The State, War, and Navy departments are in one handsome four-storied granite building, with a frontage of 343 feet and a depth of 565 feet, situated on Pennsylvania Avenue, just west of the White House. The building is one of the handsomest in the city, being of the French Rennaissance, modified by American ideas. It has five hundred rooms and two miles of marble halls. In the west wing of the building the Secretary of War, Hon. Elihu Root, and General Miles, Commander of the Army, have handsome rooms for themselves and their many assistants. In the east wing can be found the Secretary of the Navy and rooms for the Admirals and their corps of helpers, and in the south wing the popular Secretary of State, the Hon. John Hay, with a comparatively small number of assistants.

STATE DEPARTMENT

In the department of the Secretary of State one sees the portraits of all the great men who have occupied the position of Secretary of State from the time of Washington down to the present occupant. Most people would be interested in the Huntington portraits of Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan, and in a copy of Gilbert Stuart's portrait of Washington. In the State Department the most interesting are the portraits of Thomas Jefferson, 1789, Washington's first term; Daniel Webster, 1841 and 1850; William H. Seward, 1861 and 1865; Elihu B. Washburne, 1869; Hamilton Fish, 1869; William M. Evarts, 1877; James G. Blaine, 1881 and 1889; and F. T. Frelinghuysen, 1881. A portrait of Lord Ashburton recalls the "Ashburton Treaty" of 1842, which defined the boundaries between the United States and the British Possessions in North America, and provided for the suppression of the slave-trade.

In the State Department are some of the most precious archives of the nation. Here can be found the original Declaration of Independence, the Constitution with the original signatures. Here can be seen the handwriting of most of the rulers of the world during the last hundred years affixed to treaties. One of the most unique of these is a treaty with Japan. The clear Japanese characters cover many pages, the royal signature is at the top, and you read from the bottom. The treaty was brought to Washington by two Japanese officials of high rank, who were charged with its safe delivery on penalty of their lives. One day they triumphantly entered the State Department bearing aloft on two bamboo poles a curiously constructed box, in which was the precious document. They were greatly relieved when they saw it safely deposited with the Secretary of State.

Here are the papers of Washington, Adams, and Jefferson; here are all the flags taken in all the wars in which the United States have engaged.

The diplomatic rooms are of great beauty. Here Mr. Knox receives foreign ministers, consuls, and special messengers from foreign lands. Here at almost any time can be seen members of some of the thirty-five foreign embassies and legations. Many of these legations own and maintain handsome residences. A statement prepared by District Assessor Darneille shows that foreign governments own over $500,000 worth of real property in the District of Columbia, the estimated value of the land being $330,776, and the improvements $284,500. The French and Chinese governments have recently purchased valuable tracts of land, and erected magnificent legation buildings which will increase the value of property held by foreign governments to nearly $1,000,000.

Probably the most characteristic feature of both political and social life in Washington is afforded by the presence of these legations. The members are more conspicuous here than at any other national capital in the world, except, possibly, Peking. Not to speak of Asiatic costumes and customs, European manners and morals, if we except those of England and Germany, which are much the same as our own, contrast most decidedly with their American correspondents. Most of the men are pure pagans—cynics and materialists. They look upon a profession of Christianity at its best as a mark of intellectual weakness, and at its worst of hypocrisy. Their own faces, however, do not indicate that they are exceptionally broad-minded or good and sincere men.

I have seen them in public receptions stand on one side and chatter in French, Spanish, or Italian, poking all sorts of fun at the hostess and her entertainment, and then, as she approached, rush to greet her with a mock homage which made my flesh creep. I have heard them declare that "all Americans are cads," and the next instant prove the less sweeping proposition that "all cads are not Americans" by fulsome compliments to a distinguished Justice or Senator.

They, however, dispense a generous hospitality, and society, which has learned to estimate them by their own cynical standards, and is neither elated by their smiles nor annihilated by their snubs, cultivates them as best suits its own purpose.

The United States supports abroad thirty-eight embassies and legations, consisting of ministers, secretaries, and attachÉs, besides about one thousand consuls.

The Congressional Directory gives the personal history of Secretary Knox as follows:

Philander Chase Knox, Secretary of State (1527 K Street), was born in Brownsville, Pa., May 6, 1853, son of David S. and Rebekah Knox; his father was a banker in Brownsville; graduated at Mount Union College, Alliance, Ohio, in 1872; entered the law office of H. B. Swope, Pittsburg, Pa., and was admitted to the bar in 1875; was assistant United States District Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania in 1876; was elected president of the Pennsylvania Law Association in 1897; was made Attorney-General in the Cabinet of President McKinley in 1901 as successor to Hon. John William Griggs, of New Jersey, resigned, and was sworn into office April 9, 1901; was the choice of President Roosevelt for Attorney-General in his Cabinet, and was confirmed by the Senate December 16, 1901; resigned that office June 30, 1904, to accept appointment as United States Senator, tendered by Governor Pennypacker June 10, to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Hon. M. S. Quay, and took his seat December 6; was elected by the Legislature in January, 1905, for the term ending March 3, 1911; resigned as Senator March 4, 1909, to accept the position of Secretary of State, and was nominated, confirmed and commissioned March 5.

Congress had to repeal the act raising the salary of the Secretary of State before Mr. Knox could take the position, because he was in the Senate when the salary was raised.

THE WAR DEPARTMENT

In time of war or just following a war the most interesting department is that which was lately occupied by Elihu Root and William H. Taft. Mr. Root is noted as a great corporation lawyer, and at first seemed to consider that the government of the United States could be run on the same principles as a great corporation—that is, "We shall do as we please in spite of public opinion." But he was severely brought to task for this. Later he became Secretary of State.

In spite of this, the report of this department, dated December, 1901, shows difficult, conscientious, magnificent work performed by the War Department since the close of the war with Spain. Possibly the quiet prejudice which existed throughout the country against Mr. Root was largely the result of his treatment of General Miles. He did not like the old General, but the country did. Mr. Root could do many splendid things before the farmer, who only reads his weekly paper and to whose brain new things come slowly, forgave him for rudeness to a man of the people, whose merit had placed him at the head of the army. Any one who thinks he wins favor by calling General Miles "old fuss and feathers," as some newspapers do, quite forgets that the American people like fuss and feathers.

In spite of the above, Mr. Root is a great patriotic man, who, with mental ability enough to earn $100,000 per year, gives his country the benefit of his talents for what must seem to him the modest sum of $12,000. As an organizer and great executive officer he had no superior in the government employ. His last report shows the army located as follows:

[In this table are included the 4,336 men of the Hospital Corps and the 25 officers and 815 men of the Porto Rico Provisional Regiment, leaving the strength of the Regular Army 3,253 officers and 76,084 enlisted men.

In addition there are also in the Philippines 172 volunteer surgeons, appointed under section 18 of the act of February 2, 1901, and 98 officers and 4,973 native scouts.]

Of course, now that the war in the Philippines is practically over, many more men have returned to the United States.

In reading Mr. Root's report, nothing impresses one more than the splendid arrangement for the better education of army officers, not only as to military tactics, but for full intellectual equipment. Enlisted men who fit themselves by study, and retain good characters by passing complete civil-service examination, become eligible to official positions among the regulars. Also officers of volunteer regiments by the same process become eligible to official positions in the regular army.

Mr. Root recommended that officers of the National Guard, or officers of former volunteers, be permitted in their vacations to study with regular army officers at West Point, and at the army post schools, so that we may never again be caught without competent officers for volunteer regiments. His report contains full accounts of the forming of the new government in Cuba, the Cuban Constitution, a full account of all the troubles in the Philippines, the wonderful work accomplished by the signal corps, the territorial and military divisions of the Philippines, and recommendations as to the proper currency and system of banking necessary in our Oriental possessions.

He recommended the purchase of the lands of the friars, who could not continue to hold their possession peacefully on account of the hostility of the people, whom they have grossly wronged.

His account of the very valuable unexplored timber lands of the islands, and the industries needed, made his report of great practical importance.

Men of the United States army have always been noted for their high standard of honor. The country believes in the integrity of the officers of the regular army. When any of them fail themselves and betray the trust imposed in them, it causes a shock to public feeling such as malfeasance in no other official position ever produces. To an unusually large extent they have been worthy of the trust reposed in them by a great nation.

The French are no more jealous of the good name of their army than are Americans. The person who takes away the good name of our brave, patriotic, self-sacrificing men, "who are a-doing and a-dying" in the Philippines, because of the evil actions of less than one-twentieth of their number, deserves public execration. The least we can do for our army is to give them their hard-earned laurels unspoiled.

The following sketch of Mr. Root, now Senator from New York, is taken from "Who's Who in America":

Secretary of State from July 1, 1905, until March 4, 1909; born in Clinton, N. Y., February 15, 1845; son of Oren and Nancy Whitney (Buttrick) Root; graduated from Hamilton College in 1864, where his father was for many years professor of mathematics; taught at Rome Academy in 1865; graduated from the University Law School of New York in 1867; (LL.D., Hamilton, 1896; Yale, 1900; Columbia, 1904; New York University, 1904; Williams, 1905; Princeton, 1906; University of Buenos Ayres, 1906; University of San Marcos of Lima, 1906; Harvard, 1907); married January 8, 1878, Clara, daughter of Salem H. Wales, of New York; U. S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, 1883-85; delegate-at-large to the State Constitutional Convention in 1894, and chairman judiciary committee; appointed Secretary of War, August 1, 1899, by President McKinley; reappointed March 5, 1901; resigned February 1, 1904; became Secretary of State, U. S., July 1, 1905. Member Alaskan Boundary Tribunal in 1903; temporary chairman Republican National Convention in 1904. Trustee of Hamilton College, Carnegie Institution, Washington; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; President Union League Club (New York), 1898-99; president New York City Bar Association, 1904-05; president American Society of International Law, 1906.