Evening Star Newspaper, October 25, 1936, Page 56

F—-2 THE DISTRICT PROUD OF GREAT STAGE PERSONALITY Washington Woman Was Known for Her Personal Character and for the Beauty of a Voice Which Carried Her Into the Highest Ranks of Performers. By John Clagett Proctor O MANY a cemetery is a sad place to visit, but to the per son with a reminiscent, reflec- tive and philosophical mind the sepulchers of our fathers, our friends, the city’s great and the Na- tion’s distinguished dead afford only pleasant memories as we stroll through the many rows of markers and monu- ments and pause, occasionally, when we recognize the name of some one we knew—some worthy person who in his day gave to the world the best that was in him and left behind a name indelibly carved on the scroll of honor. And it is quite likely, upon such an occasion, we will have in mind some nice thought for the de- parted and perhaps say, as did Ham- let: “Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him, | Horatio; a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy.” For, after all, | those who entertain and please us are of our most valuable earthly pos- sessions. . On Memorial day the cemeteries of Washington are crowded with friends and relatives of those who have gone on before, there to show | the dead respect, but not so a few days ago when the writer wended his way to Congressional Cemetery to see if he could find the grave of Lizzie Mac- nichol, one of Washington’s most de- lightful operatic stage entertainers of a little more than a third of a cen- tury ago, though many will still recall her death, back in 1899. Having al- ready ascertained the date of her | that she revered his memory, the little | need them. death—August 12—and the cemetery | miniature of him suspended around | in which she was buried, a call at|her neck and buried with her fully | tending to rewrite it, but I won't | the office of this nationally known graveyard—where there are so many cenotaphs, erected in bygone days to | the memory of members of Congress— | resulted in the securing of the num. ber of her grave—site 370, range 81— | i, 1892, closely following the death of | and the rest was easy. NEAR and dear is this old necropolis | heart she is aid to have worn at all| terday. to the hearts of the people of ‘Washington, for there can be but few of the early families of the Dis- trict of Columbia not represented in this city of the dead, in which have been interred to date upward of 61,000 bodies, which not only include for- mer residents of the Capital but also & large number of the Nation's dis- tinguished dead, among whom are Revolutionary patriots, many mem- bers of Congress who died in office, famous naval and military officers and the rank and file of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps of all wars, not to mention the multitude of our own foremost residents who have passed away during the last cen- tury and a quarter. Indeed, as it was said in a con- gressional document a few years ago: “In the Congressional Cemetery, es- tablished in 1807, in Washington, D. C, more patriots whose names are linked with our early history are buried than in any other single ceme- tery in the country. Two Vice Presi- dents of the United States, one of them a signer of the Declaration of Independence, are interred there. Private soldiers and those in high command of the Continental Army sleep side by side in the democracy of ‘This was in 1888 and was her first ap- pearance in opera, and of this eventful occasion, Harry L. Knapp said at the time of her death: “Macnichol was very nervous on that night, aside from donning boy's attire for the first time in her life. And that entrance—well, no more en- trancing or charmingly beautiful pic- ture was ever seen. As she came through the door into the (supposed) prison cell of Don Cesar, her friends in the audience gave her a reception which frightened the little song bird, and, feeling very much abashed at her unsuited (as she thought) attire, she tried to draw the voluminous folds of her ballet skirt around, as if try- ing to hide herself. Never was more | maidenly modesty seen upon the | thoroughly frightened face of any |one or a more naive and truly beau- tiful picture presented on any stage. Now it was that ‘the holding of thumbs’ came into good stead, for every one behind the scenes ‘threw | her the cue,’ and some even ventured to sing the first bar of her music until she composed herself and fin- ished amid applause the like of which I have never heard in any theater. | “No wonder Franz Vetta fell in love with her and afterward sacri- | ficed his life for her (but that's another story). They were married, and a ‘more truly happy couple never lived in stageland than did this timid little debutante and the great big, open- hearted basso profundo. That his demise was a severe shock to her and | attests.” 'HIS little locket, which she prized 50 highly, also contained the like- | ness of her year-old baby, which died Mr. Vetta. This forceful reminder of those nearest and dearest to her times, and at the time of her death Albert Walmsley, the press agent of | the Castle Square Opera Company, | told this story of her first appearance |in “Carmen”: | “Just before the curtain rose, the | Don Jose of the company found the new Carmen in her dressing room, dis- solved in tears. The locket in her | hand told the tale. | wear it, yet somehow her artistic soul | revolted at the idea of carrying this |sacred relic as the wanton of Se- ville. So, for the first time, she laid | it aside.” Continuing, Mr. Walmsley says: “I will always remember her as she sat in her dressing room at the National Theater one night during the engagement of ‘Rob Roy.” She was donald, which became her wonder- fully well, for she was Scotch and | proud of it, carrying with her a little handkerchief of the original | Nacnichol plaid. Still, this heroine of | the opera was sitting quietly in her room, working on & bit of dainty em- broidery, which was at once her pase sion and her diversion, calmly waite ing for her cue ahd regardless of the tinsel show all about her. It was & little bit of domesticity that illus- trated the character of the actress— one who would be, under all condi- death.” At the time the foregoing quoted matter was printed, the body of George | Clinton, one of the Vice Presidents referred to, had already been re- moved. But the body of Elbridge | Gerry still reposes where it was buried | shortly after his death on November 23, 1814. His grave is appropriately | marked, as it should be, for his serv- ice to his country was one of great distinction. | Born in Marblehead, Mass., July 17, 1744, he was educated at Harvard College, and prepared for commercial life. He was elected a member of the Colonial House of Representatives and served from 1772 to 1775; was & | member of the Continental Congress, | 1776-1781 and 1782-1785; a signer of the Declaration of Independence; a delegate to the constitutional conven- tion of the United States held in Phil- edelphia in 1787; refused to sign the | instrument, insisting it gave the | President too much power, but subse- | quently gave it his support: elected as an anti-Federalist to the First and | Becond Congress (March 4, 1789-| March 3, 1793); sent to France with Marshall and Pickney on a diplo- matic mission in 1797; unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Governor of Massachusetts in 1801 and again in 1812; Governor of Massachusetts in 1810 and 1811; elected Vice President of the United States @5 a Democrat on the ticket with James Madison in 1812, and served from March 4, 1813, until his death. Vice President Gerry, as demon- strated by his life's work, was an intensely patriotic man. He died sud- denly of a heart attack when on his way to the Capitol, and thus lived up to his own teaching, that “it is the duty of every citizen, though he may have but one day to live, to devote that day to the good of his country.” MAN’Y other patriots could be men- tioned who are buried within this noted cemetery, but the writer has in mind a woman of a later age; not one who might be called a patriot, in the usual sense of the word, but a gifted angel of song, a woman of many virtues—a model to be set up, as it were. She died young, beloved, re- gretted. A beautiful flower was she; but plucked, while yet in full bloom. Her life’s petals withered and fell to the ground, but her memory lingers on, for after all, as has been said: “You may break, you may shatter the vase you will, but the scent of the roses will hang round it still.” Lizzie Macnichol, the one here re- ferred to, was a Washington woman, born and reared here, and here she was educated, attended Sabbath school tions and circumstances, the simple, old-fashioned woman, turning her hand to whatever was necessary and preserving her love of home amid her { wandering life. It would be better for the stage if more recruits like Lizzie | Macnichol boards.” would throng upon the 'HE Macnichol family was of a stern old Scotch Presbyterian | | line, and the parents of Lizzie were | not keen over the idea of her adopt- | ing a professional career on the stage. Indeed, it is said, they were preju- diced to the stage, and reluctantly gave their consent to this desire on her part, for otherwise their dutiful daughter, reared in a religious atmos- phere under Christian parents, would not have disobeyed them. Her love for her father and her mother and the close and affectionate tie between them is clearly manifested in a letter written by her father three days after she made her debut in Philadelphia. He said: “My dear Lizzie: I-need not tell you ®) ®) of Dr. Kimball, well known here as an instructor of music. As an ama- teur she sang in local concerts, with the Young Men's Christian ‘Associa- tion in their pilgrimages to the penal and other institutions of the city, and ! \ICEMEMBER “THIS Sk AN EARLY FALL @ SUGGESTION, | TAKE HG A Box GEC. EIMERS . fe.so oYsieR: 5 R e She wanted 0 Thyrber's American Opera Co., but costumed for the part of Flora Mac- | ® how your success affected me. It was a little too much for me at first, and I was strung up to a high pitch of nerv- ous excitement—hope, fear and ex- pectation—but back of it great faith in your grit—determination. Mom is tossed about—she enjoys your success as much as I do, but with reservations, ‘You understand—and this suggests to me what I want you to do—this week, some day, write her and incidentally put in expression—in your own lan- guage—this idea. I am in legitimate opera, singing for & living—for a posi= tion and for love of my art, and as free from taint, if not more so, than last year in choir. “You have heretofore mingled your singing professionally with services | freely given to missions, charity and | to those in prisons, have always been | ready to sing for Jesus and his cause, | and I will not withhold my voice or | services in the same cause now or | hereafter whenever I have the time | or opportunity. Now you can express | yourself to her on that line and it | will do her—me—good. | “Mom's views and convictions are | educationally as sincere as mine, but she needs something from you to lean on—think of and speak of—and she is entitled to it. Of course, you can freely give her this pleasure. She has | not talked one word in that way, but !1 feel that just such a letter would | do her good. I have the Post, Herald |and Gazette notices, and all the | Philadelphia papers except the Rec- | ord. Will save or send them if you “I commenced this in pencil, in- | have time, so will let it go just as | 1t is. “I ought, as Mon says, have tele- graphed you Saturay morning, but I could not express by telegram jJust what I wanted to say and sent special delivery to reach you at 5 p.m. | | “All are well, had Lou and Lucy yes- Lou left at 9 a.m. today. | Beach and all | | “Love to Sallie, | Phila. friends. “Lovingly yours, “C. MACNICHOL.” “June 4—88." ‘1\1155 MACNICHOL'S going upon | the stage was suggested by Gus- | tave Hinrichs, then manager of Mrs. | to this sne at first declined to con- | sent. On the last day of May, 1888, | a vacancy occurred in his organization | and he telegraphed Miss Machnichol, | { who responded at once. Without | ; having had an hour of stage training | or a solitary rehearsal, the Washing- tonian essayed the role of Lazarillo, in “Maritana” on June 1, 1888, in Phila- delphia, and scored an undoubted | success. Following this appearance, she re- mained with Mr. Hinrichs for a period of two seasons, joining Emma Juch in 1890 and staying with that star's combination for three years. In 1894 Miss Macnichol made her initial ven- ture in work of a lighter nature, as- suming the part of Flora Macdonald in “Rob Roy.” At the conclusion of this engagement she joined the Castle Square Opera Co., with which troupe she was associated up to the time of | her death. Had Miss Macnichol lived a little longer it is possible that she | would have replaced Jessie Bartlett | | Davis with the Bostonians, the sub- | | ject of such a connection having been frequently broached to her. 1 In her extensive repertoire, her | range of parts extended from But- | tercup in “Pinafore” to Ortrude in “Lohengrin,” from Sullivan to Wag- | ner. During terms of 10 weeks at the Lafayette and six at the Columbia, here, Miss Macnichol was heard in “Cavalleria Rusticana,” “Billee Tay- lor,” “Il Trovatore,” “Olivette,” “The Fencing Master,” “Maritana,” “The Chimes of Normandy,” “Pinafore,” “The Gondoliers,” *“The Mikado,” “Paul Jones,” “Erminie,” “Faust,” “The Queen’s Lace Handkerchief,” “The Gypsy Baron” and “Carmen.” Her Carmen is said to have been & masterpiece, unequaled in America save by Mme. Calve. Other of her impersonations were almost equally fine. During her three years with the Castle Square Opera Co., the singer SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. £, OCTOBER 25, “Lizzie” Macnichol, with the locket she always wore. appeared in no less than 50 roles. She was the Page in “Romeo and Juliet”; the gypsy queen in “The Bohemian Girl”; Ortrude in “Lohen- grin”; Chiva in “Lurline”; Frederic in “Mignon”; the grand duchess in “The Grand Duchess”; Maddalena in “Rigoletto”; Laura in “La Gioconda”; Katisha in “The Mikado"; the King in “The Queen's Lace Handkerchief”; Paul Jones in “Paul Jones”; Nancy in Lola in “Cavalleria Rus- Buttercup in “Pinafor Czigra in “The Gypsy Baron Angela in “Patience”; Tessa in “A Trip to Africa”; Lydia in “Dorothy”; queen of the fairies in “Iolanthe”; Boccaccio in “Boccaccio”; Siebel in “Faust”; Carmen in “Carmen”; Ammeris in “Aida”; Azucena in “Il Trovatore;” the plaintiff in “Trial by Jury”: and Mistress Page in “The Merry Wives of Windsor.” All this gigantic range of parts was sung without apparent effort, and the impersonations, though often not the standard ones, were at least popular. Miss Macnichol will be most de- lightfully recalled by the music- loving public of nearly 40 years ago for her fine work here with the Castle Square Co,, when she played in a| repertoire of popular operas at both the Lafayette Square Opera House and the Columbia Theater. She was married twice, her first| husband being Louis R. Neumayer, whose stage name was Franz Vetta, and who was well known as the Quaker basso. Her second husband was Charles Louis Reitz, a Baltimore business man, who was with her at the time of her death. She was of a large family of five brothers and two sisters. One sister, Mrs. Duncan L. Richmond, now resides in Brook- Iyn, N. Y. The funeral of Miss Macnichol took place from her father’s residence, 105 C street southeast, and was attended by many important theatrical people, especially of the Castle Square Opera Co., and by Manager Painter of the Lafayette Square Opera House. In- cluded among the many floral tributes were pieces from Henry W. Savage and from Jessie Bartlett Davis, whose name will alw be associated with “O, Promsie Me."” 'HE funeral services were conducted by Rev. Charles T. Ward of Baltimore, at one time pastor of the North Capitol Street M. E. Church, of which Miss Macnichol was a mem- ber, and by Rev. Dr. Huntley of Trinity M. E. Church. The pall- bearers were Henry W. Savage, Wil- liam G. Stewart and George A. Kings- bury of the Castle Square Co.; Edward Marlow, Thomas Dove, Charles Pierson, Thomas G. Cromwell and Herman Rakeman. The grave of Miss Macnichol over- looks the Eastern Branch of the Po- tomac River, and the monument in the inclosure tells us that, besides herself, there are buried there: ELMER, XV PuLL UP EV ~mc"é‘Au095fY| TEAR THE 4 OY! WHAY A 308, PULLING OUT Jimmy <ACKS, RE= MEMBER “THE N \ CRICKETS, Poe. THOSE WERE THE HAPPY DAYS! TieCNY Y Ny SHOVER WHYNCHA LIFTER, SOME YER- AFFORD LATRoBE HEAT. OP “THE OLO PARLOR STOVE FOR THE WINTER, TASK, REMEMBER. WHAT A TASK, CARYS AND ALL ‘THE NEW. 2 HAD TO BUY FROM ISINGLASS gz\zN AND THE EVERY SATORDRY SHINE WUHADYOAWL_V? : Charles Macnichol (1823-1901), Annie E. Macnichol (1827-1914), Louis R. Neumayer, 1891-1892). Shortly before her death, it is said, in writing to & friend, she quoted George Eliot's lines, saying: “O, may I join the choir invisible, | Of those immortal dead who live again | In minds made better by their pres- ence— | * ® * feed pure love, Beget the smiles that have no cruelty, Be the sweet presence of good dif- fused. And in diffusion evermore intense; So shall I join the choir invisible,, | Whose music is the gladness of the | world.” And, no doubt, she has. | O)F COURSE, we have had other | delightful theatrical folk who have | passed on, leaving behind fond mem- | orles, sometimes of a short life well spent, and in this connection many will agree that Annie Lewis of this | city, who died in 1896, and who is burdied in Glenwood Cemetery, was | one whom any city might well be| proud of, and especially Washington, for she was born and raised here, and enjoyed the distinction, even as a small child, as a reader of more than ordinary merit. Her first professional appearance was in “The Little Trump,” in which she scored a success, and from that time she quickly rose to a high plnce} in the esteem of the theatergoing public, not only in her native city, | but in every city and town in which | she appeared. Soon after her first | venture on the legitimate stage, she | | supported Estelle Clayton and Roland | | Reed, and later became one of the | members of Hallon Hart's company. While in that company she gained the distinction of being one of the most popular soubrettes in this coun- try, and her songs were whistled and |sung by every one wherever she | appeared. | Her popularity had caused her to be made an honorary member of the | National Fencibles, and at her| funeral, which occurred on October 7, | | members of that organization served | as pallbearers. | Perhaps there are still quite a | | number of persons who will recall Miss Lewis' singing “My Sweetheart’s | | the Man in the Moon,” the chorus of which went something like this: “My Sweetheart's the Man in the Moon, I'm going to marry him soon, And behind some dark cloud, Where no one is allowed, Il make love to the Man in the Moon.” A’r A benefit given at the Academy of Music, September 25, 1896, another delightful entertainer, Alice Judson—like Miss Machinchol, also | of the Castle Square Opera Company, |and a Washington girl—took part, land rendered several selections. * ~ \WHERE IS Your EYE SIGHT LOTHER 7 CANT YOO SEE You HAVENT ‘YHAT STOVE IN “YHE MIDDLE 2 AND \TS5 BACK: / - 7, WHO _ S =" (CEMEMRERS "o =/ WHEN EVERY- BODY HAD A WOOD! “Autumn Memories” 1936—PART FOUR. MISS MACNICHOL'S OPERA FAME- < Miss Macnichol as Frederic in “Mignon.” As a native Washingtonian, the writer is not backward in saying that the District of Columbia excels in most everything that is worthwhile, including the paying of Federal taxes, and would excel in voting if given the opportunity. It has given to the stage a long list of actors and ac- tresses in addition to those men- | tioned, who have acquitted them- selves in a highly praiseworthy way— a number even becoming celebrated in their special lines, Some are still upon the stage and in the public eye, while others are among the missing or absent ones. But whether absent or present, it is nice to mention a few of the names we recall ofthand as having been born here, or as having adopted Washington as their home. Namely, Jean Davenport Lander, Mrs. D. P. Bowers, Bettina Girard, Ann Suth- erland, William Pruette, Tim Fraw- Neumayer , (1862-1892) and B. Ojgs | —mmm™™™ ¢ Mrs. Minnie Frye Coleman (Margaret Lanner) in stage | costume. ley, William Lackeye, Thurlow Ber- gen, Estelle Wentworth, Alice Stone, Billie Burke, Pauline Bliss, Hans Robert, John M. Kline, jr., Talbot O. Pulizzi, Bob Downing, Charles B. Hanford, Eugenie Blair, (who still sings, “When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain”), Dolly (Hutchins) Della Lana, who took leading parts with the Aborn Opera Company, and Ina Claire. Jennie Winston lived here for a number of years, and this was her -Miss Macnichol as Lola in “Cavalleria Rusticana.” home when she died. And we still have living with us, in nearby Ta- koma Park, a noted old-timer, who as Minnje Prye first played here as an amateur in the Thalian Club, later | with the Augustin Daly stock com- | pany, making her professional debut under the name of Margaret Lanne:. in 1879. At one time she shared honors with John Drew in “An Arao- fan Night,” and was the leading lady in other plays. She married Thomas L. Coleman, a Shakespearean actor, and later retired from the stage. Of course, the name of Helen Hayes could not be omitted from this | honorable list, because she is Kate Smith an actress of national and interna-+ tional repute—and we are glad of it | second, because her father, Frank | Brown, is a member of the Associa- | tion of the Oldest Inhabitants, and | also because the Browns were near ‘nelghbors of the Proctor family, | when the writer was a lad. PAY DAY IN THE CAPITAL (Continued From First Page.) instances merchants felt that a de- cided benefit would accrue from weéekly pay days. Particularly was this true of organizations that deal almost en- tirely on the installment basis neces- sitating weekly payments. Weekly pay days generally would accelerate busi- ness instead of the present “spurts” of business, as one executive put it. | He felt that the load of expense would be more evenly distributed if Federal employes were paid every 7 days in- stead of every 15. One and all, they were unanimous in their appreciation of the fact that Government employes have a pay day and a regular one, come what may. That sentiment was expressed in other quarters. The Federal employe spends a portion of his check, sta- tistics show, for entertainment. On pay day in Washington and imme- diately following, the cocktail rooms, night clubs and other public places where crowds gather are busier than at any other times during the month. IT IS a curious bit of psychology, reflected again in cashier statistics, that the livelier spots—those where eating, drinking and dancing are the | entertainment of the moment—appeal more to the Government worker than the movies around the 15th and 30th. ‘This may be the necessity for ex- pression of the gregarious instinct, sharing, as it were, a mutual joy with another in'the common fact of being resupplied with funds to carry on another 15 days, that leads Federal workers on these nights to the brighter spots. Or perhaps it is that the price of a movie he is never without, price of a theater ticket to carry on at the night clubs. ‘That a great part of the money dis- | tributed in Washington on the 15th and 30th of each month is sent out of town is apparent. One has only to take note of the lines at money order windows on these days to bear out the statement. This is, no doubt, due to the fact that many young folks working in Washington send home a sum of money regularly to help out parents or assist some younger member of the family, The queues at banks always increase on pay day, but the fact that they never attain the proportions of those at department store booths seems to in- dicate that more money is spent than is deposited. Questioning of Federal | workers in various pay brackets bore | out this fact. Out of six questioned | two banked a regular sum, one sent |a third home, two lived right up to the last penny each fortnight and the sixth exclaimed, “Pay check? | Who, me? Say, it's spent a month |ahead. It goes so fast I don't even | see i | And Washington merchants chorus: | “It's Federal pay checks that keep us alive. Say what you will, we op- erate, one and all, for the Federal worker!” A survey of six Washington de- partment stores, made by the United States Department of Commerce for the period beginning September 1 to the 15th of this month, shows that there is sometimes as much as a 54 per cent increase in business for those periods that contain a pay day, and that this increase sometimes will ex- tend over a three-day period—the day immediately preceding pay day, pay \T4L SOON CLEVELRND, KEEP :(=8-) His Reef e )IGHIE THOSE LONG. INGS > PAPER. LIGHTERS OSED Yo —>_ WE L gt aEos HAT ARRESTED FOR VCEMEMRER & = WHAT DO You REMEMBER 2 ONSWER 70 LAST WEEK" Q_UESY:%N, J" PRESIDENT WAS FAST DRIVING ON , ONSWER, RES. GRANT, ARRESTED BY OFFICER WEST. AR o TE HOUS! As a general rule, the stores do not show as much as 54 per cent increase, | rising to this peak only on occasions, | such as special sales. But one store | showed the almost incredible gain of | 99 per cent, due to an especially ad- ‘wvemsed sale on one pay day. The | average may conservatively be said to range from 30 to 34 per cent in- crease, based on figures supplied by the stores themselves. BEGINNING with figures obtained on September 3, including the intakes of the September 1 pay day, there was shown, in these six Wash~ ington stores, an increase of 30.5 per cent in business. Bank clearings from | August 26 to September 2—a period | that includes the September 1 pay day—increased from $16,143,003.87 to $22.400,489.79, or a gain due to pay | day in the Nation's Capital of 38.8 | per cent. By the same token the next period considered in the survey | showed a definite decline in stores’ | intake and in bank clearings, as the period ending September 10 from Sepe | ter 2 contained no pay day. Spe- cifically, the six stores surveyed showed an average decrease of 7.6 per cent in business under the previous week and bank clearings dropped 23.9 per cent. ‘The next week in line begins the uptake again, containing as it does the pay day of September 15. It showed in the six stores studied an increase of 18.9 per cent business over the previous week and bank clearings rose from $17,047,145.83, on Septeme ber 9, to $23,159,494.91, on September 16, a gain of 359 per cent. In the next week, from September 16 to Sepe | tember 23, a period minus a Govern= | while it takes something beyond the | day itself and the day following. | ment pay day, bank clearings dropped —Bv Dick Mansfield LOOKS LIKE GROVER 16.2 per cent. This, despite lack of a pay day, was a good week, it appears, {for Washington stores, for they | showed a slight increase in business over the usual non-pay day period— about 4.4 per cent. Taking up the statistics from this point, from the 15th to 30th of Sep- tember, retail stores showed an ine crease over the previous week's busie ness of 7.3 per cent. Due to the fact that only one spending day was proe vided in this period bank clearings did not mount as usual, showing a heavy increase the next period, from September 30 to October 8, when they jumped from $19,040,766.88 to $27.- 428,467.72—a gain of 44.1 per cent in one week. Again the decline shows up in non- pay day periods, for from October 7 to October 14, there was a decrease of 26.6 per cent under the previous week in retail business in these same six stores and a decrease of 17.9 per cent in bank clearings. AN INTERESTING comparison was made during this survey of busie ness returns in these same six departe ment stores in Washington last year for the same period, compared with returns this year. There has been & continuous upswing and the figures are still mounting. In fact, several executives interviewed in this connec- tion said business with them had reached the peak of 1929, and they made this statement giving due con- sideration to the difference in the price of merchandise at that time and today. PFrom September 30, this year, to October 7, business increased 10.9 per cent over last year, and from October 8 to October 14 it showed a gain of 7 per cent over last year. Bank clearings for the one week of September 30 to October 7 showed an increase this year of 42.5 per cent over the same period in 1935. How does the Government go through this business of paying those who serve? What is the routine of payment, what precautions are taken, what provisions made? When, how and where does the Government clerk get his just reward and what does he do with it? What effect does this all have on the city of Washington as a whole? It's & story to make you admire an orderly, swift- Government in general and the executive acumen (Continued on Eighth Page.) ‘