The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-09-04
A GROUP OF ECCENTRIcIrIEs.
Oddities OF Some Great Men in Their
Work and Play.


rss happy as king, and that his idea of
heaven was to live in a large plain with
large focks to watch. Philip of Macedon
counted q horse race won at Olympia among
his three greatest fslicities; with some men,
novadays. it is their only one The late
lord Derby. it is said, would rather have
S-on '.the blue ribbon of the turf than worn
that of the garter To Fontenelle the Sc
rret of happiness was summed up in keeping
The heart cold and the stomach warm.
he 0vstibus non est disputdadum.
Cowper, as everybody knows, frightened
his obscure life for many years by study
inc the habits and characters of his three
oef hares, Puss, Tiny aud Bess. He had
5uite a cathohcity of affection, however,
for dumb animals, and at one time his stock
nf household pets included, besides the hares,
Eve rabbits, two guinea-pi many pigeons,
3 magpie, jay and a startling, two gold fish
:, two canary birds, two dogs and SPUR
rel
James /. had miscellaneous taste for pet
STANDARDIZATION squirrels, a cream-col
bred fawn, the splendid white gyrfalcon of
Ireland, an elephant, five camels, and. of
rrurse, dogs of every kind Saint Evremond
the wit, and Claude de Crebillon, the poet,
were constantly surrounded by cats and
dogs, which, under the firm supervision of
tl6lT ANSQ IOSClASt Oh ocl Va
unity.
Ladislas. king of Poland, was greatly agi-
lated at the sight Of apples. Erasmus could
not smell fish without suffering from a
feverish attack Scalger trembledi in every
limb if watercresses were placed before him
The astronomer, Tycho Brahe, was similar
Iy affected at meeting with hare or a fox.
The sage browed Verulam fell into faint
ing fit at an eclipse of the moon. Boyle
haariYcr rba md
which water makes on issuing from a tap or
valve La Mothe lie Vayer, the French
philosophical writer, preceptor to Louis
XIV, could not endure the sound Of any
musical instrument. Favoriti, the Italian
+ oct. who diedin 1852, sickened at the smell
of the rose.
Suetonirs informs US that the Roman
emperor Ohio was almost as particular las
4 woman about his toilet, that he applied
a depilatory process to the whole of his body,
and wore upon his head, which was nearly
bald, false hair, fixed and arranged so art
fully that no one could detect the impoSi-
lion. He shaved daily with the utmost ex
hctness, and rubbed his face all over with
soaked bread--a habit which he had con-
tracted from the age of puberty in order to
prevent the growth Of beard.
Very little food, either animal or vegeta-
bic did Spinosa allow himself, since he
4 day, on which even a Scotch student
would find it difficult to support human ma
lure. Yet was he surpassed by Buttner, a
German naturalist of the eighteenth century,
who lived upon one meal day, at cost of
3 SOUS The astronomer Lalande professed
10 relish spiders and caterpillars, and al
ways carried supply Of these daintieS
about with him in a bon bon box.
The amuSements of great men seem to in
1ioata tDa 6iracriOn of their tastes C'ardj-
nal Richelieu found in violent exercise re-
lief from the severe mental concentration
in which most of his life was passed, He was
once discovered jumping with his servant
to try who could reach highmark on the
wall With ingenious flattery De Gram
mont entered the lists against him. but took
caro, after some efforts which nearly reached
the mark, to allow the cardinal to beat him.
Henry " amused his leisure with the COM
pany Of children, ana Sully describes a
charming incident-how he found his SOW
sreign astride on a stick, and playing at
''hoIses" with two or three happy juveniles.
The learned Samuel Clarke sought recrea-
don i'll violent gymnastics, leaping over ia
bles and chairs. Once a pedantic precisian
approaching, Now we must desist, said he
''for Il fool is coming I'M!
Turner was an early riser, and for several
hours in the morning worked assiduously,
after which he would amuse himself
freely He was greatly partial to fishing.
He seldom paid q country visit without be-
ing accompanied by bis rod, and he carried
into his pursuit the indomitable persever-
ance which he brought to bear on his arts
tic work. No inclemency of weather
daunted, no churlishesS of fortune wearied
him. An eye witness relates how he used
to sit on the lawn of friends house, fish
Ing in a pond for carp On wet days he
would sit on kitchen chair, with piece of
board under his feet, and large umbrella
over his head. And the wind blew and the
rain descended, but silent and immovable
there he sat until the dinner bell rang.
Harvey, who discovered the twofold cir
culation of the blood. was a great reader.
at the battle of Edgehill, in 1912, Prince
Charles and the Duke of York were put un-
der his charge, and while the air
rung with clash and din of the
eight, he retired with the two young
princess under hedge, took volume from
his pocket. and became absorbed in its peru
sal, until cannon ball striking the ground
close beside him convinced him of the desir-
ability of seeking safer resting place.
Some eminent men have been distinguished
by their passion and special aptitude for la
borious work. Boyle studied for fourteen
hours daily until he was 40 years Of age.
Hume wrote thirteen hours a day while
composing his History of England" Sir
Matthew Hale studied for many years at
the rate of sixteen hours a day, but all great
lawyers have been hard workers. As for
the scientists, look at Charles Darwin, at
Tyndall. at Huxley, at Richard Owen.
Marshall Hall, whose discoveries and re-
searches in connection With the nervous
system smoothed the way for later physi-
ologists, devoted, in the course of his life, to
the investigation of this one subject, no
fewer lit has been calculated) than $4,000
hours. For forty years of his life the great
naturalist, Button, wrote at his desk from
till o'clock, and again in the evening
from 5 till 8 o'clock. Turning to lords of
art, we find Titan spending seven years
upon his great picture of "The Lords Sup
per" and eight upon that Of "Pletro Mar
tre." Michael Angelo was an indefatiga-
BILE worker. After passing the greater part
OF the day in his studio, ne would often rise
at night to resume his labors, fixing can
Ole at the top of his pasteboard cap, like a
miner, to supply tho light which guided his
marvellous chisel Haydn, Gluck, Spohr,
beethoven, Mendelssohn enjoyed work as
other men enjoy play. But, in truth, CON
tnuous energetic labor is imperative upon
the musician who would rise to fame and
command Z comprehensive knowledge of
the resources Of his glorious art. Glardini
was wont TO say that if man would learn
10 play the violin he must practice twelve
hours day for twenty years And the
wonderful mastery Of Paganini was gained
and maintained only by assiduous efforts
Whlch help TO wear out both mind and body.
Inc first studies which he composed were