Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-08-01
PIsA'S FAMOUS TOWER.
The Most Remarkable Structure to Be
Disposed Of at Rattle.

The Most Remarkable Structure to BE
Disposed Of at Rattle.
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The strange news comes over the
ocean that the world-famous Leaning
Tower of Pisa is to be disposed of at a
rattle. Italy has only two more lean
ing towers-both at Cologne, and
neither of them so far out of the per-
pendicular as Pisa's. If there Is a dis
position to get up a corner in leaning
towers. and bull the market, it would
seem to be easy to do it. for the
market is not well stocked; and il
might be practicable to bring the
famous structure over here and set il
up Just back of Bunker Hill. or behind
the John Mason statue on Pequot Hill
or even, if no better or more frequent
ed place can be procured for such q
purpose, it might be erected near the
Egyptian obelisk in New York's park.
There it might possess a certain SYM
bolic significance, implying that even
Aldermen sometimes lean little over
the straight line of the perpendicular,
when the bag of coin that somebody
ties to their coat-tails is heavy enough
to exert a pull.
Pisa's famous marble tower, with its
circular front of over 200 columns. and
its upper story overhanging the lower
by difference of thirteen feet. is a
puzzle to philosophers and antiquar-
ians. Whether its singular leaning
attitude was the result of design, or OF
accident, never has been ascertained.
One of the many interesting things con-
nected with the Leaning Tower is the
fact that Calico, as remarkable mind
certainly as great an experimental
philosophical any within the Christ
ian era, demonstrated, by experiments
conducted from the top of that struct-
ure, the error of Aristotle's theorem,
that the velocity of falling bodies is
proporuoned to their weight. The
learned but angry scientists of Italy
confidently gathered IN front of the
tower to witness the crushing and
silencing of the pestilent philosopher
whose reasoning they had been unable
to cOnfute, but whose audacious
laundering was now to be exhibited
and demonstrated, in the shape of an
object lesson, of his own foolish pro-
posing. But the philosopher, instead
of being flattened out by the proofs,
COMPOUNDED his learned and highly
scientific enemies-who. however, like
so many of their illustrious successors
of to-day, declined to be convinced by
the facts, and Galileo found it for the
interest of his health to get out of that
vineyard, and be left-without stand
ing on the order of his going. Such
imprudent, pestilent disturbers of the
peace in the worlds accepted beliefs
must always expect to be kicked out
of good society. And the Leaning
Tower, if it should happen to be
brought by Barnum to America. after
the rattle, will be an interesting OBJ
iect-provided it can be regretted at
the same angle-as showing that some
things can be done as well as others.
Value of Foreign Titles.
No foreign. though more particular
ly no French title, holds a more es-
teemed place than that of marquis,
which. indeed, socially may be said to
rank above that of duke, for the very
simple reason that while the first Ma
poieon created a large number of
dukes and princes he patented no mar
quises, who, unless the sons of imper-
ialist dukes, are therefore known to be
of creation belonging to the days of
the monarchy, says a writer in CHAM
be1'S journal. Such points are, Of
course. difficult to determine without
ready sources of reference; but in for
eign society such distinctions are as
familiar as are with us those which
regulate the relative social position of
the members of our aristocracy.
1t is a distinction not always thor
oughly understood. that which exists
between political or peerage nobility
and nobility of blood. A gentleman
Of blood, being already noble, cannot
be further ennobled by being raised
to the peerage, though his rank and
privilege are thereby augmented.
This IS point which, if it is not al
ways clear to the English mind, is diff
fcult to explain to the foreigner. He,
however, perhaps better than the Bril-
ton, can grasp the meaning of the
amusing anecdote of the Spanish gran
dees who, signing their consent to the
accession to their throne of the French
Phillip v, wrote each against his
name, ''noble as the king;'' one how
ever, adding, land little more. for, .
he said, Phillip Y. is Frenchman,
while I, | am a Castilian."
Though it is q colloquial fiction that
every Spaniard IS of noble birth, it
must be remembered that it is only the
heads of the Spanish noble families
who bear the title, the eldest son of
a duke being known during his faith
er's lifetime simply as Don Alfonso
di-'
1t is perhaps not Familiarity known
that Spanish title is by no means an
inexpensive luxury. The rank of
grandee costs about 1000. and while
with US a ducal title entails an outlay
of 91.300, it must be remembered that
it is only the original recipient who
pays this sum, which in Spain is re-
Movable on every fresh assumption of
the title.
This is but poorly recompensed by
the right enjoyed by all Spanish gran
dees of remaining covered in the pres
ence of royalty, a privilege confined in
England to the family of lord forester
and lord kingsale.
How 60 Coax a Man to Propose.
An elderly man was telling group
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