The Sunday herald., 1886-11-21
RANDOM WRITINGS.

written and singing rebuke To trivial curiosity,
1t Just little bit oddly placed in the World,
which has decided leaning toward the personal
in journalism. Perhaps that paper, although It pub
fishes the emphatic and incslvc article OF Miss
Hamilton rather ndorses the views OF Gen. Baicau,
which happened to he published In the Post OF the
same day. There are two sides TO every question
Gall Hamilton has such a forcblc way OF putting
her side. When one has read 1t he feels quite
shriveed with her contempt II he has ever been
guilty OF taking the slightest interest in the personal
appearance, habits, surroundings OF an author, or
OF any else. But his sef.respec rapidly returns
when he picks mp another paper and flnds this from
Gen. Badeau: "Thc interest in persons is eternal
Personalities Illustrate every truth; they teach what
to aim at and what to avoid; they reveal character
they are human nature; they life they are his
tory, and 1t Is proper to recordthem" II 1t is proper
to record them 1t is proper to read them, and may
be profitable as WE'LL 1t ali depends. There is no
doubt that the root OF the matter Is the eternal in
terest In persons. Gail Hamilton has sarcasm for
II we take any interest In a writer's habits, but
tells us to read his books. Why do we take an
Interest in his books? Because he Is clever enough
TO depict men aud women who seem like real ones.
We drop Into their lives; we glow with their feel
lngs, sympathze with their troubles, smile at their
wit The more human nature an author puts into his
creations the more he Ia read and admired Then
why may we not take an Interest IN the man who
evokes all this from his brain? We do, and we
might well consider 1t credtable as discredtable
TO ourselves, for 1t is ingrained in our nature An
old-fash!oned poet said, "The proper study OF
kind is man." and our modern journalist says 1t is
| proper to record personalities. There is, however,
the greatest danger of descending by an easy grade
| into mere gossip. Because we cannot help reading
with Interest the doings OF an admired author 1t
does not follow that we must read at all the dolngs
| OF silly girl who runs away with coachman.
Neither does follow because are Interested In
an authors personality that we have the least claim
| to ntrude our own upon him, or to demand one
particle OF time or attention from him. Gall Hamil-
ton brstles, very Justly, at the ntrusveness that
would make her take her own time to set her own
person before a class of inquisitive busybodles.
one who reads the life of Longtellow or any other
popular author sees that they have to encounter
enough foolish curiosity and petty demands upon
their time TO make them lunatlcs or cynlcs. The
thought that perhaps the mental deterioration caused
by overindugence In personalities may have led to
these outrages upon good sense is enough to make
one refrain from personal literature for long time.
1t is bad penny which Is tradltlonaly supposed
to always turn up, but In some cases 1t s Schlling.
The matrimonial career OF that young woman, which
began with so much notoriety two years ago, Is
| "
sink into obscurity and the suffering public be
allowed rest. But before she passes out of public
notice there is lesson TO be drawn which ought to
be remembered. OF her silly nfatuaiion, her will.
ful and foolish marriage, of her speedy Olsen.
chantment, and her too easy escape we have had
enough IL she mas really had the bad taste to de.
nounce and ridicule the man whom two years ago
abe Insisted upon marrying 1t is but in keeping with
the coarseness, the folly of the whole affair." The
one who has emerged from that ill-assored match
most creditably is the coachman. We do not hear
, of his induging in any vuperation about her. He
keeps golden silence and drives his car. Appar-
emily he ia an honest enough fellow, and might have
made a fairly good husband for some girl among
his own associates Probably Mrs. Schilling. in
speaking OF her husband as BRUTE is trying to pre-
pare for charge Of cruelty In divorce suit which
she doubtless intends 10 bring. II she has been
cruelty treated she Is entitled to the protection OF
the courts and release from her husband in the
name OF good morals and good sense let her not be
given divorce because she can command wealth
Her fatal haste and folly In marrying lesson.
The fact that the marriage inevitably unhappy
impresses that lesson but the fact that OF the end
couple Of years she break that hastily y-formet
tie and be as free as ever-that nullides the lesson
. ! and the warning and the hundreds of columns OF
print which have made her career notorious have
harmful. II her husband has not been cruel, mol
untrue, Idle, she should never be granted lega
, separation, for he Is no worse now than when She
persisted In Joining herself to him for life. Before
she married him she should have known him to bt
congenial and her equal That Is the lesson. The
time to decide that matter Is before marriage. Al
L | unequal and inconsldered marriage is certain
. disastrous. That is the warming But II abe ia I,
slip easily back into her old life after matrmonia
experiment, with no tie, no bond left, free to marr
y sgain-what becomes of lesson or warningf Tn
fortunately we can hardly hope that anything els
a will happen, and In that what impression vii
!. her career leave? Not salutary one. Thu
Ia girl may defy her parents and ru
II away with anybody, the lower the better 70
IL romance's sake, and, the romance ended, com
home TO be forgiven not in the good old way, wit
r. her husband, but without him. How foolish! an
81 yet how Serious for after all 1t is danger whc
m menaces our whole civil structure. facility fo
N getting out of marriage breeds facility for gettn
" In Ill-assorted marriages make unhappy home
ut scattered families DIVORCES. Itgoes round and
er and undermines society," Marriage, safe and
u, BILE, homes happy and well governed-these are Il
" safeguards OF our nation, the basis Of whoesou
,g society. runaway match, which has bee
SO exploited, II it ends as publicly In slmp
dropping of OF the marriage bonds because an u
!" congeniaty which common sense would have for
"a seen has made them CALLING, IL q sorry lesson 4
on our marrageab!e, head-strong young people. III
true ending should he that while Mrs. Schilling net
nd not be compelled live with her husband she sh,
es be still married to him long as they both shs
nd live.
sS. ss. ".''
he Let us hope that Washington may long contin
OF to justly deserve Its fame city OF good manner
in | There are exceptions, Of course. Human nature
MAJ nd aatn tvhi Ia tha no,
es Of all bad manners, sometimes crops out, but the
Is undenlably an amount OF pollteness towa
,r strangers and OF chivalry toward women here tn
ar has almost disappeared In some other cities. As
led instance, when the matinee closed the other d
led several ladies entered large Herdic. There hs
srs pened TO be seats for all but one, and passed
led fare and stood up without gancing around expe
~ antly. There were only two or three men, and tn
oet were all, as It happened, workingmen. After
ere moment the one beside her rose and said, "He
oos take my seat" The lady looked around to 4
dr thank you, which, by the way Is about the only
the mars It is profitable TO make on such occasion
'ay Demurs for the sake OF poteness sound empty,
in this case she saw man twice her age, and e
ee dently on his way home from q day OF work.
rk: seemed to ner, no doubt, monstrous TO make h
AIRY stand when she had been sitting In a theatre ali
OF afternoon, and she firmly declined to do II. 7
IN man sat down again, and after riding half a bic
.e, got up and said, swell, can't feel easy while
ind stand, any way" and stepped decidedly out OF
ua way. There was nothing TO do hut take the =
ia then, with thanks; but, 10 make this little story
lge real life end happily. two other ladies left In ano
TO moment, so this klnd.hearted and unsel1sh gen
nn had seat after all But that was one OF tn
For delightful incidents OF genuine, selfsacrnc
politeness on one side, and proper appreciation
the other, which make Washington rank 80 high
tdl- the scale OF manners
ful! ......
ueu 'Art,n says Delsarte, "is at once the kn0wled
pc possession, aud free expression OF the agents
we virtue OF which revealed the life, soul, and mi
a 1t istae appropriation Of the sign to the thing
and the relation OF the beauties scattered through mai
shl to superior type. II Is not therefore mere i'm
sris lion OF nature
irs. our city has certainly been fortunate In secur
OF even though temporarily, 80 valuable an expon
W." OF art In all forms as Miss Adelaide johnson,
Is now locared at i45O Rhode Island avenue. C!as
r are 10 progress and also being formed for study
,cn n very practical and Interesting way the Delsi
rom philosophy OF expression. For children tho tea
ia Ing is Invaluable, as they rapily acquire the
lces and grace Of motion which is the natural ougro
ed OF practice In this system They are also taught