The Portland daily press., 1888-01-04
PERSONAL AND PECULIAR.

The Vanderbilts will all have cottages at
Newport before long. F. w. Vanderbiltis
building gorgeous one to cost about $780,
900. Cornelius already has a $4,000 cot
tage, and w. X. is expected to build one that
will eclipse both when he returns from
abroad.
Mr.. Manton Marble, formerly chief editor
and proprietor of the World, is one of the
very few men in New York city who have
ever retired from the editorship of any daily
paper under their control Greeley, Ray
mond and Bennett, who were Mr. Marbles
contemporaries quarter of a century ago,
worked in harness to the last So did
Bryant, Brooks and Hastings. Not only did
Mr. Marble himself retire from daily news
paper life, but nearly all the chief members
of his editorial staff did the same thing about
| the same time-such men as Hurlbut Evans
and Croly, all of whom are yet alive.
Mrs. Cleveland has made no conquests
more notable than that of a young man who
had once been her schoolmate and who at
tended her reception at Minneapolis. She
remembered him and greeted him cordially,
but said at once: 81 hope you have gvenup
drinking" The fellow hung his head and
made no reply. ''Do it at once, said Mrs
| Cleveland, do it at once" The young man
4
meeting at Evanston, ILL.,, where his heart
| was touched, and he told of Mrs. Cleveland's
| advice to him. Her word in season. re-
! suited in his conversion.
The most noteworthy thing about the an
nual report of the president Of Yale College
| is the evidence which it bears of classical
reaction in the college. Gifts to stimulate
the study of Greek and Latin are recorded,
| and the president makes the announcement
| that hereafter applicants for admission to
the college will be required to show as much
| proficiency in Greek and Latin as was re-
quired up to the time few years ago when
| when the standard was slightly lowered In
| consequence of provision in relation to
| modern languages. The academic depart
ment of the college has grown during the
| year out Of proportion to the scientinc de-
! partment.
The Grand Old Man is person of i'm
pressive abilities. Besides being famous
translator of Greek and Latin verse, and
learned commentator upon classical litera-
ture generally, he is profoundly conversant
with modern languages, and goes from the
minute consideration of some Irish land tax
question to the addressing Of Italian crowds
in their own language with as little concern
as he would go to game of whist. He spoke
to the people Of Florence Saturday IN their
native Tuscan. Mr.. Gladstone is Justly pop,
ular in Italy as well as in Greece would
be hard indeed to say where he would not be
popular outside of Russia; and even there
the people owe him no grudge. Mr. Glad
stone.has proved that his sympathy with
popular movements is not that OF the dema-
gogue, but that of an honest man.
A recent Vassar graduate was relating
some of her experiences as housekeeper
during the illness of her mother, and was
commenting upon the indisposition of SER
want girls in the United States to black the
boots of the men OF the family. In house
holds in England. she said, where there is
only one hired girl, the polishing of the
mems shoes is accepted by her as one of hel
duties. Then another Vassar girl recalled
the time when number of her classmates
helped to shine the boots of gentleman
visiting at the college. He was and is still 9
trustee of Vassar. He occupied one of the
guest chambers, and when, he went 10 pee
were at hotel Some of the girls who were
up at an early hour saw the boots, and
thought 1t would be good joke to do the
bootblack act themselves. They did, and
when they returned the shoes they stuck IN
each handsome bouquet of flowers. The
trustee was half abashed and altogether
surprised when he realized how he had been
honored. Tradition-though this occurred
| out n HtIle White dRO-ttllo HIS uanO 40 1""e
of Benson j. Losing, the historian.
In the home of one of New York's Jewish
citizens was seen recently tiny flame burn
ing in handsome goblet. Examination
showed the goblet to be half filed with wa
ter, on the top of which tioated about an
inch of sweet oil. A tiny float of corks, fas-
tened on either side of metallic ring, rested
upon the oil. On the ring was placed wax
taper, hardly thicker than a thread, passed
through small circle of thin wood, so that
the lower end of the taper dipped through
the ring into the sweet oil. The upper end
was lighted. The sweet oil drawn up through
the wax-covered wick, served to keep It
| alight for several hours. 1--WE burn this,
said the gentleman, Gin memory of one OF
our dead. When that taper burns nearly
out. we substitute another. so that the flame
like the vestal fire, is never allowed to go
out We light the taper when our relative
dies, and let it burn year. The last taper
we let go out of itself. 1t flickers, flames up,
flares again, and then goes out, just as hu-
man life does in its last hours. We tend this
light with great care and thus keep alive the
memory of our loved one. 1t is an old Gus
tom, which is now becoming less observed.
Many now only burn the taper for month,
and some but for week. There are still q
great many, though, that keep up the custom
in its old purity We have other customs in
honor of our dead. For instance. my father
died thirty-seven years ago. my mother thlr
their deaths, to the hour and minute, have.
somehow, always managed to steal mo-
ment fer a silent prayer"
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