New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-06-14
CHANCES HERE AND THERE.

"'Curiously enough. only two inventions are known
that were born perfect How about the violin Thus
esteemed correspondent, IS. f. c." yielding to the
fascination OF countcrgance courteous. Ny dear
sir my very dear sir"-as Mr. James Madison Morton
remarks. in the immortal drama of Mr.. John Box Mr..
Christopher Cox and the Widow of - BOuncer. esq
why the violin had gone through nearly as many states
pronounced perfect. Therefore, in the category OF
the "born-peTfect' there is no room for this made
perfect .ongsic the Nasmyth hammer that thinketlt
in blows, ana the glass bottle that bloweth in thinks
The fiddle, my very dear SIR IS of almost I'M
known antiquity. 1t boasts pedigree as Mr.. Morris
Parker might say, by Rebec out Of Hurdygurdy. sire
by Lyrc Of imported Greek Monochord, dam by
Fidula brother 10 Crwth and Ribiblc. For cen
turtles men otherwise harmless had known how to
make noises highly pleasing to their own lei ears, ana
more less cndnrable by their families and friends
by puclng at LOT Of strings stretched aut over an
empty box, with aiihOcs sliced or slit Ill the cover
In the of perhaps thousand years some
body (thc LATEST man the island no doubD be-
thought him Of rubbing the strings, instead of pluck
ing or plunling at them. In about $50 years the
pucked string and the bowed string parted company
for good and all. Then came the old vol family, with
its five. six seven. yes twenty0ne strings count
ing "sympathetcs'; look at their poor Old grandson
who still survives among the eN mna< and tue aero
bats at the back of the orchestra II you want to see
what this loud voiced family like. with tbs came
blocks, the fattlsh back and the arched belly
and TINS in The OF another century and half
In the time If not at the hands Of Gaspar di sao and
ing world that wonderful instrument OF many arches,
with corner block soundpost. neck bridge, and fonr
strings tuned i'm ifths that call the violin. III
born perfect, then long in borning'
II there be a more wonderful language than our own
beloved English surely that other is German. You
know the root-words you twist lot OF them up into
a single strand and there you are prepared with
patent linguistic freescape, to speak, fitted TO
every emergency. The merits Of which observa-
ton lies In the application thereof as the sage
haste TO know the hidden meaning Of "Festschrlit
and really those jolly Iuntsmen might have ridden
the trail for all the answers the leltnec then ana
there delivered one philOOgcr would nave II on
Information and belief that fesischrift was birth
day letter second, more prudent committed nm
se to the proposition that II might be anything from
an indl,putable proposition to bill OF fare. Bnt
came ont of the more. he explained that
festschrlft * festival publication so the Jolly
IIuntsmen had "hunted and halooed' in vain.
This reminded one Of them Of the time when in
Havana he had the delightful practical experience
Of the value Of the chief surviving pretcxt for the
queer thing called doctors Latin" Doctors and
druggists know it everywhere. they tell us. Now
guess. please what the prescription was that com
pctey callcycd7 the combined pharmaceutical talent
~ the proud yet smelly capital Of the ever faithful
isle. x >odac bcarb' IN said bur the good spanish
and even the hall spanish apothecary knew n not I,
our traveller waited Till he came To New-prleans
and bought bis and curious bcarb0nate Oi SODA
there.
Moral: Error lurkS IN gencraNues. Inc ltCl i, Is
that traveller afterward found ont. that the use Of
doctors Latin for prcscr ptons survives only among
the English spoken people. Ditto that old apothc-
carries weight the schOOlbOv' terror. with IFS petty
grains. it, drachmS drains, and its miserable
ecrple, all 10 itself and lis and pounds de-
lncra'cly and malirou>ly unlike every other known
ounce or pound The Frcnchman has conquered all
Europe with his grammc and his Ire, at all events.
once in sunny italy when the heats were young
and strong and the early cherry tempting To the
meat-led stranger. this same traveller happened 10
have shght-wel. ain short, he wanted more than
anything teaspoonful of jamaica ginger. To
o,rmacia quick Have You some. or anyl Dut
Yes, ignore. sighed the portrait of Raphael behind
90" queer counter. and prcuarimcntcd by country
man the most lllustrious Of the >icuorc himself.
Behold. Then from somewhere down or out came
"a nattish little bottle strangely familiar In blue
wrapper Behold ,guOrc. The traveller bcheld
F-,cnza di Zcn1cro dele hsli di Federico Brown Il
FiladclHa. bought that csscnza gravcly and de
parted with a light heart and achecsscurcd IT. in