Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-05-03
Qaeer People.

ii
"Ir takes all S orts of people to make s
world" says the old adage, and truly
there are great many varieties OF queer
men and women and queer societies ana
queer Communities scattered all over the
earth, when one takes the trouble 70 look
them M. as curious investigators do now
and then. 1t is said that Dickens knew
an. original for every one Of his characters,
and that he COPIED them pretty closely h
too I'm bis delineations. II this be true,
he must have known some very rare oddi-
ties indeed. We have no difficulty in reali-
zing the possibility of Dick Swiyeller or
Sairey Camp, but Mr.. Quilp seems al
most out of the question. Mr.. Vholes
has many duplicates, and SO has Mr.. Spen-
low, of the firm of Spenlow & Jorkins L
but Dora and Mr.. Crook and MIR. Dick
and Miss Flite-these and score OF others
seem so unlike the common run OF people, I
that we find it hard to believe them Por-
traitures from life. And yet almost every
body meets now and then Win people
quite SIS oddly made up as any Oh Inese.
Mr.. Hepworth Dixon found more than
dozen sects in Russia, whose hundreds OF
members were risking both liberty and
life for the sake Of the most utterly absurd
faiths imaginable. Similar bodies exist Ia
other lands. There is within days jour-
new of London a place known as the
Agapemone, or Abode of Love, in which
dwell a number Of people who believe
that their leader-a man named Prince
died some years ago and again became
alive; that he is now incapable of SHINING,
and finally that he is the Almighty him
self, as he claims to be. And this ABODE
of Love is not an insane asylum either.
We have in our country the Shakers on
&t~.on 10 Hsxta mig
on the other, while some parts OF the west
and South have sects far queerer of doc
trine than either of these. We can readily
understand how one "cranky" man or
woman can take up the odd notions on
which these curious sects are based, but
that scores of others should follow such
leaders seems marvel.
Our purpose, however, is to speak Of
singular individuals rather than of singu-
lar sects or communities, and almost ev-
cry neighborhOod furnishes at least one
oGdity. We remember one old man with
mania for litigation, whose favorite
amusement was suing his sons and daugh-
tiers on all imaginable pretexts. Once in
a suit, no matter how small the amount
at issue might be, he would spare neither
money nor time to push the litigationjust
as far as the law would let it go, and that
too in spite of the fact that in all other
matters he was as penurious as miser.
We knew another man once who, In riding
on horseback, would always sit with his
back toward the animals head, because
he believed it a sin for any body to sit
otherwise on horseback since Baalam's
time. Another. q neighp0r OF TINS one,
would always go out without his hat as
soon as a rain began, and would walk
thus for hours over his farm, returning
h. ~o;,, oaaoad mr. ninhf cQf in
Another would not allow on his table
sweet pickles or any salad-dressing III
which vinegar and sugar were mixed
even though he was abundantly supplied
with pickles or dressing to his taste
In the same neighborhood lived
land still lives, we believe) /;
gentleman who has belonged to seven diff
ferent churches, and whose oddities o
other kinds are innumerable. For many
years he thought walking the only prope
mode of locomotion, and so he walke'
everywhere, even to the city, forty mile
away. Suddenly he became convince'
that walking was not the proper thing
and ceased to walk altogether outside tn
house.
Somewhat less strange than these wa
the case of gentleman of high cultur
and courtly manners, who would never
on any account, bid any one adieu, eve
when the separation was to last but day
He would lay deliberate plans to avoi
this without seeming guilty of discOurtesy
and rarely ever failed to accomplish hi
purpose. But in any event he positivel
would not say goodbye; and If he coul
not evade it by taking French leave or |
any other way, he would abruptly tur
his back upon his friends and leave witt
out word. He went to Europe once fo
ajourney of many months, and gave n
notice whatever of his intention TO e
even to his own family. He LETT the hou:
without baggage, apparently for tel
minutes walk, and sent back note by
servant, saying that he would wait in Ne
York for his trunks to arrive by expires
A good many pecularities, of which v
are too apt to make sport, are the resu
of nervous disease. Several cases of Il
kind have come within our own knoY
ledge. One of them was that of your
man who would be seized with an irresis
ible impulse to touch, with hand or foe
some object within sight. He would ri
from his desk, when writing, and Gro
the Office to touch a particular spot {
the wall or the leg of particular chal
When walking along the street he wou
feel bound to touch a'post here and tr
there, so that his progress was often Sc
ously impeded by the nervous necessit
Sometimes the impulse would seize hi
after he had passed the object, and
would be compelled to return to it. b
first meeting with the lady who aft
wards became his wife was at a par
where, seeing her, stranger, on the Q
posite side of the room, he was sudden
impelled to cross the floor for the purpo
of laying his finger on her nose, a pl
ceeding which a friend of both had to G
plain and apologize for in an intervi'
with the lady next day. The explanati
led to an acquaintance which ripened IN
friendship ana ended In marriage. d
if any novelist had told this iiie-story II
book, who wouldn't have thought it
utterly improbable one? - Hearth a
Home.