The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-02-06
STAR AND CATHOLIC MESSENGER.
NEW ORLEANS. SUNDAY, FEBRUARY L. 1870.
EXCERPTS. =
EXCERPTS.

The Story Of a Noted Ercnch Miser.-Vpndille
one of the most remarkable characters, AS II
nniser, that is to be found among the eccentric
biographies of France. His riches were i'm
mense, and his avarice and parsinOny extreme.
He hired miserable garnet in tho most OBJ
scure part of Paris, and paid poor woman
sou a day to wait upon him. Except once n
week his diet never chahged,,bread and nd, milk ~,
for breakfast, the same for dinner, and the
same for supper, all the week round.
On a Sunday be venturcd to indulge in Il
glass of sour wine, and he strove to satisfy the
compunctions Of conscience by bestowing in
charity q fapthing every Sunday. This munifi-
cence which incurred expenditure OF one
shilling and penny per annuni, he carefully
noted down; and just before his death he
found, with some degree of regret, that during
his life he had disburscd no less than forty
three shillngs and four pence. Prodigious
generosity for the richest man IN France!
Vandllc had been magistrate Mt Boulogne,
and while in siat office he partly maintained s
himself free of cost by constituting himself
milk-taster generally at the market. He would
MUNICH his scrap of bread, and wash it down
with these gratnitous draughts
By such parSimonious articles and most
penurious course of life, he succeeded i'll aniass-
ing enormous fortune and was in position
to lend vast sums of money to the French
Government. When he had occasion to jour
ney from Boulognc to Paris, he avoided the
expense of coach fare by proceeding on foot,
and lest he should be robbed lie never carried
more than three pence in his pocket, although
he had distance of n hundred and thirty
miles before him. If he found this sum insult
ficient, he would profess poverty and beg from
the passengers on the road Il trie To help him
on In the year 17I, Nandllc was worth nearly
eight hundred thousand pounds. lie used to
boast that this vast accumulation sprans from
single shilling
The winter of the year 1874 had been very
cold and bitter, and the miscr felt inclined to
purchase little extra fuel in the summer time
to provide to some extent against Il like sever
ity in the winter: He heard the man pass the
street with wood to sell !; he haggled for an un
considerable time about the price, and at last
completed the bargain at the lowest possible
rate Ayarice had made the mscr dishonest,
logs. In his cagerness to carry them away and
hide his ill-gottcn store, he ovcrhcatcd his
blood and produced n fever.
For the first time i'll his life he sent for a
surgeon " l wish to be bled,' said he; "wlat
is your charger "IIalf - livre," was the re-
ply. The demand was deemed cNtortionatc,
and the surgeon dismissed. He then sent for
an apothecary, but he was also considered too
high ; and he at last sent for poor barber,
who agreed to open the vein for three pence a
time. I" But, friend" said the cautious miscr,
chow often will it be requisite to bleed me ~
"Three tines,' replied the barber. Three
times! And pray what quantity of blood do
You intend to take from me Mt each operation q
"About eight ounces each time,' was the an,
swer. Let me see" said the possessor of
three-quarters of a million, 4" that will be nine
pence Too much, too much | haze w, d, deter {,
mined to go u cheaper way to work. Take the
whole twenty-fnur ounces at once, and that
will save me sixpence." The barber rcmon-
strated, but the miscr was firm; was certain
he said that the barber was only DESTROYS tt
extort another siXpencc, and he would not
submit to such scandalous imposition. His
vein was opened, and four-andtwenty ounces
of blood were taken from him. In u few days
Vandille, the miser was no more. The savings
of his life, the wages of his vice and avarce
he left to the King of France.
Waterproof Trecds.-The "Lounger" of TIL.
illustrated Times says: BY the way, speaking
of waterproofs, l think l can give travellers
valuable hint or two. For many years 1 hav.
worn 1ndia-rubber waterproots, but will buy
no more, for have learned that good Scottish
tweed can be made entirely impervious to rain
and, moreover, have learned how to make it
and for the benefit of my readers / will give
the recipe: In bucket of soft water put hal
q pound of sugar of lead and half pound o
powdered alum; stir this ut intervals until il
becomes clear, then pour it off into another
bucket, and put the garment therein; let it bt
in for twenty-fOur hours, and then hang it III
to dry without wringng it, Two of my party
q lady and gentleman, have worn garments
thus treated in the widest storms of wind ant
rain, without getting wet The rain hang
upon the cloth in globules. In short, the,
were really waterproof. The gentleman fort
night ago walked nine miles in storm of rail
and wind such you rarely see i'll the South
and when he slipped off his overceat his under
clothes were as dry as when he put them on
This is, think, secret worth knowing, TO
CLOTH if it can be made to keep out wet, is il
every way better than what we know water
proofs"
4 Wondertm Piciure.-Onc of the most mar
Vicious pictures ever panted-thc Birth o
Christ, by COrrcggio-was given to an apothe
cary in payment of II paltry bill amounting t.
four OF five scudi This exchange was brongh
about by the then pressing poverty of the gift
ed artist. The picture afterwards sold TO
hundred scudi to Count Pirro Niscont. Sub
sequently it got into the possession of TIN
King of Spain, but after the battle of Vittori
it was discovered with other valuable paint
ings in the carriage of Joseph Bonapartc by al
officer of Lord Wellington's staff. Some stat
that it was presented to the Duke Ry Ferdi
nand VII. of Spain. III the British Natona
Gallery there is replica of this wonderful
work, which celebrated writer thus dc
scribes The light emanating from the coul
tenance of the Saviour eliminates all TIL
scene, he himself receiving his light frol
above, directly from heaven, and rellectin
it on the angel who receives it from his pei
SON" Montani describes it rs " truly poctica
nay, sublimc.'
cicty had meeting lately, at the very inter
csting old church of st. Clement, i'll Rome, t,
examine the excavations made there by Fathe
Mullooly. The last discovery he has made il
the oratory of st. Clement, with the starcas,
leading from his house, which adioius TIL,
church, to the oratory. The hrickwork of tn,
wall showing the arch of the doorway induced
Father Mullooly to dig ont the entrance to !
small room, which he has cleared ont. 81.
steps of the staircase are now to be st
Jerome, il seems, speaks of this oratory, and
says, dit is still preserved in a church il
Rome" showing, of course, that in st. Jerome,
time at all events it looked upon as an
Gent, and the genuine oratory of st. Clement
The long disputed question as to the posi-
biity of human hair becoming white in a sin
Ill Nr.rl,N