Morning journal and courier., 1886-02-13

the mimic thunder began to growl the mim- ic wind began to vail; the mimic rain began to batter. The Kings interest rose higher and higher till it developed into enthusiasm. ''It is good,' cries he, livery good indeed but I will have real rain. Turn on that wa teri" The manager pleaded for g reversal of the royal command, and said that it would ruin the costly scenery and the splendid cos tunes. But the King replied: 3'Never mind that! I will have real rain. Turn on that water!" So the real rain was turned on and began to descend in huge torrents on the mimic fower-beds and gravel-walks of the stage. The richly dressed actors and actress es tripped about singing bravely and pretend ing not to mind it. The King delight ed His enthusiasm grew to climax. "Bra- vo! bravo" he cried, s'more thunder! more lightning! Turn on more rain!" The thun- der boomed, the lightning glared, the storm wind ragged, the deluge poured down. The mimic royalty on the stage, with their soaked satins clinging to their bodies, stopped around ankle deep in water warbling their sweetest and best, the fddlers under the caves of the stage saving away for dear life, with the cold overflow spouting down the backs of their necks, and the dry and happy King sat in his box applauding. "Let all the water loose" he shouted. 'I will hang the man who raises an umbrella!" When all was over it was with great difficulty that the
 
 encore. If he can raise money in Paris there are few strange performances in store for the people of Munich.
 Among the royal ladies who were conspic- uous by their absence at the opening of Par liament by Her Majesty were the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Edinburgh. The first named lady was i'll and could not attend, but the state of her health certainly could not be urged as causing the absence of the sailor and-violinist princes wife. The fact is that Her Royal and Imperial Highness has failed to delight the Court of St. James and to be delighted by it. She has notions about the precedence due to her which the Queen does not share and will not recognize-hence a strained state of personal relations. The Queen must have resented her royal and i'm perial daughter-in-law's behavior on the opening day, for while the royal procession was forming at Buckingham Palace and Her Majesty was in the act of setting out, the Duchess of Edinburgh was exhibiting her self in open landau, with her children, by driving up and down Constitution hill close to the palace At one time she even dashed ill front of the cortege. What do you think of this little Russian bears conducts It is alleged that she does not even try to conceal in public her supreme contempt for the new royal highness, Prince Henry of Battenberg. All these little snubbings cause delight in gossipy London society, but the young Ger man prince is happy and comfortable.
 Moliere puts on the stage beaten wife, who immediately takes her husbands part on seeing a third party remonstrating with him for his conduct. This, I suppose, is in hu- man nature. Timothy c. was charged last Monday with cutting his wife's head open, and then throwing pail of water over her. The doctor showed that the woman had lost an immense quantity of blood, but she would not have it that she had been struck by her husband. With characteristic volu- Sho ha n strike me at all at all; it was accident, /" and turning to her husband she added: "No, you didn't, did you Tim? It didn't hurt me; that was an accident, and you'll never do 1t no more, will you, Tima" Tim appeared to be repentant and the magistrate, finding 8 difficulty in the case, discharged the prison CT. This did not satisfy Mrs. O., who went into the witness box wishing to address the magistrate. She had to be elected. She and I'm left the court on the best of terms, adiourning round the corner for a friendly glass or two of "comforter."
 l The new volume of Nr. John Ruskin's | ''Preterita" has appeared and is called 'Vesper Camenoe This new contribution ! to the great English critics memoirs takes up the tale of his life after the death of | his brother Charles There is pretty and | amusing account of the boys intimacy l with a young friend named Richard Fall, ! who, though 'fenti1ely good humored, sen ' l young genius no encouragement to go on | writing 'Ebad English for rhyme's sake ol l demonstrable nonsense either in prose ol l rhyme" His father, however, had a pas ! sionate desire that his son might one day l write like Byron, and strange to say, young Ruskin found the rather strong matter o1
 Manfred" and ''Don Juan" thoroughly tc his taste. At this time he was allowed tc l take wine and go to the theater, anc Christopher North's ever fresh and delight ful "Noctes Ambrosani;e"-with the rol
 licking fun, the whiskey drinking and oc 1 casionally the bad words all left in-wer ! read to him at dessert. The boys owl
 choice for one of these readings fell ol
 "Juan and Haidee," but he adds: My SC 1 lection was not adopted, and feeling there 1 was something wrong somewhere. did no | press it.'' But by eighteen he knew hi | Byron pretty well all through excepting | "Cain," "Werner'' ''The Deformed Trans | formed" and the ''Vision of Judgment,
 none of which he could understand. Tn
 most curious point is that his mother, witt her strong Puritan instincts, encouraged tn
 reading of the poet, ''not being afraid o
 plain words for me-" And MT. Ruskin'
 conclusion is that his mother was quit
 right. 'I never," he adds, ''got the slight
 est harm from Byron; what harm came t.
 me was from books of baser kind, inclu
 ding Victor Hugo and Dr. Watts" Tn
 idea of Byron as model youths companion
 and Victor Hugo and Dr. Watts destroy
 CTS of white innocence, must take one by sur
 prise, but everybody knows that the Eng fish critic is not 'as other men are." Per
 haps this opinion will have the effect of re
 viving Byron's popularity. I believe Byrol l is very little understood by his compatriots l who prefer graceful and anodine milk-and
 water poetry to the fiery and plain spokel
 bards verses. Byron has yet to be knowl
 in England; this is an indisputable fact ane
 MT. Rnskin, who is the great favorite of tn
 British matron," may perhaps induce hi
 countrymen to read and appreciate the Vie 1 tor Hugo and Alfred de Musset combined | of England. MAX O'RELL. l ER aI.lx laI yna