Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1861-12-30

How to Get Autographs-A Frenchman's
Device.
A considerable sale OF autographs has lately
attracted to the Reu des Bon Eniants num-
Der OF these who feel an interest in decpher-
ing the characters of celebrated persons from
their handwriting as well as from their works
The catalogue in this instance gave much
promise to such amateurs, and was drawn up
by M. Laverdet, who follows a profession
which is elsewhere unknown, of expert deS 0a.
togfdlhS 1t was a curious document, and cal
culated to awaken much curiosity as well as
to show somewhat strange manias human be-
ings are capable OF being led into and the sin
gular devices which poor Frenchman will
resort too who wishes TO have the honor of
corresponding with great men. These auto.
graphs were collected by an individual OF the
oldest dress and manners, who from 1913 to
1859 made use OF the most varied devices to
accumulate the contents OF the catalogue com
piled by NJ. Layerdet. One OF the methods
he adopted was to send to any famous person,
specimen OF whose handwriting he wanted
TO possess, the following, which was circular
that nearly every celebrated Frenchman OF the
present day has received by post at some pc
rod OF his life
g i am twenty years old, a vioiinist at a GER
tain ballroom Of inferior class. l have lost the
woman L adOred, l have sought recklesSly to
distract my grieltor her in the lowest dissipa-
tions, but am no longer able to resist the mis-
cry that overwhelms me- when she persists in
keeping her place in my recollection / do
not believe in God, and am about killing my
self, but before go to throw myself into the
arms of Nothing, address myself to you
monsieur, the OBJECT of my constant admra-
ton, to demand in the shape OF advice your aid
and succor, and if you do not reply, know
well what will do with myself
1t would require tlinty nature not TO be
startled whenever the concierge handed i'll such
an epistIe but it does not appear that The
breasts of French authors are SO inseusibe rs
might be imagined from their continual and
openly displayed effusions of tenderness ct de
Ia SenSi6ihte. Jules Janin. Felicien David,
Pierre Dupont, Reber, Sivort, Henri Reber,
Z. j. Proudhon, Delphine, Girardn, Reybaud
and G. Sand, ministered to the supposed sul-
ferer the consolation he desired, and gave him
the advice he asked.
George Sand wrote with greater brevity
than the others, Life is great school Tor en-
tering great battlefield, in which we struggle
Tor great prize, the right to win which only
belongs to man. All can therefore say is, to
be man, and rise above the cowardly feelings
that harass you Jules Janin said, in sub
stance, the same thing, but stretched tout into
an epistle of three or four closely.wrtten
foolscap pages, in which he gives, as ali exam
should act, a sketch Of his own life His letter
begins thus =
"A man at twenty is NOT made to dream
He is made to act. 1t is pleasant, no doubt,
to fall into reverie when gazing on the
Champs de Mars; but to hope is better /; and
to hope is impossible if we do not work. II is
by assiduouS labor that an art alone can be
mastered, and it is only by an equal amount
of pains and a Strengthening act of the will
that we write, play the violin, or paint head
better to-day than we did yesterday, and SO on
10 the dpogie Of our existence. L who write to
you was, i'll my day, as unhappy as you this
moment are
NJ. Janin gives excellent advice, and says
great many pretty things, but at too great
length to quote. 1t suffices to say that he
forbds the supposed patient to read les
mauUdiS Hures which swarm from the French
printing presses, and advises in moderation
the perusal of such authors who teach that lie
is serious thing, and that to learn how to
live must be learned by living"