The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, November 18, 1891, Image 7
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MEISSONIEE.
METHODS AND FOIBLES OF A
GREAT FRENCH ARTIST.
The Fabulous Sums He Received
. for His Masterpieces?Curious
Reminiscences of the Eccenttlc
Painter. '
> Meissonier, the great French artist
*rho died in Paris recently, spent money
pwith both hands. He built himself on
|the Malesherbes place in Paris a house
that -was a wonder of taste. He kept a
Country seat in the grand style of the
jinillionaire aristocrat. He bought everything
be wished right and left v ithout
!once stopping to calculate his imn ediate
income. His ability to be thus reckless
Vith impunity was due to his ur paral- ;
leled success in making his high art
<a financial success. Few if any other 1
[modern painters have persistently de
taumded and received such great material 1
recognition of their work. The prices
paid repeatedly for his tiny canvasus have
'been fabulously high. A Frenchman has
calculated since his death that none of 1
his well known works- is to be had for !
much less than $300 a square inch.
ji At the Secretan sale seven ltttle genre
:pictures by Meissonier went for $101,000*
>?'Le Vin dv Cure," on wood, four and
' one-one half inches high by six inches
wide, done in 1860, brought $16,000; i
"Le Peintre et l'Amateur." on wood, ,
;aine by four inches, 1859, $12,500; ,
'Joune Homme Ecrirant Une Lettre,"
4>n wood, nine by seven inches, 1882. ,
13 ,000; "Joueurs de Boules ausVer-j,
?ailles," on wood, five and one-half by ]
)eight, 1847, $14,200; "Joueurs de ,
Boules a Antibes," on wood, five by <
iseven inches, 1869, $12,000; "Liseur (
-en Costume Rose," on wood, eight by j
'six inches, 1S54, $13,200; "Le Coup de
jrEtrior," on wood, nine by five inches, ,
.date unknown, $16,000. I
* Meissonier was never to be shaken in {
phis demands for enormous prices. Often, ]
.after finishing a picture, he doubled the i
.estimate he had made of its value before j
Ibeginning it. Emperor Napoleon III. <
^originally appropriated $20,000 for the <
jpicture *'Napoleon m. at Solferino." ^
After completing the work on it Meis- <
gonier gave him the alternative between j
paying $40,000 and letting his most (
[famous portrait fall into strange hands. {
iRichard "Wallace agreed to give the 3
mainter $30,000 for putting on canvas ]
,^'Napoleon in the Battle at Friedland." y
Meissonier did the picture, and refused <
)to let it go for less than $60,000. When |
iWallace demurred, Meissonier coolly sold <
{the painting at his price to an American
yrho did not haggle.
Meissonier's masterpiece, "1814," is ;
known us the most expensive painting in <
the world. It is twenty inches high by j
thirty inches wide, and was last sold for j
j|170,000. It represents Napoleon I.
And his great general staff riding back ,
ifrom the scene of their defeat. It came ;
to be painted in this wise: In 1870 M. ,
jDelhante, a rich business man with a
taste for art, found Meissonier at work ;
{in his studio on one of his microscopic :
(canvases.
L *sWViof rlnpc it rpnrpspnt2" hp aslcpd.
P' "A military subject, to which I will
give the title '1814."'
i/ "Tour subject is very gfreat and your
,canvas is veiy small, M. Meissonier,"
said Delhante. Why do you not paiat a
larger picture?"
. Is "I have laid it in small for two
reasons?first, because that is my style of j
jpainting; second, because, to speak,
ppenly, I need money. I work slowly,
land am able to finish a little picture
pauch sooner than a large one."
p "So you need money. Well, paint
toy portrait. What will it cost?"
L "Five thousand dollars."
p Delhante drew out his purse and laid
the money on the table. "Now, I wish
also for myself the picture '1814,'" he
'continued, "but on the condition that!
you do it on a larger canvas."
tSome time later, when the portrait
as completed, Meissonier showed his
ipatron the outlines of a new "1814,"
[with the question: "Is that large enough
for you?"
k "Just right. What will it cost?"
J 4'Fourteen thousand dollars."
I 4'All right: there is half the price.*'
* The picture was painted, paid for, and
^delivered, and in 1864 was exhibited in
The Salon. An Englishman offered $60,000
for it, but Delhante held back.
iVailderbilt increased the offer to $80,.
.000, yet failed to secure the picture.
Finally M. Bague, a connoisseur, got it
. for $100,000, and, after keeping it in
his possession for one day, made the |
famohs sale of it to M. Chauchard for
$150,000. This was the first time a
great painter had 3een with his own eyes
such a triumph of his art. Those who
hare approached most closely his success
were Munkaczy, with his "Christ before
Pilate," which sold for $100,000; Millet,
with his "Angelus." for which $120,000
-was paid, and Murillo, with his "Ascension,"
$130,000.
J. In the work behind his great artistic
'and financial success Meissonier followed
jelosely the suggestion of the German
jproverb, "Kein Preis ohne Fleiss." An
experience of Menzel and Pietsch in his
jstudio in 1867 illustrates the infinite
,painstaking with which all his great pictures
were painted. "1807," or the
["Cuiraf^iers of Friedland" was unfinished
on his easel. In reponse to a comjment
from one of his Visitors Meissioner
explained the nature of the work
lie had done in order to be
able to do it. "The way of the cuirasBiers
to the enemy," he said, "lay over a
field of grain, still colored with the tints
;of June green. Infantry had already
'marched oyer the field and had trodden
'down the blades. To get this effect
perfect before my eyes I had a field near
limy house in the country planted to rye
iin the fall. In the following May, when
the bli^cs tad taken on about the size
and thD color which would be characteristic
cf a jrain field in East Prussia on
June 14, the day of the battle, I had a
troop of infantry, placed at my disposal
jby the commander of a neighboring j
jgsrrison, march over it diagonally. After
(the field had been thus piepared, I made j
Jfour large and miuutely exact studies of
aiature from it. These studies I utilized I
in the picture before you. I also made I
fuse of a company of cuirassiers from the |
jPoissy post for the purpose of studying j
the effects produced by their movement.
! . Day after day they stormed by my house
in the wildest haste, swinging their
swords and shouting, 'Vive I'Empereur.'"
rThu3, without the aid of instantaneous
photography, now so indispensable to
the painter ot such scenes, Meissonier
was enabled to study and represent the
men and horses in the mad movements
of the full charge.
J " - J .\ [ '
Meissonier, the Great, was of dwarfish
stature. He had a large, powerful, bony
head, with a wide forehead and bushy
eyebrows. Down over hia breast flowed
a Ions white beard, the pride of his j
heart. He imagined that it helped him
look larger and statelier than he was.
This idea was a drop of comfort in hia
cup of mourning over his dwarfishness.
It gave him a little consolation in hia
everlasting regret that he was not a man
of martial figure, for, with all his phenomenal
successes, Meissonier dreamed
half of his dajs of the impossible ambition
to be big. To make himself look
more manly and robust he frequently encased
his diminutive legs in huge cavalry
boots. He prinked daily before the
mirror, and was never weary of comparing
himself with ether small men to show
that he was really not so very little. To
the end he confided in his friends the
pangs he ever suffered on account of his
under size. Occasionally, but only oc
casionally, did Meisaomor una tne desired
consolation he sought from his acquaintances.
One afternoon, as the
Sculptor Dubois entered his studio,
Meissonier exclaimed joyfully:
'What do you think! The corn doctor
was just here, aud what do you suppose
he says? A six-foot grenadier cannot
get any bigger corns than mine."?
New York Sun. \
Coral Animals Tamed.
"I know that coral animals can be
tamed, for I hare had considerable experience
with them," said George Bancroft,
of Tallahassee.
Mr. Bancroft has spent several years
of his life among the coral reefs off the
coast of Florida and Key West, and has
made & study of the work of the little
coral animal. The traveler has a fine
collection of coral with him, and about
each piece has something interesting to
relate.
"I belie7e I am the first person, however,
who ever tamed the polyps," continued
Mr. Bancroft, a3 ha took a fine
specimen from his pocket. "That piece
[ found on a reef in Florida, and as I
ivas anxious to notice how fast the coral
jrows I placed it in the water where I
;culd visit it every week and note the
change. I had no idea the coral animal'
*ould become used to my coming, but
>ne day after about the tenth visit I
loticed the polyps darting into their
;ells. After several more visits some of
;he little fellows became so bold as to
remain on me ouisiae, ana nnauy iney
Decarae so well acquainted with me they
rc-ould remain in sight. I have stood by
;he side of that four-inch-square specimen
for hours examining the thousands
jf animals on it.
"Scientific men claim that the coral
?rows slowly, not more than an inch in
LOO years, but I hare proved that the
scientific people don't know what they
ire talking about, for the piece containing
my coral pets in six months grew at
least an inch. It is rather hard to describe
how the animal works. The little
fellow is* a mere sack containing a
stomach. It is a compound animal, and
inrrpaspn <rpmm?tinn w>nn<* Tinlvns
? j & j / ~?o ??j rspringing
from the original polyp,
sometimes indifferently from any part of
its surface. The upper surface is decked
out with tentacles and the body is
separated by a number of partitions that
extend from the stomach to the outer
skiD. Between these walls of flesh the
carbonate of lime is deposited and in
that way the coral grows."
Mr. Bancroft has many specimens of i
coral with him. One kind he calls the
pepper coral. When touched with the
tongue it will cause tears to run from
the eyes of the owner of the tongue. It is
wone thau red pepper. The coral, the
traveler says, is not sought for as it was
years ago.
"Coral ornaments are not popular at j
present,"said Mr. Bancroft," and until j
hlici-o ia a r?ra7m fnr fha frarlo trill
bUViv * * <-* VtUtiV AV* fUWCU KU^ V1UUV 1IU?
not be extensive."?Chicago Tribune.
A Skeleton Held by a Cleft Tree.
Freeman P. Lane, who has just returned
from Chaska, says that a farmer
living near that place, while traversing
a copse of heavy oak timber some five !
milds from Chaska, discovered a human
skeleton securely pinioned to a huge
oak. The supposition, based upon the
surrounding conditions, is that the man
must have met with death before cold
weather set in last fall. The skeleton
was in an upright position, and the
entire right arm and shoulder was
wedged into a crack in the trunk of the
tree. The tree is badly shattered from
top to bottom, and this theory i3
evolved:
During a heavy thunder shower last
fall the man sought shelter beneath the
wide-spreading branches of the oak, and
a thunderbolt rent the tree from tip to
root, killing the man and opening a
crevice in the tree that immediately
clesed, pinioning the man. It is narrated
that a farm hand employed some
four miles from the death-trap has been
missing since early in November or late
in October. It is surmised that he waa
the victim of nature's unwonted freak.?
Minneapolis Tribune.
Forests and Rain.
Among the forestry students there are
some who believe that forests tend tc
equalize the rainfall, making the downfall
regular through the whole year,
when the land is denuded of its forest
coverings rain falls more furiously and
then drouths follow. There is another
class who believe that rain falls at all
only tKjcause of forests, and when they
are removed a country becomes an arid
waste. The British Government has recently
issued statistics of the meterology
of British Guiana. The country, comparatively
speaking, may be styled a vast
forest; and when we learn that the
enormous rainfall of 84.7 is the mean of
a number of years, and that in the year1
1889 as much as 123.5 inches fell, it will
be seen that one of the classes of students
cited may take great comfort. But when
we read further and find that it only
took eleven days to pour down this flood,
and that for 354 days out of the 365 the
sun shone steadily and brightly, it will
be difficult to decide which side of the
forestry argument has the best of it.?
New York Independent.
To Cat Glass With Scissers.
One can cut glass with a scissors as
easily as though it were an autumn leaf.
The entire secret consists in plunging
the pane of glass into a tub of water,
submerging also the hands and the scissors.
The scissors will cut ia straight
lines without a flaw. This result is
achieved in consequence of the absence
of vibration. If the least portion of the
scissors is left out of the water, the vibration
will prevent the glass cutting.?
Pott Dispatch. j 1
BUDGET OF FUN.
innwnoAna GKKTrn RS PROM
VARIOUS SOURCES.
Return Lore?Not Unnatural?Nothing
to Do With the Case?
The Shame of It?
Etc., Etc.
They had a quarrel and she sent
His letters back next day,
His ring and all his presents went
To him without delay.
"Pray send my kisses back to me,"
He wrote, "Could you forget them?"
Bhe answered speedily that he
Must come himself and get them.
?Outing.
not unnatural.
4<0h, for the wings of a dove 1" sang
Ethel.
"I prefer the second joint," said
Ohollie, absently.?New York Htrald.
the shake of it.
Customer?"Why did you take jour
boy awftj from school?"
Grocer?"They are ruining him.
Why, they were trying to teach him that
tixteen ounces make a pound!"
at 11:30 p. m.
"Do you believe that I am but a dream
in your mind, as some people say, Miss
Harris?"
"No; not at all. Dreams go by contraries,
while you don't go at all."?New
York Herald.
PROVING AN ALIBI.
Court?"Is there anything charged
against this man?"
Prisoner?"There can't be, Judge. I
haven't been able to get anything
jcharged to me for fifteen jears."?
SomeroiUe Journal.
ALMOST A HINT.
, Mr. Qoldbug?"What a beautiful
littfe hand you have. Miss Gitthar."
Miss Gitthar?"Yes; ma often says
that my engagement ring will hardly
cost anything at all."
Impressive silence for several minutes.
?Texas Siflings.
NOTHING TO DO WITH THS CASK.
Maud?"Jack tells me that he has
never loved any one before."
Ethel?"Well, excuse me for telling
Trmi hnf. ho And T were once enerasred."
Maud?"Oh, I didn't ask him about
engagements. I only asked him about
love."?Munsey's Weekly.
ONE MAN PLEASED.
"You shouldn't run down your new
house so. I heard a man talking about
it to-day, and he simply raved about it.
Baid it was magnificent."
"Who was he's"
"Barrows."
"Oh, yes. He was my architect."?
New York Sun.
HE KNEW WHICH WAT THEY RAN.
Pat?"Yez may say wot yez plaze,
gintlemen; it's not onywhere ye'll be
foindin' braver men nor th' Irish!"
Banter?"Come off, Pat; it was only
the other night that I made five of them
run."
Pat?"Was it long: cat chin' ye, they |
were?"?Life.
AN ADVERTISED METHOD OP SUICIDE.
Cuuiso?"It seems queer to advertise
methods of 3uicide."
Mrs. Cumso?"What in the world do
you mean?"
Cumso?"Here's an advertisement
which says: 'Try a pair of our shoes and
you will never wear another shoe.'"?
Harper's Bazar.
JIMMY FOLLOWED SUIT.
Teacher?"Where do we obtain coal,
Freddy?"
Freddy ? "From the coal beds,
ma'am."
Teacher?"Right! Now, Jimmy, where
do we obtain feathers?"
Jimmy?"From the feather beds,
ma'am."?Wasp. (
INHERITED JUSTICE.
Miss Mildmaid?"Do you know, Miss
Haughty, that I think your neighbor,
the debutante at last evening's reception,
is destined to shine in society's circles?"
Miss Haughty?"She ought to. Her
father was a bootblack long enough to
insure her inheriting remarkable shining
qualities."?Mercury.
AN UNAVOIDABLE DELAY.
Bingo?"I went into the antique furniture
dealer's to-day to get that seventeenth
century chair you admired so
much, but he had just sold it."
Mrs. Bingo?"How unfortunate!"
Bingo?"Yes. He said it would be
at least a week before he could turn out
another like it."?Munsey't Weekly.
KATHEU DIFFICULT.
Mis3 D.?"Angelina, why don't you
marry Lieut. X ?"
Miss A.?"First, because he has no
brains?and he can't ride, dance or play
tennis. What could we do with him?"
Miss D.?"But he swims beautifully."
Miss A.?"Oh yes?but one can't
keep one's husband in an aquarium
pou know."?Life.
HAVING REVENGE.
Home (to his friend at the concert,
who is applauding enthusiastically)?
"For goodness sake, don't man; that
was abominable! You'll bring that
:ruel music butcher out again!"
O'Bowie (with increased enthusiasm)
?"Good! Can't you see he's half fainting
with exhaustion? I want some revenge,
my boy."?Fliegende Blaetter.
THE POLICY PAID THE POET.
The following letter shows how a
foung gentleman made money by publishing
a book of poems. The publisher
wrote immediately after the book was
published:
"Dear Sir?Your whole edition has
gone off, leaving a balancc of ?100 in
pour favor. Check inclosed. P. S.?
There was a fire in the warehouse and
the coatents were insured."?London
Tit-Bits.
A DILEMMA.
The Captain?"Colonel Waxem will
be banqueted after his wedding to-night,
and I am to respond to the toast. 'None
but the brave deserve the fair.' What
the deuce shall I say?"
The Major?"I hardly know how to adme
you. After you've seen the bride,
fou'U have to turn your speech into an
argument to prove either that Waxem
I isn't brave or that he isn't getting hia
deserts."?Kate Field's Washington.
he wasn't.
"I suppose," said she, glancing at the
clock, ''that like other boys you fought
many battles at school, and that when
you were once in a fight you stayed in it
till you won."
4iNo," said he, candidly, "I uied to
cret cut of fisrhts as quickly as possible."
"Well, now," she observed, with another
glance at the clock, 4'I should 1
think ycu would have been a stayer." 1
"No, I wasn't."
And to show that he wasn't a stayer
he took his hat and went.?Cape Cod 1
Item. 1
I
A FUTURE DIPLOMAT. '
Smart Youngun?"Mother, can I dig 1
up the garden for you to plant your flowers?"
Mother?"What a thoughtful boyt
Yes, dear, and here's ten cents; I'm sure 1
no other woman in this neighborhood has 1
such a kind, thoughtful mother's boy as
mine." 1
And then that kind, thoughtful 1
mother's boy goes triumphantly forward
and says aloud, so that all may hear who
listen: \
"Bully! I didn't see at first how I 1
was to get them worms without her find
ing out that I was goin' fismn'. i ou Dei
J.'ma dandy!"?Drake'a Magazine. i
couldn't astonish them. '
"I once shot a man," began the vie- (
tim of nerve food, as the train sped onward.
Nobody started up suddenly.
No one said "What's that?" in a shocked ,
tone of voice. !
He began again in a louder tone: "I
once shot a man?" Still the same oppressive
lack of interest.
Then he got desperate. He shouted:
"I once killed ten men." No one even
looked round. That wilted him.
"Conductor," he said, hoarsely, as he* |
fled into the chair car, "who in heaven's
name are those fiends in the smoker?"
"Those," said the official, "are chiefly
cowboys from the Texan border.'"?St.
Joseph News.
in its concentrated form.
"Doctor," said the tired looking \
caller, "I believe a trial of Dr. Koch's i
lymph wold do me good." i
"Your lungs, sir," replied the physi- i
cian, "are perfectly sound. Yoa need no i
consumption cure," i
"But I have a tired feeling all the i
time." I
"A kind of indisposition to take any I
active exercise?" j
"Yes."
"Or any other kind of exercise?"
"Yes."
'Or to do anything like work?"
"Um?ye3."
""What you need, sir, is the lymph of
industry." *
"I believe you are right, doctor," said
the caller, rising languidly. "I'll live
on honey for the next thirty days and see
how it goes."?Chicago Tribune.
EXPLAINING A PARLOR RACKET.
Singers who murder music are usually
considered more guilty than the music is. ,
The provoked Cincinnati Judge was not
blaming the music, however, when he
turned the metaphor the other day.
His daughter and a young gentleman
caller frequently indulge in tuneful
vocal practice over the piano, and when
*? > narlAi* 1
ILiey JJCl< luycLuci iu w\. vuv.
Judge gets in as remote a part of the
house as possible in order to avoid what
he terms the uproar. One evening last
week they had been even more devoted
than usual to their music, and on the
following morning the Judge inquired of
his daughter:
"What on earth was all that racket
you and your caller were making in the
parlor last evening?"
4'Why, papa, Sam and I were trying '
a new duet." '
"Trying a new duet, were you? Well,
from what 1 heard I should judge that
you found it guilty and inflicted the
heaviest penalty against it."?Cleveland
Plain Dealtr.
TURNING IT ON HER.
He had finished his introductory re? ,
marks, and was about to propose, when |
he discovered that his proposal would be ]
treated with contempt. I
"Go on, Mr. Sprigger," she said, im- ,
patiently tapping her foot on the carpet .
as he paused in his remarks. |
"I was about to say, Miss Hilder," ho
continued, "tnat i am aware taat mo j
human heart, especially a woman's, is a
delicate thing, and I come to-night to \
correct a wrong impression which you ]
have been under for some time, I think. \
To be plain, Miss Hilder, because I do <
not wish to cause you future suffering, \
let me state that I have never cared ]
enough for you to ask you to link your \
lot with mine, therefore do not think ]
that I can return the love you bear for ]
me. My attentions to you have been (
prompted purely by a friendly fseling, i
nothing more. But I trust this will not ]
mar our friendly relations," he said, tak- ]
ing his hat to go, "for remember, you ]
will ever have in me a true friend. Be <
assured I will always be a nephew to 5
you." I
And she was so dumb with surprise <
and anger that she didn't say good-bv to
him when he bowed himself out.?Boston
Herald.
Gambetta's Glass Eye.
At the age of nine Leon Gambetta, the j
French statesman, was sent to the semi- j
nary at Montfaucon, near the village of ,
Labastide, where Joachim Murat, King ,
of Naples, was born. It has been related j
that the child voluntarily put out one of '
his own eyes with a penknife, when he \
was at the ecclesiastical seminary, in or- (
der to compel his parents to withdraw ]
him from the charge of the priests, says ,
Paul Armand, writing in a syndicate let- ]
ter. The accident really happeued in the ,
following manner: Leon always spent <
his holidays at home at Cahors. Next <
door to his father's shop a cutler named 1
Galtle had established himself, and tM ,
child was constantly in the cutler's work- ]
shop. One day, as a workman was bor- (
ing a hole in the handle of a knife with <
a steel drill, put in motion by means of a 1
sort of bow, the steel rod broke, and one 1
of the pieces struck the child in the right ]
fcve. Henceforth Leon Gambetta was ' (
blind of an eye. We all remjember his 1
protuberant eye at college, covered with 1
a whitish pellicle,- which gan him the <
appearance of a Cyclops. His school- <
fellows used to call him Ccclesonac- J
count of it. His eye remained in this ]
way till 1887, when Dr. Weekertook out j
the diseased eye and substituted a gloss ]
one ia its place.? Picayune, ,
TIGER TAMING.
A STURDY HEART, STRONG ARM
AND STOUT CLUB NECESSARY.
The Vaunted Power of the Hnmai
Eye a Myth?How the Tiger's
Claws Are Clipped. ?
Train in sr Secrets.
A New York Sun reporter describes s
recent interview with George Conklin
Superintendent of Barnum's menagerie.
Wt :juoteas follows:
Mr. Conklin and his visitor approached
i long cage standing in line with man]
other cages in a long one-story bricl
building, which bounded the eastern enc
of the great enclosure which the bij
show occupies during the winter season,
The cage had five Bengal tigers in it,
Four of them were together. The fiftt
was separated from the others by a temporary
iron grating. Two of the foui
tigers which were in company had thick
leather collars round their necks auc
stout chains several feet long fastened U
them. The tiger in solitary coafinemeni
was similarly harnessed.
"Well," said Mr. Conklin, "Fli tel
vou one thing we do besides 'feeding
these tigers. We train them. Thos<
fellows in there who have chains 01
i-hpm and are iuat now snittin<? ant
growling at us in such savage style, art
new. We have had them only a montl
or two. The others are old boys wh<
will let me go into the cage and not sai
i word to me. By the time we go or
the road they will all let me go into thi
cage.- I give them a lesson every day
That's ons thing we do during the win
ter."
'How do you tame them?" asked th<
visitor.
"It's easily done," said the trainei
carelessly. "Every day I have the mer
catch the ends of the chains which hole
the new tigers, and fasten them to th<
bars so they can only move a certain dis
tance. Then I arm myself with a raw
bide whip aad a stoat club and enter th<
cage. I take a chair wtth me and sii
down in the corner. The minute I get
in the untrained tigers spring at me. N<
doubt they would chew me to shreds ii
they got at me, but the chains hold then
and they only tumble on the floor. I hii
them smartly with the whip and thej
crouch back and snarl. After a little ]
3hove my chair closer. Then they jump
tt me again, but again they are throwt
down by their chains. I shove closei
and repeat the programme, and finally ]
get so close that they can touch me witl
their noses, but not bite me. Here I sii
e i. 4~.11.: I-*?*
tor a lUllg uuic, caitnuy iu tncm no iuup
as they remain quiet, and switching
them with all the lorce pos
3ible when they become fierce
[n the course of a few weeks they be
come used to my entrance, anct onij
cringe and snarl at me. Then I try them
one by one, without a chain. I hart
never so far used the club. Now I hole
it ready to deal a mighty blow if neces
jary, but it is seldom necessary. Tb<
tiger is subdued and permits my entrance
whenever I choose. I have got these
tigers here nearly trained. They snar
jret, you see, but next week I vrill tackl<
them without chains. That fellow in tht
other compartment is tractable enough,
but he persists in fighting with the big
Bengal, so we have to keep them sepa
rate. Do you see that long mark on hi
belly? He and the big: fellow had i
particularly hard fight the other day
and that is one result. If we hadn't had
the big fellow's claws clipped before'
hand, he'd have ripped open the new one
from end to end. So there's anothei
delicate job for me. I've got to get those
tigers on good terms."
"Is there any basis of truth in manj
storie3 that are told of the power of the
human eye over wild beasts?"
'Not the slightest," said Conklin disdainfully.
"Of course it is true that a
man who aims to subdue wild beastj
must show a fearless front, and no dcubl
the eye shares with the body generallj
the task of impressing the beast. But the
real requisite is real fearlessness. If a
man's heart is sturdy he need not care a
rap about his ejes. He can leare them
to themselves just as he leaves the other
members of his body. The secret oi
taming wild beasts i3 the realization that
ill wild beasts, however ferocious, are at
aeart cowards?particularly if they belong
to the cat family, as lions, tigers,
leopards, and panthers do. That granted,
i 8tout heart, a stout arm, and a stout
whip or club is all that is necessary. ]
lever have known fear."
"Do you always clip the claws of youj
ferocious animals?"
"Those of the cat tribe, always," said
the trainer. "It is quite a job, too, and
requires a number of men. You've got
to get your lion or tiger bound in such a
svay as to throw him on his side and
then reach in through the bars and grab
bis four feet. These you pull out between
the bars and hold tight. This is
no small job in the case of a very large
lion or tiger. They struggle violently,
Even after they are helpless and while
the operation of clipping is going on. J
killed a line panther this winter clipping
bis claws, or rather he killed himself,
ifter we had him securcly down so he
;ould hardly move a muscle, he strained
io in his efforts to free himself that he
jroke a blood vessel and died almost instantly."
A Thievia? Organization.
Something quite new in the history of
secret societies has just been discovered
it Selkirk in the shape of an Apprentice
League. The Pall Mall Gazette saysi
[ts objects have not been to organize a
novement foy shorter hours or largei
say, but, it is alleged, for mutual benoit,
at the expence of their employers.
They have removed from their mas
:ers' premises to their own "wai
:hest" drapery, goods, jewelry, tobacco,
iquors, booklets, sweetmeats, ironmongery,
etc. It is alleged tnat the societj
md about sixteen members, with a regllarly
constituted treasurer, and thai
some of the goods had been sold,bartered
jr consumed by several leading members.
The operations of the league had
lot excited suspicion, and might have
jeen continued indefinitely had the
:reaSurer's landlady not become anxioui
)n account of the mysterious bag kepi
jy her lodger under lock and key, and
which had grown daily heavier. Rumoi
ias it that, this chest was only a brancb
depository, and that another has yet tc
De discovered. Some of the boys havt
jeen discharged irorn their employment.
Dthers were young and had contrived
joods from their father's premises. The
natter is being investigated by the poice,
but it is understood that the employers
have unanimous:/ refrained from
odging a complaint.
WORDS OF WISDOX. 1
Death is the unforgetable. I
I We are to ourselves like a closed ?
, book. 1
Music first; after that, take youi r
i choice. t
The beautiful hidden virtures are the ; j
most lovely. j
An hour for jourself, the rest of the
day for others. i
1 You should not fear, nor yet should <
i you wish for your last day. i
How delightful are the beauties of ab- c
. negation?in the retrospect! I
1 A good man is kinder to Sis enemy
1 than bad men are to their friends. (
j Some men are fated to see no furthet 1
than the top round of the treadmill. fi
' The flowers, the grass and the leaves; j
t arhnt. wnnlH nntnrp hr? without them? .
' " " ' ~ ~ s
i No man ever offended his own con
science but first or last it was revenged
: upon him for it.
He who receives a good turn, should
I never forget it; he who does not, should
' never remember it.
' All the while thou livest ill, thou hast
the trouble, distraction, inconveniences
of life, but not the sweets and true use
j of it.
f .... Transact business with the men of tha
! world like a person in a shower of rain,
staying no longer than is indispensably
| necessary.
} To Summer In Death Yalley.
? J. H. Clery, a mild-mannered, blond1
moustached young man who has been on
3 United States, Signal Officer Connor's
' staff in the Rialto building, has left the
" city to become a desert-dwelling hermit.
Mr. Clery goes to California?to
! Death valley?and in Death valley he
will dwell six Lionths in solitude abso'
lute.
JJeatb valley is mine southwestern .>
portion of the California desert. A more
: utterly desolate spot there is not on
earth. It is the bed of a dried sand lake
forty miles long and twenty miles wide
and surrounded by steep hills. There is
absolutely nothing there except sand and
* alkali and blistering heat; for Death
! valley is said to be the hottest place in
the land. Shade there is none, the sky
1 never clouds, and the mercury seldom
or never goes below 100 degree. Even .
' the breezes come like furnace blasts,
laden with scorching bits of sand. If
' there is any water to be found in the
J valley where once was a great lake far
\ below the ocean level, it is strongly im- I
pregnated with alkali, and there is not a '
1 living crcature in the district save rattle- '
snakes and scorpions.
' Sixty mile3 from the railway terminus !
' at Eeeler the signal service hermit will '
journey into this blistering desolation 1
' and set up his tent. Here for six months '
or more he will observe the phenomena
1 of the desert now unknown to man. He '
' will study the sand blasts, keep record '
' nt fVio tnmnnHfiiM aao?rfair> t.TlP PTWt
I U1 UUC bwui|/wiuuutv) H^VW* ,
level of the valley below the sea, watch 1
J for rainfall?not a drop has fallen, they '
say, in twelve years?and tabulate all 1
' these things for the benefit of scientists. 1
I In the same desert, but practically as \
s far removed from one another as if in
the Sahara, will be three other solitajy !
investigators. The signal service has j
\ long desired to collect facts concerning
> this region unknown and unpeopled, but 1
J has not wished to order any one to un- 1
( dergo the dismal task of exploring it. 1
The present investigators are volunteers.
| Mr. Clery goes about his task as |
checrfully as if he were going on a sum- j
[ mer outing. .He knows nothing of the 1
| details of the arrangement except that ,
' food will be brought him from Keeler.
"And what will you do for water?" I
( asked a reporter as Mr. Clery prepared i j
, to set out for the depot.
"Indeed I haven't the slightest idea," {
was the reply. "I suppose they will see to
that for me."?Kansas City Times. j
Barometric Plants. a
j A French publication contains a list (
, of prognostics apropos of the aspect that t
| different plants present according to the
! state of the atmosphere. The following j;
! are a few examples: If the head of the }
, gith (Nigalla sativa) droops it will be t
warm; if the head of the same plant
stands upright it will be cool; if the
stalks of clover and other leguminous
plants stand upright there will be rain;
if the leaf o^the wood sorrel turns up it t
is a sign of a^&orm; if the leaf of the *
I whitlow grass siowiy Denas up mere wau *
be a storm; if the flower of the convol- t
villus closes it will rain; if the flower of t
the pimpernell closes it will rain; if the c
flower of the hibiscus closes it will rain; D
if the flower of the sorrel opens it will be ?
fine weather; if the flower of.the same '
plant closes it will rain; if the flowers of ^
the carline thistle close there will be a E
storm; if the flower of the lettuce ex- 3
pands it will rain; if the flower of the
small bind weed closes look out for rain; &
if tho pitcher plant turns upside down it t
will rain, but if it stands erect it will be | c
fine weather. If the flower of the cinque ' 4
J- ~:ii ;t ; | t
il>U expauua tucic nriti uo miu, uuv U ?w
closes the weather will be fair. If the 0
flowers of the African marigold close it v
will rain; if the scales of the teasel be- fc
come close pressed against each other it ?
will rain. 0
S
Sad Fate of a Brave Drummer Boy. Alexander
Wycisk, the only drummer
who has worn the iron cross, tolled himself
in Ratibor, Germany, a short time t
since. He went to the Franco-Prussian t
war with the Twenty-third Infantry, h
One afternoon he lay with his cam- I
rades behind the wall of a courtyard f
which the French were trying to take by p
storm. * In the heat of the struggle he ti
threw away his drum, snatched a rifle t
from a dying comrade, punched a hole in tl
the wall with a bayonet, and began fir- a
ing on the enemy. When the order to w
advance from the courtyard on the t]
attacking force was given, Wycisk could 2
aot find his drum. The Germans broke ii
over the wall, and were immediately h
within but few rods of the enemy, tl
Wycisk sprang, far ahead, seized, a n
Frcucli drummer by the waistband, f<
wrested from him his drum and sticks, v,
and began beating the "double quick.'* ri
For this deed he received the order I
jjiven only for bravery on the field of
battle. Poverty and inability to find
work were the causes of his suicide.?
Neio York Sun.
o
Speed-Indicator. 91
A fertile brain at Decorah, Iowa, has f(
invented a speed-indicator, which is to j.]
be fastened to the driver's wrist in such
a way that the dial may be seen at all
times. A small cord connects the novel
device with the sulky-wheel. A drivei
cau tell by glancing at the machine how
fast he is going.?Qh icaqo Xivtca. ' ^
* '- < ' v.- . a-\.iviV,
A $20,000 Necktie.
His necktie was worth $20,000. A
)lain, black, ordinary looking, e verylay,
four-in-hand, but worth $20,000.
3e was a traveler who had just come in
>n the Sante Fe route direct from Arizona,
tad he removed his coat and rest preparatory
to cleaning his cinder-speckled
'ace in the lavatory of a prominent
Michigan avenue hotel.
With the carelessness of a Western
nan he flung his coat and vest on a con;iguous
chair, but his necktie, his fourn-hand,
he carefully rolled up in a small
:ompasa and trust deep into his trousers
wcket.
The unusual exhibition of caution exited
the curiosity of a friend, and the
latural query, "Wherefore?" developed
i most ingenius device.
"That necktie is worth $20,000, plus
he cost price of the article itself,
?abe?"
The smile of incredulity brought the
raluable piece of black silk to view
igain* With his peaknife the traveler
jpened the seam, and unfolding the
ipped portions, dazzled the eyes of the
ikeptic with ten crisp, clean $1000 bills.
'Ten thousand dollars on this end and ^
be same amount on the other. Beats a -3
noney belt all hollow. I was held up
jy the James and Younger boys in Blue . ;
3lay Cut one day, and Jim Younger ran - 'J
lis hand over my body and felt
noney belt, and I handed over just
$1200. But what thief would look twice
it a fifty-cent necktie? They might corral -M
It if it was red or yellow, or even skyslue,
but plain black is too unobtrusive,
for those chaps run to high color. This
plan is better than the porous-plaster
icheme, too. Never heard of it! Well,
aext time you travel with more ready 1
:ash than you care to have obtainable,
itep into a drug store and buy two y )
porcus-plasters. Fold your wad neatly
md fiat, wrap around it a piece of oiled ' r
silk, and stick a plaster over it and onto, -i
the outside of the other plaster. Then 1
ilap the double-deck plaster on your t
:hest, and no one's the wiser.
"But the four-in-hand racket's the ,}
iest," and the man with the $20,000
lecktie gave it a final twist as he tied 1
it around his collar, slipped on his rest,
md coat, and walked out, serene and 'v
lecure with twenty $1000 bills snugly
lid away in his queer safety-deposit /\?
?ault.?Chicago Newt.
The Human Stature.
Doctor Oscar Lenz, the African ex- ,
plorer, Professor of Geography at the
[Jniversity of Prague, Bohemia, in a ^
;reatise on the African pigmies, makea -v
;he following observations on average 1
luman stature: "As to the average ,
aeight attained by these people, there is
nuch discrepancy in the notes furnished <> $
jy those who have seen them. Perhaps
the best estimate hitherto given is that
)f old Herodotus, who says of them that
;hey are below 'the medium height.'4 v j
Prom personal observation I am lea to .
infer that the size of these pigmies averige
between four feet three inches and jjf
tour feet eight inches for a full-grown ? -7
nan, and between three feet three inches v
ind four feet one inch for the woman. .
rhis certainly constitutes a race of
smaller stature than that to be found in ','M
nost other countries, but the term ',-vj
dwarf' applied to them appears incorWfVino1r>rn?
!>TltmnlM nf
nany a tribe and nation whose stature *
loes not exceed that which is here attri- _ ^
>uted to the so-called pigmies. This will
)e made clear by comparing the figures . -J
ust given with the following list furn- ^
shed by anthropological research: >'
Fiet. Inehet. ?>/,' &
>erma?a, Patagonianj, Kaffir3,
Polynesians 5 10
Don Cossacks 5 <8 >:4i
englishmen 5 6
i-ustrians. Northern Frrach- ')?: V;
ment Africans 5 5
Javanans. 5 4)tf ."ft:
Southern Frenchmea, Chinese.. 5 4It _ '[-'-f
Australians 5
Natives of Amboyna and Timor
5 2W
dalavs 5 1 %
Lkka (Tikki-Tikki) 4 11 "
a
?ppa ? r-;jga
Lbongoa, Bushmen, Esquimaux 4 3
It will be seen that the inhabitants of 'f
he Arctic circle are much of the same
ize as some of the tribes in tropical j
Lfrica.?Picayune. ,
A Mysterious Fact About Boats, i
5 t JtTVffigg
"There is something beyond calculaion
in the speed of steamboats," said J.
I. Case, of New York City, who is a ^
teamboat captain, and at present having v. -\
leadquarters at the Lindell. "Two yM
>oats map be built simultaneously from
he same model, with every effort to
aake them precise duplicates as to shape
nd machinery, and yet one will inariably
prove faster than -the other. "
Vhy this is no mnn can tell. ' The Mary
'owell has for fifteen years been the
wifest boat on the Hudson River. Dur- . j
g all that time she never has been
isafon Tim* and asrain an exact COUn
erpart bas been built, with everything
opied as nearly as the best mechanics \
ad facilities could do it, but none of
bese has turned out as good as the '
iriginal. Experience has been the same. .
irith yachtsmen. They order copies of.
he swiftest craft or combine the supposed
;ood points of several, and nine times
ut of ten are disappointed in the re- ^
ult."?St. Louis Star-Sayings.
-?
Influenza and Child rei'a Growth.
A systematic course of obserration of
he growth in weight of the children in
he Deaf Mute Iastititution ac Copenagen
has been kept up for seven years.
Lmong the most striking results is the
act that the principal increase takes
lace ia the fall months. Last fall (1889)
be influenza appeared in Copenhagen
award the end of November. Six of
be professors of the institution were
ttacked, while no pronounced cases
rere developed among the pupils. At be
same time, for four weeks after the
3d of November, the weight of the boys
lereased only two-filths as rapidly as it
ad done in the corresponding weeks of
tie previous year, while the girls gained
othmg. It is supposed that the vital
Dree that usually went to increase of
reight was for this occasion Uied up in
Existing the germs of the disease.?
'opular Science Monthly.
Make-Belle ve" Tor t resses.
Jerry-built fortresses have turned Tip
n the frontiers of Russia to the consemation
of the Government. A comlission
of revision inspecting some forties
near the German frontier found
ie outer walls about as substantial as a
iece of scenery. A fortress in Doubno
as been ordered to be demolished and
;built. The chief constructor of this,
ne blew out his brains, and all his
^sponsible subordinates have been sent
i> Siberia.?Baton Transcript, J