Show OCR lattell from our own correspondents Correspondent I washington Dec christmas day in washington was not the ideal one the ground was not covered with snow and the potomac was not a sheet of glistening ice bat probably never has there been a christmas day so generally observed in the washington churches all denominations had special services with large congratulations and good singing pulpits were decked with greens and flowers and wreaths and festoons fes of pine and holly hung gracefully from the walls the presidents christmas was spent m a very quiet manner in the morning he attended church with mrs cleveland and in tho afternoon sat down to dinner without any company the death of ex secretary manning cast a shadow over cabinet circles as well as th eWhite house and a number of receptions were omitted through respect to his memory we have had no congress this week some of the senators and representatives went homo to eat choir turkeys but I 1 notice that there are more here now than ever before at this season this is because of the interstate commerce law which prevents the issue of passes to congressmen statesmen now travel like ordinary men they pay for their sleepers and not a few of them travel in common coaches the subject recalls representative holman of indiana whose excessive economy in legislation has caused tam to be called the watch dog of the treasury and also the great objector because on the floor of the house he rises to object to almost every proposition that involves an inroad upon the national money vaults it would seem however that mr holman is pretty consistent for when he visited the indian reservation on official business a year or so ago he wanted his committee to take the common cars in order to save sleeping car expenses speaking of christmastide probably no nan in the city has enjoyed the season more than philanthropist mr WW coraa a man full of years and deeds he has just entered upon his ninetieth year last tuesday was his birthday and his house aras fragrant with tho flowers that had been sent to him ha received a large number of callers letters telegrams and cable messages from all quarters ou arters camo in all day malang his parlors with the flowers cards and dainty of tho event an interesting scene mrs Clev elands gift was rather a pretty notion it consisted of a loose cluster of marshal niel and papa gontier roses arranged in a vase there being a rose for every year of mr Cor corana life mr corcoran in looking back through the long vista of his eighty nine years remarked one day that he had shaken the hand of every american president except washington who died said heb eiore I 1 began to run about the white house but he had evidently forgotten the tion in the case of president lincoln mr corcoran Core oran was not on sufficiently good terms with him or with his administration to have shaken hands with the war president nt mr corcoran was at that time GO warm A sympathizer with the south that he found it necessary to leave washington r a time unlike most aged people who liv largely in the past Mr corcoran enjoys seeing friends of all ages and likes to discuss men and events of tha present time As he himself said pointing to his bead 1 am all right here but my legs are weak he cannot walk without assistance si stance and is attended to and from his carriage and everywhere he goes by his valet he attended church on christmas day and after being assisted to the chancel rail for communion he was unable to place the wine to his lips this weakness was only temporary however having been induced by the fatigue of bitting through a long service he express eg the hope that he will yet live to celebrate bis centennial mr Cor corana liberal acts of recent years at least are well kown he has given about in charity and he has probably left he lives in the house which was occupied by daniel webster when the latter was of state the venerable historian George bancroft 12 one of big nearest neighbors and most intimate friends they address each other as old boy |