New-York tribune., 1880-03-02

der' energetic person. fifty-six wears ol Wien a
student at Harvard, and only eighteen years old.
ne determined to write FIeEch-AmeIieap history.
ara stralghtway began to prepare himself for the
work. lie has always been greatly trou lied with
Iiiure OF sight. and has been obliged to employ a
recretafy W nile at work on " The Conspiracy Of
Pontiac he was not able 10 endure davlleht M all
and could not make the least attempt to read or
write.
DR.. Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote the other day
to the superintendent of the Cincinnati schools,
" had the pleasure of meeting Mr.. Longfellow a
few evenings since, and took the opportunity Of
telling him that my rhyming machinery was ont OF
gear, or would have sent some lines for the Cncin-
nati school celebration of his birthday. The truth
49, am busy with another kind of work. and it will
never do TO shift barrel-organ from one tune to
aHVth9T H wnile IT IS playing. Ii must get through
Old Hundred before II strikes up Hail to the
na CnIcL l W uo not mean that am writing an epic.
OF tragedy, or an ode, but that my stated duiies
ana tue burdens of an almost unmanageable corre-
spohdehce are about as much as l am equal to-"
The Hon. Thomas c. Platt, who is already
banker IN Owego, railroad man in Tioga County
and aminerin Deadwood. has been for some time the
general superintendent of the United states Express
Company. He yesterday assumed the position of
president of the Express Company, to which
he was recently unanimously elected Mr. Platt is
as accomplished as business man rs he bas proved
C.
ceptance of this new position probably indicates
that after the next election he will not b. wiling 10
burden himself 80 much as heretofore With political
cares. III must be said however, that his pol ical
influence Throughout the utheTn Tier has m spite
OF newspaper hostility, steadily increased.
When Alphonse Daudct. tbe author oY Sidonie'
and " The Nabob" first arrived in Par, from
Languedoc he was sixteen years old he had in his
pocket forty sous, IN his heart no end
of hope and in his head determination
to take TO literature. He wrote some cbarm-
ing verses which were so highly thought of
Mt the Tuileries that the Empress recommended
him to DE M0rny, who took the youth secretary,
so that the character of De B0rG. in The NabOb,"
had the advantage Of being studied from life
Daudet has a hnely y-cut physiOgnomy, full OF dis
tinctlon pointed beard, and flowing hair 0yefslad-
owing hls torche cad with its wavy locks. The ex-
preston Of his short-sghted eyes is genial and
benevolent. He Is a man whose modesty approach
es tlmidIty.
Professor Fawcett the blind member of PaFlia-
ment, says 40 when, at twenty-five, lie lost hIs
sight there were many things Of which be was pas
sionately fond, and he resolved that those pursuits
which he could follow be would. No one enjoyed
salmon fishing in the Tweed or the Spey more than
he did, no one more enjoyed throwing the fly in
some quiet stream in Hampshire or Wiltshire. Hs
enjoyed as much as any one did a gallop over the
turf in company with some friend. He appreciated
ford to London and, although the late sever fr"st5
nipped mp a great many people, no one M the Whole
country enjoyed better than he. with friend, ana
fifty or sixty mile skate on the FouS. 10 cielred
to these facts sput OF eg0tism, bat rs showing
that there still for the blind store OF happi-
ness and pleasure If only they had the coui -e and
determination to avail themselves Of IL.
Adel.na Patti takes only one real meal on a day
when she expects to sing in the evening. A. IL
o'clock she is served with meat and eggs hat very
rarely vegetables Bordeaux and scltzer-water ac-
company these substantlal'. Then she takes a nap
two hours long; after which she goes out driving.
When she returns she sits down at the piano and
practices in preparation for the com
bat" as she herself says Just before leaving
for tho opera-hOuse she takes little con-
somm6 but no dinner After the performance
she eats D substantial supper Patti herself seen-
ingly believes that she owes the preserYaUOn OF her
voice 10 this course Of hygiene, for he
adhcres 10 the latter in the most minute particulars,
and nothing would probably induce her to abandon
II. She never, without exception. ufteis WOtH on
any morning until sac has drunk her cup OF ch"co-
late That done, she then MES her voice DY sum"
moning the maid with the full force OF her lungs.