Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-08-01
VOL. NNNI.
Great Mems Hobbies.
THE PECULIAR TASTES DEVELOPED BY MEN
WHO HAVE ACHIEVED FAME.
a. I..,, ,.l..n,l

Great Mems Hobbies.
THE PECULIAR TASTES DEVELOPED BY MEN
WHO HAVE ACHIEVED FAME.
From the London Clohe.l
OF all the various hobbies i'll which
men of mark have interested themselves
perhaps no one has been SO common as
gardening Even monarchs, from Dio-
cletian to the present Sultan Of Turkey or
the King of Bavaria, seem to Ia have
found greater pleasure i'll cultlvatlng
fruits and flowers than iii the exercise OF
regal power. Every school boy has heard
of those famous cabbages, the sight OF
which Diocletian firmly believed would
reconcile his old colleagues to his loss
of empire: and future readers OF Eu-
ropean history will probably he duly I'M
pressed with the fact that while the Rus-
SLAMS We're laundering almost at the very
gates of Constantinople, the father OF the
faithful was engaged in the formation of
p new orangery Pope used to say he
was prouder of his garden than of his
poems, and similar pride is said to pos
sess the most popular OF transatlantic
preachers and lecturers, who apparently
spend no inconsiderable portion of the in
come derived from his oratorical efforts i'll
meaning good the losses sustained by his
amateur gardening and farming. 1t was
the hobby of Scotch Duke, principally,
that We owe the richness Of coloring so
peculiar to our modern landscape i'll
autumn, he having taken very much the
same interest in the introduction and ac-
climatization of foreign trees and shrubs
that DR. Compton, II former Bishop of
London. displayed i'll the importation of
/ the choicest exotic plants and flowers. The
father Of exotic planting i'll England
is the title which the Bishops hobby was
the means of conferring on him, and the
vast collections at Kew and the splendid
show of the Horticultural Society may
| be regarded as the latest results of tins
venerable churchman : pastime. When
monarchs have taken 10 gardening 1T has
sometimes been carried on in truly regal
fashion Cyrus is said to have planted
all Asia Minor. and he had splendid estate
more particularly under his own super
vision. ''Never, when my health permits,
wrote the Prince, do | dine until have
laboreI two hours Ill my garden. Not a
few men who have acquired taste for
gardening have become so enamorcd of
their hobby that they have caused them
selves to be buried in the spots on which
they have spent so many pleasant hours.
Sir William Temple, though anticipating
that his body would find resting place
in Westminster Abbey, ordered his heart
To- he enclosed in a silver casket and
buried in his garden.
Most men who have commanded suf-
ficient enrrlynf character to attain prom
inence III the world have cultivated some
sort OF recreative taste. Milton and Lu
thar practicel music in the intervals of
their turbulent public lives Charles v.
in his seclusion at Yusti, loved nothing
better then Ia spend an afternoon with
the mechanical inventions of Torricrlli.
Of Gustayus Nara, it was said that bet
ter laborer never struck steel; and Mo
hammed ratherprided himself on his deX-
terity in mending his own shoes and
making his own pantaloons Charles TX.
WAS enthusiastically fond of black
smith occupation and was something Of
a poet, too. Domitian gave especial at
tentlon 10 all matters pertaining to the
halr, upon which he ultimately wrote a
volume Constantine, whose main func-
tion in life may he supposed to be king
craft, had Il remarkable number of hobbies !
remarkable. indeed, that it may be doubt
ful-so whether in a meaner man his ver-
fatal to any considerable success in any of /
his many lines. Besides being an author.
he was 4 painter Of very respectable /
ability-so, at least, the great man $ crit
les affirmed IN excellent architect, per /
former and composer Of sacred music and |
besides all this, was skilled metallur- |
glst and a tirst-rate ship-builder Louis |
NlIl. was another royal rider Of hobbies.
ibnJlgTIt h,l, h...l Il
10 bear on them the stamp of ROYALTY /
Indeed, his epitaph itself declares that
Il cut cent vertus de valet
III pas une de maitre.
II is true that he painted II little and .
was said to be no Indifferent composer.
but then he found 4 peculiar qualification .
in cmulating his own cocks and garden /
ers. He could force green peas and lard .
joints of meat with any of them, and no
doubt his courtiers took care 10 bestuw .
the proper applause ON such glorious .
achievements. Stimulated TO still further .
enterprise, Louis next turned his atten- /
ton To the BARRIERS art, and one day took .
it into his head to shave all the officers
about him. This he did, leaving only /
Il small turf of hair on each mans chin
Whether the court applauded this new .
phase of the royal versatility, unfortu-
nately, history has not recorded as far rs 4
We know. Of versatile monarchs perhaps 1
Macmillan |. was the most remarkable /
specimen. He was no mere dabbler in
many subjects, but an able writer on mill
tary matters, on herallry, ON horticulture,
ON horses, architecture, cooking, falconry
and fishing. Fishing has been the hobby
of many "A notable man. Paley was So en- |
Enthusiastically fond Of the pastime that he
refused to have his portrait painted in
any other character but that of the fish
erman. The gentle George Herbert WIS
another eager fisherman, and SO were
Wotten and Dryden. Mr.. John Bright's |
piscatoriai achievements have heeome al
most as familiar to the public as Mr.
Gladstone's tree-ielling hobby or Mr.
Lnwc's bycycle riding. Philip, Duke
Of Burgundy, found his recreation in the
contrivance Of such whimsical surprises as |
were to be found III the country house Of !
Mr.. Wnstanlay, the unhcky yprojecior and
builder Of a lighthouse Oh Eddystonc
Rock. This house must have been a
charming place for II nervous and unini- .
tiated guest to stay i'll for n night "You .
placed yonr foot i'll n slipper IL your bed .
room, and "A ghost started up on hearth
rug you sat down in an easy chair and .
were prisoner IN its arms you sought the /
shade of an alb1r, and were set attoat ON
a canal Many ingenious individuals in
dulged III yaganes of this sort. The
iuiEor "t I'll" famous Miss Edgcwnrth .
was on" "f Them though most Of his me
chanlcll conirlvancrs sr,ms to have had .
II more sensible purpose thnn W,ustan
lrys. They were planned mainly fol the T
purpose Of making the ordinary acts of
life subserve other and Unforeseen uses,
saya Sir Henry Holland. The mere open
ing and shutting of certain doors. for |
instance, set in motion machinery for /
winding up clocks "r ra,aing weights ia
different parts Of the house Many men
have heen prouder OF their hobbies than
81 their regular ayOcati"ns in life, as We
have seen that Pope was. II was su. no
duubt, III the ease of Wmstmley, Who WAS
n-silh merchant on ludgatr Hill. Whni
sort oi Il business man lac considered HIM
self We do not know, but that he had nm
bounded faith IN hir mechanical genius !
the story oi hIs lighthouse abundantly |
proyes While it WIS certainly IA marvel |
lous display Of ingenuity full of all sorts
Of queer contnvances for doing things of
minor Importance, It Va. in its main fea-
tures iust chou, all that IA hght-h house
slpnid Eot be, presenting innumerable
angles and projections that might have
hrcn designed for catching the full power
of the hurricane and braastipg me unbrok-
en- might Gf the ii.iowA. Ietita architect
had unnopBdel confidence in its stability
aud hoped he might he i'll it when the
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