The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-05

tent of something like $780, 900; and it looks as
If, in the end the pedestal will have cost the
people 100000 or 100000 They might have
had it for $500. 600. That which 1 have
stated rests upon incontrovertible evi-
dence If the publishing of it checks
subscriptions, that will be better than
the continuance of policy of extravaganza more
suited to Egypt than to the United States OF
America. Down with shams! The business
men on this committee have not given us very
encouraging example of the results to be ex-
:, ;,1 eceeS from government for example, con-
Quoted by business men.
A few weeks ago alluded to a Forthcoming,
series of unpublished letters by great English
novelist The novelist was Thackeray. The
Letters which have now come to light were adj
dressed by nm to an intimate friend, and are
largely autobioera,. hical in character. Negotia-
tons are still in progre.s respecting their pub
lication in this country bun they VIII, thlnk.
appear IN the autumn or in the eou'u y. . ~
winter. Apropos of Thackeray it ma, h S;tt Je
amiss to present here couple of '.s''0
"reminiscences which have not hitherto ap-
peared in print When Thackeray was
in this country, lecturing, he returned one night
from Brooklyn, where he had been dlscourslng
upon the -Four Georges" to New York. Arrlv
ing at his hotel, which at the time was crowded
with dodgers, he walked up to his room, and
entered it. Somewhat to his surprise. he OBJ
served a curtain hanging across the apartment,
about midway of its length But, concluding
that this was merely a cOntrlvance for his com
fort, thoughtfu!ly provided by the walters or the
proprietor, he paid 70 further attention to It.
SO he sat down before the crate fire. pulled off
his boots, and proceeded to 'toat his toes, just
as Mr. Lowell, in one of his poems, represents
himself as doing. Suddenly feminine voice
from behind the unaccountable curtain called
OUT 'Is that you. George?"
In narrating this incident afterwards, Il
thought" said Thackeray, that when it came to
five Georges in an evening there was one too
many
Accordingly he retreated in great haste and
had himself ushered to the room which, though
it resembled the other, was his own.
Thackeray was also especially amused by a
mourning tailors rhymed advertisement which
he had just seen before embarking at Liverpool
and committed to memory. He confided it to a
friend in this country 1t ran as follows
Orders thankfully received
From persons painfully bereaved
Six hours of time is all we ask
To execute the mournful task.
He himself could hardly have done better in
this line if he had tried.
The mention of lectures reminds me of pro-
ject not yet announced, in which Mr. John
Fiske, whose discourses on American history
have been mentioned in this correspondence, is
about to embark. Next October MIR. Fiske will
start out under regular management to make
tour of the country with some new lectures on
1.-THE -Four Great Battles of the War'-that is,
of the war for the Union. They are to be illus
trated with stereopticon views. Certainly the
material is of the best, and under scholarly yet
simple and picturesque treatment the lectures
ought to be wildly effective. 1t is strange that
these themes have not been used before in the
same way. GEORGE PARSONS LATHROP.