promenade concert of the Visiting Nurses' Association to be given at the First Regiment Armory next week. The living poster has never been seen, either in Chicago or anywhere else. The originals to be reproduced ate selected from the works of Chenet, Grasset and Lu- tree, Dudley Hardy and Beardsley and Rhead. The living posters will be advez- ed by a special poster, which is being designed for the committee by an artist at the art institute. Copies of this poster will be on sale, and those who have been favored with a view of it say it is a charm- ing creation, and almost a portrait of one of the women who will take part in the representation. This poster is under the supervision of Mrs, C. P. Abbott. ‘The tableaux will be exact reproductions of the original posters, and will be shown in frames, after the fashion of pictures. The background will be painted in, and the figures will be done by a number of young women, who are alznost daily re- hearsing in their decidedly difficult roles.