Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-20
THE TOPICAL TALKER.
Slipped Upon n Banana Peel - Storing
Printed Treasures--A Case In Point
0dds mud Rnds

Slipped Upon n Banana Peel - Storing
Printed Treasures--A Case In Point
Odds and Ends.
1T comes easy to some people to explain
things.
Bilkins said the other day: ''Most of the
bananas the italian fruit venders get from the
South reach here green, and it has always been
puzzle to me how they are ripened?"
"Oh. that's easy enough, replied Philkins,
who absolutely knows everything, "the venders
sleep with the bananasr'
Now Bilkins always lets the bananas pass at
his boarding house, and Philkins, who has
great liking for the fruit, takes two where he
used to take but one.
<ss
FALMosr every man of literary taste falls into
the habit of keeping books, magazines and even
newspapers, to say nothing of clippings from
all sorts of publications, which at the time
seem to possess some sort Of permanent value.
How the pile of printed matter will grow, to be
sure and how ephemeral its value proves to
be. Some men who have this habit avoid its
most unpleasant consequences by taking stock,
as it were, every once year, usually discover
ing that in that short time very few Of the re-
served papers are worth keeping. A bonfire or
the ragman is then called into requisition.
But often the accumulation of printed mat
ter continues for years without a break, some
times till death removes the accumulation.
Then the habit surely devolves annoyance upon
the possessOr thereof or his heirs
DR.. JENNINGS, who used to look after the
souls and bodies of most of the people who
lived on the south side of the Ohio from above
Coraopolis to below Shousetown, years ago,
was a victim of this habit of preserving nearly
every religious paper, pamphlet or tract that
came to his house. He would note something
Of interest in a magazine or what not, and
straightway it would join the mountain of ma
terial for reference.
Whether he often referred to the treasures
in the mountain don't know. Perhaps he did,
for the way DR.. jennings worked would make
most of our modern d1vines perspire and
tremble simply to contemplate. He had need
Of plenty of material for his sermons, which
were delivered in no less than three churches.
the Sharon church, one on the Island and an
other called, think, the Hopewen church at
Shousetown. He preached twice every Sunday
at the Sharon church, and once on alternate
Sundays at either of the others.
<x%
WHEN good old DR.. Jennings died his daugh-
ters were at loss what to do with the gigantic
store of printed matter. Every nook and corner
of the house was filled with knowledge OF one
sort or another, but mostly theological. OPP
portunely ragman appeared upon the scene
and no less than 400 pounds of printed matter,
as much as he could load in his cart was sold
to him. About the same amount was turned
into smoke and ashes in the orchard of the par
sonage.
THE HON. BARDwELL SLoTE. otherwise Mr..
w. j. Florence strolled into the Office of the
Phonograph Company yesterday morning. He
was asked to speak "a piece:' into the phono-
graph, and chose some familiar passage from
the "Merry Wives of Windsor in the charac-
ter Of FalstGt, his famous speech and other
bits from the lines of the Hon. BGrd,DeU Slote
and selection from "Dombey and Son" in his
mastery Characterization OF Captain Cutie.
The phonograph repeated the recitations with
great success, and Mr.. Florence was delighted.