The Washington critic., 1886-09-08
WASHINGTON CRITIC
TOPICS OF THE DAY.


who has just beaten Congressman
Barksdale for the nomination by the
Mississippi Democrats in the Jackson
District is, think, the most polished
orator In this country. lie Is General
Hooker, an ex Confederate. Cicero.
you recollect, said that if he had lost
but single joint Of his little finger he
would have been less an orator. Hooker
has lost q whole arm. but instead of
that detracting from his oratorical
power II seems to be an advantage.
Perhaps the fact that a man Is manned
draws the sympathy OF his hearers. 1t
Is probably true also that the one armed
man escapes the American weakness
for excessive gestiCulation an1 is led
by his very in1rmlty to cultivate other
and better ways of emphasizing his
words.
e"@
Among the most enjoyable features
of my annual trip to the seaside, says
correspondent of the Hartford Timos,
is visit to the laboratory and fish.
Matching station of the United States
Fish Commission, located at Woods
Holl, on the north shore of Vineyard
Sound Each year adds some new fea.
ture to the work, and new items of very
great interest to the visitor. 1t has
been demonstrated within the last year
that cod eggs can be successfully
Matched here, and within the last
twelve months young cod, from
the station have been turned
out by the million, into these aud other
waters along the New England coast.
1t is an easy matter to count few hun.
dred eggs and weigh them with deli.
cate balance, and then, by a simple
process of reckoning, after weighing
the whole mass obtained from a SINGLE
fish or number of them, determining
how many eggsa fish will produce; and
1t is found that small female cod will
yield about two millions of cggs-while
very large one contains about nine
millions, and it is thought that per-
haps annually they average about SIX
millions of eggs.
~
Dir. Kane, veteran manager, with
half century's theatrical experience,
was in St. Louis the other day and
said TO reporter of the critic of that
city: There never was an actor hung
in the United States for the commits
sion Of crime. Wilkes Booth was
shot. This is not saying that there are
some who deserve'the penalty for mur.
dering Shakespeare Actors are chari.
table, whole.souled and long-lived.
N. M. Ludlow lived to be 80;
Holland, 80; Macready, rs; Mac.
lin played at 0j and died ten
years later, Wallack was 1j Il. $.
Conner lived at 70; Boucicault is 63;
John Gilbert and Joe Foster have
passed 70; Mrs, Kelley played at rs;
Il. A. Lyme is SO; Lester Wallack still
plays at 81; William Warren is over
80. Few actors keep their money.
The qualities that make genius do
not make business man. There are
some exceptions, though. Jefferson is
wealthy; Booth is up in the six figures;
Chanfrau died rich Forrest left half
million; Joe Emmet has fortune, and
John &. Owens was rich till he got to
monkeying with mining stock. But
most actors live well, work hard and
die poor look upon the theatre as
not merely a place of amusement, but
conservator of morals and an elevator
of public taste. | may be wrong and
may change my ideas when | get old,
but at present this is my impression" "
*#m
Ii was in the autumn of 1861, SAYS
the NetoS Of that city, when six patriotic
citizens of Philadelphia met together
for the purpose of promoting a more
friendly intercourse among loyal citi-
2ens. These six gentlemen were Judge
j. /. Clark Hare, Horace Binney, ir.,
Morton McAIichael, George II. Boxer,
Benjamin Gerhard, and Charles Glib.
bons. The Union Club was the name
given the organization, and this pre-
liminary meeting was held at the house
of Judge Hare. The proportions of the
club soon rendered 1t impossible for
sufficient accommodations for its
weekly meetings to be found in private
residences, and in consequence the spa.
cious building previously known as the
Kuhn mansion, at 1l1S Chestnut street,
was secured for the use of the organi-
zation. AS all the members of the
club were in hearty sympathy with the
national cause, it was thought that by
more thorough organization they
could be of essential service in the
struggle for the Union. With the
fHrtherance of this patriotic object in
view the club, in the latter part of 1862,
resolved itself into the Union League,
and thus were laid the foundations of
an institution of which the country at
large, not less than the city of Phila-
delphia, has just cause to be proud
x*x
Concerning an old time nose pulling
affair, Ben: Perey Poore says in his
"reminiscences" Mr.. Adams private
secretary was his son, John Adams,
who soon made himself very obnoxious
to the friends of General Jackson. One
evening Mr.. Russell Jarvis, who then
edited the Washington 1Gogrtph, a
newspaper which advocated Jackson's
election, attended a "drawing-room"
at the White House, escorting his wife
and a party Of visiting relatives from
Boston, Mr., Jarvis Introduce ed those
who We're with him to Mrs. Alams.
who received them courtcously, and
they then passed on into the East
Room. Soon arterward they found
themselves standing opposite to Mr.
John Adams, who was c0nvrrsing
with the Rev. Mr.. Stetson. "Who is
that LADY, asked Mr., Stetson. That"
replied Mr.. John Adams, in u tone so
loud that the party heard it, sis the
wife of one Russell Jarvis, and if he
knew how contemptibly he is viewed
In this house they would not be here."
The Bostonians at once paid their re.
spects to Mrs. Adams and withdrew,
Mr.. Jarvis having first ascertainel