Telegram-herald., 1889-04-27

COS -Te.l that .llcrc "a la g l.s|i s..ll q 'lrf
fun IL lin. though it came out in such
q peculiar form that his hearers often
rock .t ia III. English way thai IS. i
took taem q few DAYS T. see the point
Tho natural result is that lis Jokes lia-
prove by time Perhaps. also. the lapse
Il time since his death. assuag.ng sor-
row. makes the occasion Il birthday
more appropriate fer humcr.
One * the standing subjects II Wit az
Grants expense ia hls early army service
was bis total lack of tie musical faculty
lle WAS at first Il littie sensitive about IL.
bus soon grew e. look on II IN a hgmor-
Gus light himself Gay young hcu;en-
ants With some skill on the flute or violin
~oull invite their fellow. Lieut.. Grant.
IN u hear "an entirely new piece-music
just received hy the overland express -
AMI then play the Last Rose of Sum
mer." After the usual compliments
and a few minutes conversation the
musical wag would ask If he had ever
heard Annie Laurie" and Lieut.. Grant
would of course politely reply that he
should be pleased 70 hear il. after which
came the same performance. And So
tho musician would 70 over a long list
OF tunes. al mere variations OF the
last Rose OF summer and Lieut.
+ Grant would Sravely return polite thanks
for the entertainment and 80 away feel
ing highly compiilented.
To most people this VIII seem an alb
suri e2aggesatlon. especially rs the dull
est man who eniists in the army nearly
ALWAYS acquires some musical sense; the
necessity OF keeping step 10 the tap Of
the drum appears To develop the capac-
itv Of Time, which IS, rs one may say,
the skeleton of music. Grant, however,
has left his own testimony 70 his def
cheney in this respect; after his return
from his foreign tour, and the wonder
ful ovations succeeding. he announced
with sort of pride that he had mastered
one tune. knew every note OF it. and that
was Hail 10 the Chief" We are not
required 10 accept Gen. Sherman's hui
morous addition that on the next day
the tune was played before them. with
some variations, and Gen. Grant did not
recognize it.
This defect camc out in a ludicrous
way when Grant was nImed colonel of
the Twentv-frst Illinois. One recruit in
that regiment had been in the "awk-
ward squad for three weeks. and had
not learned the first rudiments of drill:
he could not even mark time" with
drummer before him giving the taps.
T The new colonel had his attention di-
rected 10 such an extraordinary case ard
attempted TO instruct the man as to time
on the left foot, right foot principle,
when the awkward recruit started off
with his right foot.
Il understand your trouble" said Col.
Grant. and grabbing the mans gun. with
something like indignation, he brought
it down sharply on the subjects left foot.
with the remark: There, that's your
left foot-now start of hereafter on your
lame foot" And by the time that foot
got we'll tho recruit had mastered the
bedrock principle Of time" and was soon
wei drilled.
The question has been much debated
whether Grant ever showed nervous agI-
tation in time Of excitement or danger.
AMI il appears % be proved that he was
4 little "rattiod" when he trst assumed
command in north Missouri. though In
all his subsequent campaigns he pre-
served the Same solid and almost st0lid
Scotch calm. 1t was on his entry into
Missouri that. as Mark Twain would say,
'.three great men met" or would have
mot. If Mark and Cen Tom Harris had
stayed long enough; and oddly enough.
each of tho three has given a very inter
esting account Of 1t. dark tells how lie
and other Missouri boys volunteered IN
tho militia. how they roatrcd at random
among tic farr:era. always ''rotrcatinS
when they heard Il any Federal troops
being In tile vicinity. how they We're put
unitr command # harris. whom they
lal iafa.ari. known As telegraph op-