Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1870-10-13

OF n CIergyman-Sir Isaac Newton
ana IIis Dinner-Other Queer Incl
dents.
From the Troy Times.l
Macauley remarks that absent-minded-
ness is the mark ofeither genius or fool.
We thing that Lord Macauley was little
too severe on one Of Its sides. mans
mind may be SO intensely occupied with
lofty intuitions and inspirations that his
senses, seemingly, are scarcely awake to
the realities of this tangible world.
A certain Scottish professor was not more
remarkable for his writing on political
economy than for his frequent unconsci-
business of what passed before him. His
absence of mind was 80 remarkable that
his wife once wagered that she would
accost him in the street, inquire after
the nealth of herself aud family,
and that he would not recognize her. She
actually won the wager. The professor.
was onco taking solitary walk on the
banks of a canal, into which, in his alb
straction, he walked. When within "a yard
of the center, an honest woman washing
clothes behind him bawled out, "Come
oot, come oot, fule body, or yen be
droon't." These warning sounds invading
the tympanum of his professional ear, had
the effect of making him turn right about,
aud forthwith recover the dry land. The
good woman, concluding him to be on
idiot, sympathetically exclaimed: '.Puir
body. atweel they hae muckle TO answer for
that le.s ye gang yer lane"
A fri md tells the following amusing in
stance of absence of mind: NV grandfath-
o. was returning home one evening from
the bayfield,, driving his oxen before a
load of hay. He had tied an old mare,
which he had been usin 2, to the cart be-
hind; but happening to think of one of
her favorite tricks of pulling. he united
her again, and mounting, rode astride, still
driving the oxen. He fell into deep
revery, as was his wont, in which balky
mares and ell other vexatious sublunary
matters were banished from his mind. But
this serene state was suddenly broken mp
by his happening to think, when near
home, that he bad. when starting from the
field, tied that unruly beast to the cart
behind. Entirely forgetting the pre-
caution he had afterwards ia
ken, he whirled about only to dis
cover that she was missing from
the place; and, supposing that she had
pulled loose, he rode back at full gallcp in
search of the vixen. In the course of half
a mile he met one of his neighbors, stut-
tering fellow, to whom he called out to
know If he had seen anything of her.
Before the man had half surmounted his
tits perhaps from comical expression
on his fce) the whole truth flashed into
my grandfather's mind, and he turned back
at fnll speed, without waiting for reply to
his inquiry, only exclaiming, 'sLet her go !;
I'll not look her up" Bat it was too late
for him to save himself, and his neighbors
in the old Vermont village never suffered
the story to be forgotten as longs as he lived
there.
We knew of a young fellow employed in
O store on River street, who was one day
sent into the cellar to draw - gallon of
sperm oil. While waiting, he snatcfed up
piece OF chalk. and IN minute was
absorbed in sketching The proprietors pro-
file. The profile on the hogshead was
capital, but while the ysung artist was
absorbed in it's pursuit, the oil pursued its
way over the cellar floor. He was informed
he would not do for a merchant. but Just
now he is a first-rate New York artist.
The following stories are told of the
absent-mintedness of q clergyman OF the
church of Scotland: He married rather
late in life. and the marriages tour was on
the continent. At one of the halting-
places, Mrs. - retired to the bymenial
bower in advance of her lord, wLo sat for
time cogitating down stairs. Presently
he came to himself, and summcning the
waiter, requested to be shown to his bed
room. He was of course shown to the
room to which his wife had already retired.
But he had forgo; all about matrimony and
what it involved. and recoiling from
the doorway with horror, turned
upon the waiter with angry up
braiding for showing him TO q bedroom
already occupied by a woman! One Sun
day morning he was dressing in his bed
room on chair in which lay tray con-
tanning half dozen shirts, starched with
fitting clerical Stiffness. He progressed
leisnrely in his dressing till he came to at
tempt fastening his waistcoat, when he
found that operation impossible. After
many Intellectual struggles, he called his
wife 10 his aid, who likewise fonnd the
waistcoat difficulty insurmountable, She
was at a loss to explain the phenomenon,
till she happened to cas-. her eye on the
shirt tray. It was empty. Tho minister,
in his absence of mind, had put on the
whole hali-dozen shirts, one on top of ano-
ther, and it was no wonder that his waist
coat would not button. On another occa-
sion he and bis wife were under invitation
/
parish. The minister had been out for a
long DAYS work, and when he came home,
little late. he found his mistress already
dressed and waiting. He at once went up
stairs to make his toilette, with strict in
functions from his good lady to be quick.
He was so slow, however, that she got impa-
tent and went to see what was the cause OF
the delay. Entering the bedroom she found
the worthy man placidly enjoying his first
sleep. Having undressed, it seems that in
his absence of mind he had taken it fol
granted that the natural sequel was to &C
| to bed, and he l;.y totally obliviOus of the
dinner party at the lairds.
| IT is said of Sir Isaac Newton that he of
ten forgot to eat his dinner, which his
housekeeper was accustomed to leave in 9
closet near his study door, His head was
too much in the Heavens, to mind the
earth; so a friend, knowing his peculiarity,
one day slipped his dinner ont of the bas-
ket and ate it up. When at last the phIlo.
sopher came out and greeted his friend, be
asked to be excused, till he took his lunch.
On looking into the basket and finding il
gone, he Simply exclaimed, much to his
friends amusement, "Oh, / forgot, had
eaten my dinner !"
An absent-minded man, Mr.. A., O
Troy, receives Q letter; he knows the hand
writing --he wants to read it in haste-it il
already dark-he strikes light, tears
paper and lights q lamp, but the letter Ii
gone-he has used it to light the lamp.
There is late striking instance givel
of Pere Gratry, who has just been nomi
mated Director of the Academy os Paris
One day, when going TO the Sorbonne
where he lectured on theology, he imag
ined he had forgotten his watch, and tool
it ont of his pocket to see If he had tim,
to go and fetch it
/ It is said of Neander, the learned lee
turer. and ecclesiastical historian of Ger
many, that his sister had to watch hin
daily, to see that he did not start to tn
university with his nieht-cap on, or will
his study-gown and slippers; and it was no
uncommon for him, when moving asid
from the jostling crowd in the street, I
step into the gutter. where he walked o
and on, seemingly unconscious wher's b
was stepping. rs' aasi7-a
The following anecdote illustrates seve,
al things, among others the presence {
mind OF medical students, and the absenc
= of ditto sonnet mea in cabmen. uc.~3;.~