National Republican., 1877-12-20


authors and dramatic critics. A bench In the
pit was occupied by different actors and 40
tresscs Of the Theatre Francais. The Parisian
dramatic critics speak in the highest torms of
Salvini.
DR. oLrvEn WENDELL HOLMES will read
| poem ut the centennial anniversary celebration
of Phillips Academy Andover, next June
What gathering there will bo from all parts
Of the country TO celebrate the centenary Of
this wondrously prolific institution.
l. DANIEL DAYTON, of Bridgeport, Conn,
eighty ono years old, has sued for divorce
| from his wife, who Is sixty-fve, on tho ground
of desertion and general misconduct. Mrs.
Dayton has filed a cross.bill, asking for divorce
on the ground of neglect and bad usage.
DEACON EZRA p. SMITH and Mrs. Cham
plin, who are in Jail in Srddlebury VT, on
loving epistlcs through the stovepipe hole be-
tween their cells until the Sheriff was COM
pclled to close It, Their affection for each
other secps as ardent as before their arrest
| A. 7. BLAcKESsHIP, q Robertson (Ky.) man,
indicted as an accohplice In q murder ex-
humed body from graveyard, disfgured It,
and set It ailoat in the Licking River. Then
lro caused report to be spread that the corpse
was his own. The deception was discovered,
and Blackenship languishes in the county Jail.
Mrs. FANNY ABBOTT Of Waterbury, Conn,
| Is tho fortunate mother Of eight sons all OF
whom are still living, at ages ranging from
forty-two to sixty years Though now In her
eighty-fou rth year, she walks erect, with elas-
tic step, and retains her mental facilities un.
impaired, while her hearing Is as quick as
ever,
MARK TwAIS's success on tho platform Is
said to be much greater since he did away
with his manuscript. From the written lec-
ture he came down to copious notes from
these to little card with printed heads, which
he put in his waistcoat pocket. He dispensed
with this by substituting few marks on the
back Of his inger-nails, and thon he went IT
alone.
Mr.. DARWIN must look to his laurels. A Japan
correspondent says he saw wrought in iniaid
wood on the door In the great Temple of Lig-
moto, scene showing first o monkey then an
ape, then gorilla, and so on up by gradual
development until tho final one of the series
was perfect man surrounded by elephants
and curious birds. The door was several hun
dred years old.
Mr.. AND MRS. BARNEY WARD, Of Allen.
town, Pa, have been man and wife since 1867.
On the 4th Of July, 1870, their first child was
born; second was born on July 4, 1871, and n
<hird child was born on July 4, 1872. Every
succeeding 4th of July has been celebrated by
Mrs. Ward in presenting her husband with q
fine, healthy child, and now the Ward family
contains eight children born within as many
years.
GARIBALDI urges the italian Government to
reduce It's army to 100000 men and adopt an
efficient militia system, by which an army of
100000 could be created to repel invasion
He believes large standing army to bo ruin
GUS to the public treasury and demoralizing to
the population, and that it deprives tho agri-
cultural districts of laboros, whereby arises
q necessity for tho importation Of grain, which
should he raised at homo.
MINISTER WAsHBURNE wrote TO his brother
Immediately after the death of Thiers: 81 an
ticipated great pleasure in meeting NJ. Thiers
to tell him of the complimentary words of
Bismarck when l recently met the great Ger
man statesman at Berlin. He spoke Of him in
the most exalted terms, and said that he had
rendered such services to France as to entitle
him to tho proudest monument ever erected
by grateful people,"
In his late Hartford lecture, Mr.. Howells
told tho romance of Gibbons life. While n
young man he loved young Swiss girl, but
had so little spirit that he obeyed when his
father told him not to marry her. HE lived
to see her become tho wife of Neckar-the
great Prime Minister of Louis XvI.-and the
mother Of Nine. De Stael. Gibbon spent his
time while In France in hanging around the
house of his former love, and admiring the
happiness he had lacked the manliness to
achieve for himself"
SENATOR GORDON has received from the
women, Of Columbia, s. G., the gift of silver
salver, as q token Of their gratitude and re.
gard 1t was sent TO him with an enthusiastic
feminine letter, and the Senator has replied In
letter almost as enthusiastic" If wo read
this literally, 1t would probably say, instead of
from tho womon," &C., from "a select few Of
the ladies of the wealthiest and most aristo.
cratic families of Columbia, s. c." &C., while
1t is presumable that the great majority of the
women Of Columbia knew nothing Of the
token" at all, and never had the slightest 70.
gard for the Senator.
MIR FLoRENcE-otherwise the Honorable
Bardwell Sloto--thnks that he sees the dawn
of better day for the stage, in the decay Of
the ephemeral that has set in. ave shall re-
turn by and by" he says, 'to some of the hest
broken away too thoughtlessly. 1t will not be
long before the public will demand more in
u leading Juvenile man than the capacity to
dress in the height Of fashion, and to lean
gracefully upon the back of sofa" When
this time comes, and tho dramatic authors
shall have learned that their vocation Is to
teach rs well rs to amuse, wo shall find in our
stage school of morals and true religion.
PRESIDENT PORTER, of Yale In a sermon
last Sunday, spoke approyingly of revival
movements, and alluded to tho efforts OF Mr.
Moody, plain and unpromising man, who be.
gan modestly, with his heart and hand in the
work, faithful, animated with love for tho
mAster, anu whose labOrs IN this feld have
been sgnally blessed. I" Had we," he said,
men by the fifties imbued with the same
simplicity of purpose, adherence and devo-
tion, Christianity would mako moro rapid
strides, and the truths of the Christian religion
spread abroad, result In complete moral rev.
olution, so that tho word Of God would bo in
the mouth of every one.'
WHEN Mr.. Whittier was introduced to The
dhdnic contributors tho other night, the en-
tire company rose and gave cheer upon cheer
for the poet. In response he said "Probably
all Of you, contributors to The Atlantic, know
better than to expect speech from me to-
night. 1 can only say that am very glad to
meet my old friends OF The Atlantic, many of
whom l have only known from their writ
ings, and sincerely thank them for the re-
ception they have given me. When sup
posed that would not be able to attend this
gathering, placed in my friend Longfellow's
hand little bit of verse that told him. II 1t
was necessary, l wished no would read. Ny
voice Is of "a timorous nature and rarely to
be heard above tho breath My friend Long
fellow will do me the favor to read tho writ
Ing shall be very much obliged to him, and
hone that mt his ninety ninth anniversary