The Portland daily press., 1868-04-21
VarietieS.

A Kentucky paper says the Hon. John
Bell is still living. but in wretched state of
health.
The London Spectator admires General
Sheridan, but it does not pay a very high COM
pliment to the British army system when it
says: "Had he been born in France ninety
years ago he would have become Marshal
and Duke; had he been born in England,
his fine military gifts would have been lost to
his country, or if he had entered the army, he
would have died at most a sergeant"
"A New Bedford paper tells this story: "a
collector of customs in this section of the
State, who served in the volunteer army and
lost leg IN the service, some months since
received circular letter from Washinton, call
ing upon him, as a federal ofice-holder, to
contribute to political fund. He replied
that he had no money to give, having al
ready paid for the place he held by the con-
tribution of limb in the struggle for the
Union"
AT recent railroad .tete the following
rather old-fashioned sentiment was given:
sour mothers-the only faithful tenders who
never misplaced a switch"
"A writer in the Boston Transcript tells of
a single maple tree which has produced, on an
average, twenty pounds OF sugar year for the
last ten years. We should call that rather a
large story.
Prof. Agassz says he has never made
predictions regarding the weather, "well
knowing that meteorology is not yet sufa-
cienty advanced to justify the attempt"
The late Bishop Meade of Virginia occa-
sionslly said a witty thing. He was once la
menting the neglect of education in the State,
and remarked, with significant expression:
"Our girls are poorly educated, but our boys
will never fiud it out"
The clergyman who married the Archduke
Henry to Mile. Hoffman had no discretion in
the matter. He was not even informed that
any ceremony was to take place He was sim
ply sent for TO visit the archducal palace. On
arriving he was ushered into a room where
were gathered the wedding couple and two
gentlemen. The archduke Immediately began
by saying: Il declare at this moment, in the
presence of the cure and two witnesses, that
take the young lady here present tor my
WIFE" Mile. Hoffman made a similar state
meut, and so the marriage was duly celebrat-
ed in conformity with the canonical laws.
The New York Times having ventured to
suggest the name "Peticoterie" as a neat and
appropriate designation for the new associa-
ton of literary ladies in that city, the Evening
Post asserts that the joke, like most very good
things, is not entirely new; but that a little
society bearing this name has been in success
ful life in Brooklyn for many months. The
meetings are said to be devoted chiefly to read
'ngs from favorite authors, pnusic, dancing, an
occasional parlor drama, social talk, oysters,
coffee and ice-cream. But reporters for the
press are rigidly excluded, and it is not likely
that the public will ever see the crinoline, so
to speak, of the concern.
Mr.. G. o. Trevelyan, a youthful member
Of the English Parliament, who has become
known by some clever writing upon Indian
topics, has paper in the last number of Mac
milap's Magazine, in which. he intr roduces to
London readers some slight specimens of the
memorial literature of the American war"
The paper, which is reprinted in Every Satur-
day, is brief, but apprecative and eloquent.
"And to think" he says, after alluding to
Charles Russell Lowell, Robert Gould Shaw,
and others of the dead, "that the very exist
ence OF these men, our equals in birth, cir
cumstances and education, happier than we in
that they possessed a cause Tor which they had
a right to labor and to suffer, was successfully
concealed from us home-staying youth that
we were almost brought to believe that a ma.
tion composed of high-souled descendants
from the loyal chivalry of the 18th century
had been subugated by heterogeneous mob
of aliens Officered by political iobbersp
The coming baseball season promises to
open very lively in New York, Pennsylvania,
and the Eastern States. All the prominent
clubs are making active preparations 10 enter
into the struggle for the championship lately
awarded to and now held by the Union Club
of Morrsania, New York, and specul atoms
are rife that the Atlantic Club, of BROOKLYN.
are very sanguine of wrestling it from the Un-
ions. There are many candidates for the
championship this year.
"A Texas correspondent of the Examiner
and Chronicle, wishing to put the morality.
order, and good neighborhood OF that State in
favorable light before Northern readers, saws
that, as regards the white inhabitants, he iS
confident that good order and morality are as
prevalent there as in any other State, with
perhaps one exception, arising from the long
continued custom prevalent in all the former
slaveholding States of sometimes reSorting 10
the pistol or bowie-knife in private quarrels."
This, says the editor, is not very far behind the
old lady who claimed for her minister eouali-
ty with anybody's minister, except in one or
two particulars: he would sometimes get
drunk, and when very angry he would swear.
1t is a curious fact that the new Garda
Mobile of France are entrusted with arms ouly
while on dril!-showings how much old Nan
trusts to his young subjects.
-Croquet promises to be more fashionable
and popular this summer than ever before In
some places the players went at it as soon as
the snow was off the ground, and the fever is
spreading every pleasant day. Baseball is
nowhere in comparison.
THE Vistuline Province" is the name Civ
en- to the late Kingdom of Poland" by the
Russian government.
1t is understood in Paris that the reports
made to the Emperor by Prince Napoleon, af-
ter his return from Germany, were highly IA
vorable to the continuance of peace between
that country and France.
Florence Nightingale has joined the Eng
glish National Society for Women's Suffrage,