Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-02-17

GIUN. SATURDAY. EEBH
The British POSTMASTER General.
From the London Truth.
The serious Illness Of Mr.. Fawcett has agi-
tated the pubic mind and evoked popular SYM
| pathy to degree which Is almost without pre-
cedent. There Is probably no living statesman
| Mr.. Gladstone alone excepted-who occupies
the same high place In the regard Of all classes
| of the community, Independently of politics,
| from royaltytto the humble artisan, as the sub
ject of this articles The popularity he enjoys is
of the most enviabae kind, for it is largely COM
posed Of honest sdmiration for his personal
character. It 10 not alone his extraordinary
! mental powers. his sturdy Independence and his
answering integrity which have evoked these
sentiments. Other famous men have boss essed
| the same noble qualities as he, both of mind
and disposition, but few have gained so firm
| and deep hold upon the affections of their
| felow-countrymen He has spet( claims to
sympathy and admiration, owing to the way in
which his undaunted courage and force of char
| acter have triumphed over a physical af1iction
of a kind calculated to parayze mans energy,
both mental and bodily. To every one and es-
pecially to unfortunate persons aboring under
| the crushing misfortune of loss of vision, Mr..
Fawcetts life and career furnish q bright and
glorious example. the practical value of which
| 1t would be difficult to overestimate.
! The melancholy accident which deprived Mr..
| Fawcett of his eyesight fortunately did not oc-
cur until he had taken high honors at Cam
bridge; though considering what he has since
! accomplished. it is hardly likely that the mis-
| fortune. had 1t happened later, would have
prevented him from attaining high academical
hOnOrs. Even previously to the sad event he
| had suffered considerably from falling eyesght,
| and was obliged to wear blue spectaclee and it
! is doubtful whether the shocking affiiction
which came upon him altered the course Of his
life in any way; nor is it easy to imagine that it
| has seriously interfered with his career. He
was already well known at Cambridge as a
young man OF singular promise and power, aud
the appointment OF professor of political ec0no-
| my. which he subsequently held, would prob
ably have fallen to him in the ordinary course
of events He became known to the general
public through the medium Of certain manuals
OF political economy of which he was the
| author, besides various contributions on ccono-
| mic and political science to different magazines
| and reviews. His entry into the arena of prac-
| tical politics dates from 1857, when he unsuc-
cessfully contested Southwark After other
vain attempts at parliamentary honors he was
finally returned for Brighton in 1865.
The manner In which he first introduced him.
self to the electors of Brighton is Characteristic
of his courageous spirit and his cheerful indif-
ference to his affection. He travelled down to
Brighton one afternoon alone and unattended,
and when he reached his hotel he heard there
was d pOuliCdl uiccCtuS LII the lOWu Cn8C even
ing. He asked the waiter after dinner to &C
company him thither, and started forth under
the mans guidance. He found the meeting oc-
cupied in selecting candidates for the approach
ing election. and, without a moments hesita-
ton, he rose and said that he did not wish to
disturb the harmony of the evening, but begged
to announce that he intended to offer himself as
candidate. This bold address naturally took
every one by surprise, but his candidature was
adopted with reclamation, and he subsequently,
POI fnd Rrifr fOf or
little incident which happened to him
shortly after he took his seat in Parliament is
worth noting He had ordered his dinner in the
dlning-ro0m OF the house one evening, when
some one came up to him and said: Professor
Fawcett. as you appear to be alone, have you
any objection to my dining at the same table
with you?" Mr. Fawcett replied Certainly
not. i" but with rather puzzled expression. He
could not imagine who the speaker was, for he
failed altogether to recognize his voice. His
said quietly. II see you do not know who am
| am Mr. Disraeli." Mr.. Fawcett could hardly
believe his ears and for once in his life was
fairly taken aback. This little act of friendly
good-nature on the part of the great tory
leader towards young member whose views
were so utterly and irreconcilably at variance
with his own touched Mr.. Fawcett very much.
| and in spite of their political differences and
their passages of arms in after years, the recol-
lection Of Mr.. Dsraeli's graceful courtesy on
| mind.
Mr.. Fawcett married, in 1867, clever
member of hignIy-gifted family, who is q SYM
pathetic and devoted helpmate. He occupies
an Old-fashioned house. with an acre or so
of garden, in the South Lambeth road and
lives in a most simple. unpretentiOus fashion.
being, In fact, very poor man. He is proud Of
his garden, in which he takes the greatest in
terest, and he frequently boasts Of the fact that
| within half a mile of the city he can grow his
frr,if md tobI J.,
moves about quite unattended. and the last
thing at night he always walks alone round his
beloved garden. In the family circle, which
! consists only of his wife and daughter, he is
! bright and cheerful much given to gOOd-hu-
mOred chaff. and constantly chuckIing over
joke. He is fond of society, and dimes out a
good deal, is a generous host. and most inter-
esting talker. His chief literature consists of
the daily papers, which are religiously read to
him from beginning to end, and appear to
furnish him with sufficient mental pahulum.
Probably no one afflicted with blindness ever
suffered less restraint in his bodily actions from
that cause than Mr.. Fawcett That he should
be able to find his way alone about his own house
ana garden is, perhaps, not extraordinary; but
he frequently comes home from st. Stephens
late at night in a strange cab quite unattended.
and If the driver goes yard out OF his way or
takes wrong turning. the error is instantly
detected and set right. He is fond of fy-fsh-
ing, and rarely misses an opportunity of indulg-
ihS III Ciiot spOlt" nc Is dtSO u kOOu OaFSWan. b
fearless swimmer and in fact is able to enjoy
various forms of athletic exercises, including
skating, at which he is extremely proficient.
He is an indefatigable walker. and is keenly APP
preciatlve Of beautiful scenery, though. of
course, he only sees it in his mental vision
But he eagerly catches up any descriptive
words which his companion may let drop. and
frequently completes the picture with singular
accuracy OF detail. He will pause sometimes in
walk, and look around him admiringly as
though he were actually enjoying the view be-
fore him; while sudden burst of sunshine or
some atmospheric change will sometimes elicit
from him remark which sounds most.singular
from the lips of a blind man.
Cleopatra and Her Nose.
From the London Daily News.
Pascal says somewhere that the history of
the world would have been different IL the nose
Of Cleopatra had been shorter. From this state
ment we may gather that Pascal supposed Cleo
patra's nose to have been just the right length.
Otherwise she would not have enjoyed those
social successes which did affect the history of
Egypt and of Rome. Mr.. Alma-Tadema has