The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-08-01
How it Struck FOlger.

4 story Is tOlQ OF Judge EOIgel
(which is said to have happened al
Eone of the Cabinet meetings at the
4 White House. President Arthur, it
\ appears, wanted certain thing done.
fl forget what it was. 1t was not
/ material, anyway. He had laid out
\ his plans, considered the subject care
fully, taken the advice Of competent
/ persons, was sure that what he was
\ about to do was right and simply
wanted to submit the whole to his
i Cabinet, so as to be able to say, if
4 poSsible, that he had had their sup
| prt. When the Cabinet sat down in
! he little room adjoining the library
Il te presented the subject to them and
! ave them his views. He spoke
Iira6kTy ana lorcibly throughout. He
made it appear that he had made up
his mind about the matter and was
going to act accordingly, whether his
Cabinetagreed with him or not. As
he was about to reach the close Of his
remarks he went through the form of
asking the advice of his Cabinet and
wound upby saying:
"Gentlemen, what is your opinion
on the subject ?"
Nobody answered. Frelinghuysen
looked at Brewster, Lincoln froWned
inquiringly at Teller. Chandler wip-
ed his eyeglasses and Gresham strok-
ed his beard. Finally Folger. who
had been quietly rubbing his chin IN
corner Of the room, returned to the
table.
''That reminds me of story" he
said. Everybody looked up at him.
"That reminds me of story" re.
peated Judge FoIger. "There was a
man in my town once, whom [ knew
well, who had a collection of pictures
Of which he was very proud. He
was a man of culture and means. He
had Travelled extensively in Europe.
He considered himself a cOnnOisseur
of pictures and his collection, which
it had taken him years Of toll and
labor to bring together, was the spe-
cial object of his care and attention,
He delighted in showing it to his ac-
quaintances in fact, on every pos
sible occasion he invited their crit
cism of it. One day a friend called
whose opinion about the collection he
was particularly anxious to know.
He had heard that his friend was con-
sidered an art critic of the first order.
After dinner, then, he led him into
the gallery. They passed from pic
ture to picture, the host explaining
the merit of each, the time and
circumstances under which it was
bought and so on. He considered
this and that picture very fine in
fact, the whole collection. But he in
vited his friend to express openly and
without reserve his opinion. DO you
know he said, turning suddenly to
his visitor, that man Brown was here
the other day, and, would you be-
lieye it, he had the impudence, when
l asked him what he thought of my
pictures, to tell me they were mere
daubs, not worth the canvass they
were painted on, and to use similar
expressions of appreciation. | felt
like kicking him down those stairs
and out of the house, and mOpping
his excited brow, the host once more
asked his visitor. Now, what do you
think of my collection ?"
Here Judge Folger stopped. The
members of the Cabinet sat quiet and
looked rather embarrassed for a few
moments. The President colored
slightly, but said nothing. Finally
Frelinghuysen smiled in a careful
and diplomatic manner; Brewster
raised his friled sleeve to brush the
hat behind which he was concealing
horrid grin Chandler's eyes twink
led with merriment through his
glasses Gresham's mouth twitched !;
f1incoln relaxed his stern and forbid
ding features and Teller ran his hand
over his laughing countenance. The
President joined good naturedly in
the laugh at his own expense and the
meeting broke up without further
business having been transacted. The
subject which the President had
broached that day was never after
ward alluded to at a Cabinet meet
ing Yer York Tribune.