The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-08-21 00:00:00

WHIMS AND HOBBIES.

The whims or hobbies which people adopt are
often strangely out of keeping with their professions,
their rank, or intellectual culture (says the Evening
Standard). To take only a few instances of the singu-
lar caprices of great men, jotted down in the De bats,
we find .lEsop, whose favourite pastime was to play
at nuts (in what particular manner is ,not stated) ;
Scipion, whose chosen recreation consisted in picking
up shells on the sea shore and playing with his friend
Lcelius at a game similar to that known in modern
France as " Cornichon-tvt-derant." Cicero 's son
gloried in trying his strength at wine-combats, at
which he was such a practised hand that he could drink
two " conges," or more than six quarts at a draught.
The Emperor Augustus loved so dearly to
see a quail-fight, that he caused a slave who had
roasted and eaten a favourite quail to be crucified.
Dornitien would shut himself up for hours in order to
devote himself to catching flies; the Emperor Alexander-
Severus knew Or no more delightful pastime that to
contemplate puppies and little pigs fighting or gambol-
linx together. To come to more recent times, Charles
.IX. found real enjoyment in shoeing a horse; and the
celebrated philologist, Joseph Scaliger, who died
in 1609, used to divert himself by donning heavy
armour, shutting himself in his study, and dancing
round the room. Louis XIII. divided his spare
moments between portrait-taking and larding loins of
veal for his breakfast. A Duke of Alba under Philippe
IV. insisted on remaining perpetually in bed,
although in perfect and mental bodily health. After
three years of bed he died. Louis XV. cultivated
his lettuces, was extremely fond of carpentering, and
was skilful at embroidery frame work. The Count
Hendon, Minister of Marine under Louis XVI.
plied a needle as easily as any seamstress, and used
of an evening to help Madame de Genlis with
her needlework. Another Henrion, member of
the Academy of Inscriptions, who lived in the
seventeenth century, passed all his time in researching
the stature of men since the creation. It was he who
stoutly affirmed that Adam measured one hundred
and twenty-three feet, Eve one hundred and eighteen
feet, Noah reckoning twenty feet less than Adam.
Of Elizabeth of England it is related that she boasted
of possessing three thousand different dresses, a num-
ber exceeded by Elizabeth of Russia, who left at her
death eight thousand seven hundred costumes in her
wardrobe. With the two Elizabeths should be placed
the famous Count of Brilhl, whose wardrobe con-
tained three hundred suits, with three hundred wigs
to match each suit, and an equal number of walking-
sticks, snuff-boxes, hats, &c.

THE " JuMPER'S " PARADISE. An Everla.sting
Spring.—Punch.

- -
AN OCEAN IF TOII LIKE !—Visitor (who is spending
his second day at the seaside) : "Hullo, Guvner, how
is it the tide always comes in in this part oi the
world ? "—Native : " Why, it's going out now."—
Visitor: "Why, I nlways thought the waves turned
round and broke the other way when it went out."—
Judi.

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