The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-12-27
PLAIN DRALRR.
UEIfnMe IN iW ulI q
JOB WORK,
Bl1l.HeadS, Cards, Posters, CIR.
cularD.
SallsiSedoo b neatnesa, pngDiless la1
PIles Guaflatoel.
~0IvD . 4 TRIAL BEFoA1 onD14
300 GI0EwHER& -
PERSONAL AND LITERARY.

Mr.. Van Alstyne, better known -
Mss Fanny Crosby. the popular hymn
writer. was born in 1928. and has been
blind from infaLcy.
Mrs. Elizabeth j. Hereford. Texas
poetess who has recently issued q vol
1me Of poems entitled Rebel Rhymes"
Is said to be a lineal descendant Of Sir
Walter Scott. Some OF Mrs. Hereford's
verse has been considered beautiful.
Bret Harte. the author. Is in his
6ftieth year. He has been writing
since early in the sixties, when he
printed q number OF poems and war
lyrics in the San Francisco papers
Previous to this time he had been a
compositor.
-Whittior is eighty-one years old
and is two years older than Oliver
Wendell Holmes. Whittier was visit.
ing friends in Boston recently, but il
was observed that even in company he
was often absorbed in thought. The
Same IL true of Tennyson. who lacks
much Of being an interesting member
OF largo company.
| MIR. Gladstone's omnivorousness
rs reader is indicated by his orders
from a wellAknown dealer in Birming-
ham. The list includes works on lit.
erature, theology, archaeology, my.
thology. education, metaphysics, and
music, and biographical and auto.
biographical books. His friends won
der where he is going to put the books
he is continually buying, for Hawar.
den Castle is already lined with them
from basement to attic.
The handwriting Of English liter.
ary men being under consideration, 1t
is said that Andrew Lang writes . pc
culiar, but not illegible hand; Swim.
burne's was curiously school-boyish.
but perfectly legible; Matthew Arnold's
was lucidity itself; Mr.. Ruskin's II
pretty and plain; Sir Edward Arnold's
is also very plain; John Morley's IL
difficult at first, but easily got &C.
quainted with; Labouchere's is pretty
bad; 7. Z. OConnor's is rather rough,
but easy to read; Frederick Green.
woods is called agreeable. and the ed.
itor Of tho Times, 1t is said. writes
particularly good and legible hand.
Elijah Halford, President-elect
Harrison's private secretary, is almost
as artistic whistler as Mrs. Shaw.
He has no other musical accomplish.
ments. but he can whistle the mos,
difficult music in manner which as.
tonishes his hearers. He is very apt
to employ this gift when engaged upon
an important piece OF work. At such
times an observer would think that
Mr.. Halford had nothing on his mind.
but the fact is that when he whistles
his prettiest he is absorbed In the most
weighty mental problems whist.
ling Lije'' is his nickname in Indian
apolis.
Mrs. Oliphant lives for the greater
part OF the year at the much-favored
town OF Windsor, though she braces
herself up by occasional visits to ''dear
old Scotland. Margaret Wilson Oil.
phant was, as most people know. born
some sixty years back in the county
which has the honor of being repre-.
sented in Parliament by the hero oi
Bingley Hall. Mrs. Oliphant's resi-.
dence in Windsor has favored the
formation of friendly relations with
the Queen. of whom she is great
favorite. Her Majesty, indeed. has
every one Of Mrs. Oliphant's books
read aloud to her.