6. The Department of the Navy. These departments are presided over by officers, styled "Heads of Department," and known respectively as the Secretary of State, Secretary of War, Secretary of the Treasury, Attorney-general, Postmaster-general, Secretary of the Navy, and Secretary of the Interior. Together, they form the "Cabinet," or body of "confidential advisers" of the President, whose instructions it is their duty to see carried out by the thousands of civil officers in the employ of the Gov ernment. The The duties of the various executive departments are, of course, almost infinite. The State Department was created on the 27th of July, 1789, by the name of "Department of Foreign Affairs;" but this name was changed within two months afterward. Secretary of State is first in rank of all the members of the Cabinet. He is the "right-hand man" of the President; attends to "the foreign interests of the country, through its ambassadors, ministers, and other agents abroad, or through the diplomatic representatives of foreign powers" accredited to the United States; conducts the correspondence between the President and the governors of the States; is custodian of the great seal, and of the treaties and laws of the United States, and in other ways is a very prominent officer. The Secretary of War has charge of the military service, and, in that department, executes the orders Constitution, Art. II., Sec. II., Cl. 1. of the President, who is, by the Constitution, Commander-in-chief of the Army.* The Secretary of the Treasury superintends the national finances. He is the tax-gatherer and paymaster of the Government. From customs duties, internal revenue, and other sources, millions flow annually into the public vaults, the key to which is kept by the disbursing officer, or treasurer. The Secretary must not let any of these funds slip away without TREASURY CLERKS LEAVING THE TREASURY BUILDING AT THE CLOSE OF THE DAY'S WORK. permission of law, and every cent received and expended must be regularly accounted for. † + See Constitution, Art. I., Sec. IX., Cl. 7. The accounts of the government are stated by "fiscal" years, instead of by calendar years: that is, beginning on the 1st of July instead of the 1st of January. An idea may be formed of the magnitude of these financial operations from a few figures. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 1884, the "net ordinary receipts" of the Government were $348,519,869.92, and its " gross receipts," $555,397.755-92; and during the same period, its "net ordinary expenditures" were $189,547,865.85, and its 66 'gross expenditures," $504,646,934.83. And although up to the year 1861 neither the gross receipts nor the gross expenditures, in any one year, reached $100,000,000.00, but, on the contrary, averaged far below, the total gross receipts of the Government from its beginning in 1789 to June 30, 1884, amount to $21,078,087,835-31, and its gross expenditures to $20,650,486,065.71. VOL. XII.--45. The Attorney-general gives the President his opinion in regard to the meaning of congressional legislation and other matters of doubt, when called upon for legal advice, and represents the Government in all law-suits in which its interests are involved. The Postmaster-general looks after the transmission of the mail, and, as his title implies, is chief of all the postmasters, mail-carriers, and postal agents in the United States. The Secretary of the Navy has charge of the naval service, and therein executes the orders of the President as Commander-in-chief of the Navy. The Secretary of the Interior looks after the Indians the "wards of the nation," the execution of the laws relating to patents, public lands, and pensions, and he has charge of nearly everything that does not come within the duties of the other departments. I have named the departments in the order of their establishment by Congress. The Department of the Interior was not established until 1849, and the Attorney-general and Postmaster-general had to wait some years before becoming cabinet officers. Each of these seven cabinet officers now receives a salary of eight thousand dollars a year. They are appointed by the President "by and with the advice and consent of the Senate." To attempt to give you an idea of all the subordinate civil offices created by Congress would be perplexing. The assistants to the Executive are legion in number, and scattered far and wide. The head-quarters of the Executive Departments are, of course, at the city of Washington, and the splendid structures assigned to their use have, with the White House and Capitol, given to that city the complimentary title of the "City of Palaces." Any one who passes the great Treasury Building in the afternoon at about four o'clock, when the army of clerks is leaving for the day, readily understands why some folks have the notion that every resident in the Federal city is a Government officer. The clerks pour out from all the doors in one continuous stream, to which there seems to be no end. They are of all ages and conditions. An old colored man, who has picked cotton beneath the lash of slavery, comes merrily along, proud of the fact that he can now work for greenbacks and support his family in comfort. A pretty girl, thinking perhaps of a new hat or humming a tune from an opera; a gray-haired veteran, familiar with the secrets of many an administration of bygone years; a middle-aged woman, with a face furrowed by the iron fingers of care, struggling to maintain her orphaned children; a happy-golucky, dandy-looking stripling, twirling his cane with one hand and gracefully twisting his mus tache with the other, these are but a few specimens of those who follow in quick succession. The judicial power of the Government is vested in the Supreme Court and a number of inferior tribunals.* The Supreme Court consists now of the Chief-justice of the United States, with a salary of $10,500 a year, and eight Associate Justices, receiving $10,000 each. They are appointed by the President, with the approval of the Senate. The existence of this, the highest court in the land, can not be disturbed by legislative power, and the justices can only be removed from office by proceedings of impeachment. Next to the Supreme Court come the nine Circuit Courts and, then, the numerous District Courts of the United States, the judges of which are appointed in like fashion. The powers of these various courts are, in general, to decide all cases which involve any Federal law; and, to assist them in their work and enforce their mandates and decrees, there is a multitude of clerks, marshals, and other officers. Such, in brief, are the Executive and Judicial Departments of the Government. CHAPTER XIX. ARMS AND INSIGNIA. THIS great system, you will remember, is not the work of a day. The three powers of government were furnished by the Constitution; yet to provide for the wielding of those powers has demanded a century of legislation. But, however otherwise complete or incomplete in the organization of its government and its ability to transact business as a nation, it would have been humiliating indeed if the Republic, in its early days, had been too poor to display a Great Seal to give "authenticity" to its official acts and records, or to flourish a flag as evidence of national sovereignty! The old Revolutionary forefathers understood "the proprieties," as well as the eternal fitness of things; and it is a curious fact, as indicating the importance attached to a seal, that this matter was considered by the Continental Congress on the very day on which the Declaration of Independence was read, and the separate existence of the States was proclaimed to the world. After the signing of the Declaration, on the 4th of July, 1776, and before the adjournment for the day, a committee was appointed — consisting of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson—“to prepare a device for a seal for the United States of America." Although the committee made a report within a few weeks, no decisive action was taken for six years. On the 20th of June, 1782, however, the Congress of the Constitution, Art. III., Sec. I., Cl. 1. Confederation adopted a device for the Great Seal led to the following enactment, which is yet in of the United States. force, approved on the 4th of April, 1818. This device is shown by the accompanying illustrations. It was used by the old General Congress; and by an Act of the First Congress under the Constitution (September 15, 1789), it was adopted as the Great Seal of the United States, to be kept by the Secretary of State, and affixed by him to proclamations and other executive instruments and acts. AN ACT to establish the flag of the United States. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That from and after the 4th day of July next, the flag of the United States be thirteen horizontal stripes, alternate red and white; that the Union be twenty stars, white in a blue field. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That on the admission of every new State into the Union, one star be added to the union of the flag; and that such addition shall take effect on the 4th day of The subject of a flag or standard was also consid-July then next succeeding such admission.t ered in the Continental Congress; and, on the 14th of June, 1777, this resolution was passed: Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white, in a blue field, representing a new constellation.t The admission into the Union, after the establishment of the present Government, of Vermont and Kentucky as new States, caused the number of stars and stripes to be increased to fifteen each; and the subsequent addition of five other States Whenever, therefore, an American sees this glorious ensign of his country, the stripes recall to his mind the birth of the Republic, with the events that surrounded it; the stars suggest its wonderful development in size, in resources, and in power; and, in homage to the national grandeur and protective authority which it represents, wherever he beholds it, whether in mid-ocean floating at the head of a passing ship, or waved aloft in the streets of foreign lands,- he lifts his hat to it with a patriotic feeling of filial love and pride. The motto *The eagle and arrows are familiar to all schoolboys. The "reverse," or unfinished pyramid is seldom if ever used. "E pluribus Unum' 'one composed of many "-is well known. The mottoes on the reverse, "Annuit Cæptis" and "Novus ordo Seclorum," mean respectively, "Heaven favors the undertaking" and "A new order of things." + For interesting particulars concerning the origin of this device see ST. NICHOLAS for November, 1883, p. 66. "THERE can be but one Mozart." How often have these words been repeated by all who are familiar with the music of this immortal master, the prince of melody! Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born at Salzburg, Austria, January 27, 1756. His musical career began in his infancy. His remarkable genius, together with his serious face, caused the fear that he would not live to grow up. His sister, Marianne, had considerable musical talent, and while her father was giving her lessons, Wolfgang would employ himself in picking out thirds. He soon received instruction with her on the clavier. He was a sweet, tractable child, applying himself to whatever was set for him to learn; but soon everything was given up for music. At the age of six, he composed a concerto for the piano, so difficult that his father could not play it, and Wolfgang was obliged to show him how it should go. Wolfgang then began to study the violin, and one day, when some musicians were practicing together at his father's house, he begged that he might join them. His father requested him to play very softly so as not to disturb the others; but he played so beautifully that the second violin, whom he accompanied, soon ceased and left Wolfgang to finish alone. The child was of a sunny and loving disposition, and would often say: "Next to God comes Papa." He wished he could " put his papa under a glass case, so that he could never escape from home," and once, when away from home, he "sends his mamma a hundred million kisses, and kisses Marianne's nose and mouth." The father now determined to travel with his little prodigies, and in 1762 they visited Vienna, where they were enthusiastically received. The emperor, when he first heard Wolfgang perform, called him the "little magician." The children were petted by the whole court, and Wolfgang hugged and kissed the Empress Maria Theresa and the little Princesses; before leaving, the children were painted in full court costume. They next played in London and Paris, completely fascinating the public, and in Paris a painting was made in which we see Wolfgang at the harpsichord, with his sister by his side, and behind them his father playing on the violin. They next traveled in Italy, where they created a great sensation. While at Rome they heard Allegri's "Miserere," at the Sistine chapel, a work so prized that people were forbidden to copy it; but Wolfgang took a few notes, and after reaching home, copied it all from memory. At Naples, the people thought his wonderful improvisations were due to the magic properties of a ring which he wore; but when he removed it, and still the enchanting sounds fell from his fingers, their admiration knew no bounds. one. In 1773, the family returned to Salzburg, where young Mozart worked steadily until he was twentyHe was now anxious to travel and establish himself in his profession; and as his father was unable to leave his business, the mother accompanied her boy to Paris; but to part with Wolfgang was a severe trial to the father. From that time on, misfortune seemed to pursue this gifted man. Thenceforth he was never free from trouble and sorrow. On arriving at Paris, he found that the public had forgotten the little boy who but a few years before had captured all their hearts; his efforts to support himself were unsuccessful, and it is pitiful to read of the slights he sometimes endured. In 1779 he returned to Salzburg unsuccessful and disheartened. He staid there until 1781, when he left for Vienna, which he made his home for life. He now began a steady battle against the poverty which was always threatening him. If he left the city, some creditor was the last person to bid him farewell, and some wretched debt was his first welcome on his return. His wife, Constance Weber, to whom he was married in 1782, though devoted to him, was unfortunately a poor manager; the young people constantly changed their lodgings, and the house was never in order. The Emperor, who could have relieved all Mozart's distresses by giving him a court position, was dissuaded from doing so by the jealous and inferior musicians who surrounded him. It seemed as if nothing were too petty nor too cruel for some of these men to do, and no other musician ever suffered such wrongs at the hands of his brother artists as did Mozart. He worked incessantly at anything which would bring in money, even to giving lessons; yet he never had anything, and his appeals to his friends for help were pitiful. But through all his troubles Mozart kept his sunny disposition; a friend who once found him and his wife dancing about the room was astonished when told they did it to keep warm, as there was no wood in the house. In 1785, his father visited him, and was delighted to find his son's affairs in a better condition, and his position in the musical world very high. Haydn, who dined with them, said: "I recognize your son as the greatest composer I ever heard of." The friendship between Haydn and Mozart was strong and lasting; each loved and admired the other. In 1782 Mozart dedicated six quartets to his "dear Papa Haydn." Shortly after his opera of "Figaro" had been successfully produced in May, 1786, Mozart gladly accepted an offer to play at Prague. On arriving, he found the streets ringing with his music. "Every one," he wrote home, "dances here to the music of Figaro'; nothing is sung but 'Figaro'; no opera so crowded as 'Figaro'; forever Figaro.' Perhaps nowhere in Mozart's career did he meet with higher appreciation than during this visit. In October, 1787, after his return to Vienna, Mozart produced his greatest opera, "Don Giovanni." As late as the night before the performance the overture had not been copied. Mozart wrote on until late into the night, and his wife could only keep him awake by telling him the old fairy tales, such as he loved when a child; at times he would break from laughter to tears, until, growing more and more weary, he fell asleep. At seven the next morning, he arose and finished the score, the ink in some parts being scarcely dry when the copies were placed on the musicians' desks. The musicians had to play the overture at sight, but its beauties aroused the greatest enthusiasm both in the players and the audience. Mozart superintended all the rehearsals, and inspired the singers with his own ideas and feelings. He taught the hero to dance a minuet, and when one of the singers failed to conquer his score, Mozart altered it on the spot. At last the Emperor bestowed a court position on Mozart, but the salary was so meager – it was less than $500-that it was of little help to him, while his duty, to compose dance-music for the court, was humiliating. Well could he reply, when asked his income by the tax-gatherer, Too much for what I do; too little for what I could do." Handel's music had a profound influence over him, and on hearing a motet of Bach's, he was amazed, and said, "Here is a man from whom we can learn something," and he never ceased to study Bach as long as he lived. At last poverty, persecution, and misfortunes of all kinds began to tell upon Mozart, and his light spirits deserted him; he grew very gloomy, and felt that he had not long to live, nor did this feeling ever after forsake him. During 1789 Mozart was obliged to travel in order to eke out his income, and to procure the funds to start on his journey he pawned his 66 plate. No wonder that he felt saddened and depressed. When Haydn, before his London visit, said farewell to Mozart, the latter replied: "This is our last farewell in this life." Haydn, who was sixty years of age, thought Mozart referred to him, but it was his own fate that Mozart prophesied, and truly, for Mozart passed away while Haydn was yet in London. After Mozart returned to Vienna, he began to write the "Requiem." His melancholy increased, and, finally, his health broke down; he felt that he was writing his own requiem, and told his wife so; but he was, nevertheless, much absorbed in his work, often greatly tasking his strength. During his last illness, he asked some friends who had called upon him, to take the different parts of the "Requiem" and sing it with him; all went well till the "Lacrimosa" (a special section of the "Requiem" near the middle of the score), when he burst into tears, and was unable to proceed. His last words were an effort to tell where, in the "Requiem,” the kettle-drums should play. He died on December 5, 1791. His wife was too poor to buy a grave for him, and, as in the case of Bach before him, no stone was placed to mark his grave; a furious storm raged during the funeral, and but a handful of men out of all the great city of Vienna followed him to the grave. This same great city of Vienna, in which his laborious life was passed in so much poverty and distress, has just devoted $50,000 dollars to raising a monument to his memory. This is more money than Mozart received for all the work of his life, and as a recent writer says: "It is a striking inconsistency of fortune that this tribute should be paid the great composer by the children of those who allowed his life to be cut short by penury, hardship and neglect." Few are they who could follow the career of this gifted man without the deepest pity and sympathy. Fortunate, indeed, it was for him, that he had an ideal childhood, for his manhood was as great a contrast to it as is darkness to light. Nothing but his genius enabled him to bear up under the poverty and persecution which beset him at every step. No one less gifted could have lived on, pouring out strain after strain of deathless music. He could not help writing, and outward circumstances were nothing to him. He frequently worked out an idea in his head, and wrote it with the greatest ease, "as people write letters." He preferred to compose at night, and some of his loveliest creations were born with the morning light. His music always told the story of his heart, and so every one loves it. As long as music lives Mozart will live; his music is his monument. |