Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-07-08
ANECDOTES or wHIrrLr.
Some of His Keen sayings and
Ready HeparIces.

Boston letter to the Providence ournaI
Many OF Mr.. Edwin r. Nhlpple's keen
sayings have boon passed Into general cir
culation. The phrase Ia which lbs char
acterized Emerson as "a cross hatwaDn
Socrates ana Sam Slick may servo Is m
eXample,and II Is wonderfully clever bit u
mingled satire shrewd criticism and winged
humOr. Couldn't Il pleasant essay be
written" l heard him remark once, con
col yrighting ones jokes You aborlously
elaborate quip or a Jest, say II once, and
then every man who hears It fesls not tina
slightest compunction at appropriating il
and passing II of us his own. There should
be means of legal protection against such
encroachment on private rights, and sup
pose the copyright law is tho proper thing
to do 1t. Think of how droll 1t would sound
4, So-and-so, having discovered play
upon such word. running thus and thus
to he led up to In this and this manner. do
claim the full right, title, and 50 on. TO use
said pun and all the rest Of this rigmarole. y
DIR. Bartol, In his euloRy, gave couple
Of instances OF Mr.. Whipples qutckness OF
repartee. friend having asked him what
would he his idea OF a public library II hs
had half million TO build II with: III /
had the half mlllton,n returned Mr.. Whip-
pie, 81 shouldn't have the idea In a
debate which may have irritHted him a
little, his opponent said roughly: "You
have certainly lost your understanding y
IT Is very evident, Mr. Whippls retorted
with cool keenness, that YOU have not
Whenth Hon. p r. Barnum was yo,nyar
than now, he was infected with political a.
ptrations, and secured a seat In the lelyIs-
lature OF Connecticut. His efforts as an
orator were less successful than his ESSAYS
In the show business had been, and thu
legislature could not be made to yield him
nearing. what do you suppose is the
reason, someone asked MIR. Whlpple. tithat
Mr.. Barnum could not obtain the dmr az tbe
house z "0h, nothing Is simpler was
the ready response. "they were afraid he'd
exhibit 1t In u museum"
lie once began witty speech at n dinner
OF the bar association by remnrking that ali
authorities were agreed in making a wide
distinction between the human mind and
the legal mind, and his conversation
terms.
As an Instance of his closenegs of oh.
serYation may be quoted d rem lrk which l
once heard Mr.. Whipple make to William
Warren soon after the latter's retirement
from the stage. "All the elder Booths
gestures as Iago," he observed, were. /
noticed when saw him in that part within
me shoulders, while rs OthelO all were at
least IN part without, He drew himself to-
gether in the one case, and In the other he
was open, expansive, broad
Ia grayer talk Mr.. Whippla wns keen.
wise, broad and discriminating. He had
rend widely, and he had read with that APP
probation and profit which belong ouly TO
the finest Intellect. Ho saw with remnrka-
bic clearness the bearings Of subject, its
relation to other thoughts and themes, and
no constantly brought ont the most richly
suggestive analogies, while no seldom
lacked an instance or an illustration, so
closely to the point and 80 uptly told as TO
be better than most arguments. And yet
Win MIN all this, he was rarely good listener.
ms modesty and kindly generosity were a
neautlful lesson to more impatient and
lesser men, who could talk but could not
give attention 10 others unless they were
forced to 1t. remember ono evening when
rather wordy and decidedly young Har-
ward student had been taking upon himself
the lions share of the conversation ia the
group which had gathered about Mr..
Whipple In tho latter's parlor that said
lmpatiently to lovely old lady: Il must
say wish that young MIR. could have
been suppressed. l wanted to hear Mr..
Whipple's views on that subject" "But
wasn't It finer" she replied, ito see how
splendidly he can listen ? ] never saw a
more perfect exhibition of the spirit of a
gentleman In my life. felt like thanking
MIR. 80 for bringing him out so nobly''