The Portland daily press., 1878-06-06
Men and Women

Men and Women.
Victor Hugo has made present of the pen
with which he wrote the History of Crime
to Senior Romer-O Ortiz, to be placed in his mu-
scum. 10 the letter which accompanied the
present occurred this paragraph: "When was
child was Spanish; now am a man and
French, but Spanish STILL" This poetic license
may perhaps be explained by the fact that Vic
tor Hugo was born in the old Spanish town of
Besancon. His father served with distinction
in Spain during the Empire, and was offered
the title of Prince by King Joseph on the con.
dition of renouncing his nationality. The Gen.
eral refused. A short time ago, alluding 10
this fact, Victor Hugo, according to the Gaulois,
remarked: eff my father had accepted, Victor
Hugo would not be living. Perhaps there
might have been on the other side of the Psr-
enees Spanish poet, bat in the nineteenth
century what is poet who is not French?"
John Randolph, of Roanoke, is the subject
of an entertaining biography just published in
Richmond. In it is to be found this picture of
the brilliant Southerner at the age Of forty
three. "His hair was bright brown, straight,
not perceptibly gray, thrown back from his fore
head and tied into a queue, neither long nor
thick. His complexion was swarthy; his face,
beardless, full, round and plump; his eye hazel,
brilliant inquisitive, proud; his mouth was Of
delicate cast, we'll suited to small head and
face, filled with exquisite teeth, we'll kept as
they could be; his lips painted, as it were, with
indigo, indicating days of suffering and nights
of torturing pain. His hands were as fair and
delicate as any girps. Every part Of his dress
and person was evidently accustomed to the ut
most care. His face was the most beautiful
and attractive to me 1 had almost ever seen.
His manner was deliberate, beyond any speaker
have ever heard.* He stood firm in
his position, his action aud grace seemed to be
from the knee up. His voice was that of
we'll toned dageolet, the key, conversational.
though swelled to its utmost compass"
Pope Leo XIII. is said, by correspondent of
the Pilet.to be thin even to meagreness and tall.
His fingers are almost feshless, and his whole
figure and the outlines of his face ascetic to
degree. His hands are tremulous with ner-
vousness. His voice is clear and ringing; his
sentences are long but admirably arranged.
He has noble head, crowned with snow-white
hair, higb wide forehead, not smooth and
shining, but rough with bumps which would
busby and overhanging, deep-set, kindly and
intelligent eyes; large, very large nose, thin
and fine; wide mouth, which lends itself
most readily to very attractive smile, deep,
straight lines bounding it, and good, clear,
pointed chin, with well.defned, firm Jaw. He
is remarkable for his kindly and courteous
manners. his gracious speech and the affec-
tionate interest he takes in those with whom
he comes in contact.
Mr.. George William Curtis, as chairman OF
the Unitarian Convention at Boston the other
evening, made a speech in which he said:
"You ask me what is Unitarian. 1 ask you
what is freedom? When was a younger man
than am now, talking with good Orthodox
friend, he said to me: MY friend, the one
thing that you need is good dogma re-
member that when Sir Walter Scott come to
die, as he lay upon his bed, speaking to his
son-in-law, Lockhart he said to him, BE Q
good man; if when you come to lie in this place
you would feel your soul at rest,b good man.
Now, truly, ladies and gentlemen, it is not for
me in this learned presence to define to you
what is meant by Unitarianism; and yet
as layman may as we'll say
this, that Unitarianism seems to me ar
least to be the intellectual movement that
shows constantly more and more the Identity Of
morality and religion. 1t shows with the good
st. james that true religion, pure and undefiled
is to visit the widow and fatherless in their
atfiiction and keep myself unspotted from the
world. 1t values character always moro than
creed, and it declares-I think may venture
to say it since am told that our excellent
ia in
that there is no saving grace in any ecstatic
emotion whatever, except so far as it produces
righteous living"
Professor Asa Gray has face which is thus
POLITICALLY described by Washington correspond
ent of the Commercial, of Cincinnati: 'The
Professors head is bowed, not by age, bnt be-
cause he has so long looked down into the faces
of the tiny flowers; his countenance reflects
only the delicacy and purity of the wild birds,
with their fresh flash and modest glow" The
same correspondent sees Professor Hilgard, o
the Coast Survey, as ga moon face, softly pink
surrounded by full, short beard of white;
and Captain Eads as man with delicate, wiz
ming, refined features, small of feet and
daintily neat. This writer sings likewise these
small idyls: ~ saw also Larkin Mead, the
sculptor, and his pretty Italian bride, whose
courtship was as romantic as any fiction ever
penned. They met first, believe, on the blue
Adriatic, and so little need has love for words
to tell its passion that the two were betrothed
before the lady could speak six English words;
and while the sculptor was graphing manfully
with the simple primer sentences of the musi-
cal italian, he picked out the syllables which
spelled his love to the dark eyed Venetian.
Hester Clymer sat close to the Speak
er's desk, and held, poised between thumb and
finger, a twig, on which perched and swayed
twin roses on single stem. They caught the
eye of the Hon. Benjamin Butler. Whenever
he sees flower he starts for it like starved
rooster for a grain of corn. He left his seat,
and made for Clymer, pus his hands behind
his dress coat tails, bent his bald head, and
dipped his dainty nose into the scented petals.
He snuffed, admired, and looked. He held the
| rich crimson roses in in his own pudgy hands,
and laid them, to (watch the effect) beside the
pink rosebud that always ornaments his lap
pel"