New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-25
SOME OLD STORIES.
From The London World.


II must be n subject for poignant regret that Oar
win died SO soon. For when the famous naturalist
had exhausted the "Ongin of Species lie mlght
have Investigated the Origin OF Old stories, ana
Internationally he would have discovered an mex,
haIisubIe fountain OF facts IN Otto Edward Leopold
Won bismarck -Sch0nhausen, General OF Culrassiers
and Doctor of Philosophy. -
IL ia indeed miracle where the man OF blood and
iron picks up all his old stories. Buschen pre-
served q host of them, but thore was hardly one
which was not of the most crusted and antique
kind For instance that tale Of the sentry In Rus
STA who had-he and his predecessor kept watch
and ward over a daisy planted by Catharine the
Great ia singularly ancient. IL has been told OF
Grtree at Weimar and of a coat of paint al Munich,
and is a variant Of the hOary legend about the SEN
try who was left TO look after some munitions OF
war at Dettngen, drawing until lately IN the per-
SONS of his descendants, pension for guarding the
ghostly brown Bosses and rusty halDerds here,
again, Is circling its rounds that funny story OF
the German envoy who. when suddenly ushered
into the SuItan's presence repeated the Creed Tor
want of something better 10 say, and passed muster
admirably In due time the hero Will be described
as an English Minister, or frenchman-as indeed,
n has been before this-but in reality the original
of the trick was otto Won KOnlgsmarck, who, when
he went az Swedish Ambassador TO the Court OF
LOUIS XIV forgot his speech and not 10 be Daulked
reel led portion of LutheTs CatecbSin. he ttranu
Monarque ravely reciprocated the aiIDiraole SOU
tments" though the ENJOYS suite had Some dllil-
Guilty IN keeping their diplomatic couhtenahce'
Hall the modern French anecdotes are simply
washed versions of tho stories told by Rabeiais,
Boccaccio, or less recondite authors hat are nov
attributed to NJ. de Bismarck OF NJ. dc Gortschak0h
used fifty years ago, to be tathered by
ougemont on ralleyraud or Metternlch The sto-
ries told of the Crimean War were old in yelling
toms days, anu once more nicely reiurDlshe
to divert newspaper readers during the ia'est cam
paigns IN Turkey or France in truth, tnere ls
scarcely an authentic historical anecdote. Cesar
ever cried that cry to Brutus, and Canute never
wrested with the tide. Alfred never burnt the cake
IN the neatherds cottage and Cromwell never sala
"Take away that baublop Wellington always de.
MED the story of up, Guards. and at thomP
1.-The gentlemen of the English guard" were
not requested to fire first" and CamDronne
we know now, was innocent OF the sentiment
about the guard dying but not surrenderlhg. rue
story of the vengeur has long been pronounced
a myth, and the drummer Barra was not shot I0r
refusing to shout "Vive le Roll" Only very simple
people believe nowadays III the romantic episode oil
Captain John Smith and fecahontas VINO Deiofe
marrying John Roph had been the breyet-spouSo
of several earlier admrers aud Joan OF Arc SO lar
from being burnt at the stake, married wen, aeu
died he mother of large family. flnaiiy, 10 come
TO our own times, Colonel Synge ana his wife
were reported as having fallen into the hanus OF
descr bed as a Greek and an illustrated paper sup
piled q page of heroic pictures Ill which " Mrs
bynge" figured prominently. III was, however,
rather awk ard to discover that the Colonel was
unmarried that no lady accompanied him, AID that
the entire mistake originated through the blunder
of telegraph clerk writing ga femme for Sd Jerme.
1t is questionable If there is anything really new
A dinner was once given To an American dignltafy
by the chief Chinese merchants In San Francisco.
IL so happened that the greatest anecdotst IN inc
State was sitting next To "A white-moustacheu man
DARN whom lie entertained with q choice selectloh
from his budget His success was fatterlngi ior
the host was kept In broad grin from the time
they began with the sharks tins TO the period tney
finished with the stewed puppy. only tne IacVQntem
felt poorly when he was assured that all thls niai
ity was due to the listener recognizing the taec 10
belly good lies all . way from China