Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1891-06-18
WASHINGTON GUoslp.
Mr.. BLAINE's HABITS or THINKING
AND EATING.

AND EATING.
General Holt and His Stories of Lincoln.
Who Will Be Speaker of the House
Next session?-Stories of Congressman
elect winn, of Georgia.
Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON, June 1.-The greatest
study of man is man. The human animal
finds in all the world nothing 80 interest
ing as himself. For instance, there is Sec
rotary Blaine. Who is not talking about
himS Mr.. Blaine is an interesting man
when he is well, when he is sick, when he
is active and when he is doing nothing.
l heard the other day from q gentle
man who is Oh intimate terms with the
secretary and his family that the chief
trouble with Mr. Blaine's health is to
be found in the fact that he does not eat
enough. Mr.. Blaine is rare example of
the men who reach point in life at which
their lack of strength and vigor warn
them that if they are to live long enough
to complete certain tasks which they have
set themselves they must carry on cam
paign of health and conservation of
strength, just us other men, younger or
more fortunate, wage campaigns for money
or power. Mr.. Blaine is somewhat hypo-
chondriacal as to his health, and easily be-
comes discouraged. He has always feared
Bright's or other kidney troubles, yet DR..
Lincoln, Mr.. Blaine's Washington physi-
clan. and one of the most eminent medical
men of the capital, told me the other day
that Mr.. Blaines kidneys were as sound as
dollar.
The secretary has predisposition to
govt, and also to attacks of Indigestion,
In consequence of these occasional Attic
lions he is most severe in his diet A bill of
fare is to him an enemy, tempter, de-
stroyer. He breads to look at one, and in
the presence of a lot of good things to eat
finds it necessary to summon all his self
restraint and moral courage. To a man
with strong stomach, a big appetite and
reckless mind there is something pathetic
about all this in this year of fine strawber-
rles, luscious watermelons and promised
peaches and cream. I think 1 would
rather be a humble scribe and eat what /
pleased, and as much us pleased (when l
could get it), than to be the great secretary
of state of the American republic. I have
fancied, sometimes, as I looked at Mr..
Blaine's white face and colorless hands,
that he might be induced to agree with me.
How much of the pleasure of this world is
derived from eating and drinking anyway?
Did you ever pause to think between courses
at dinner what an infinite ingenuity man
has displayed in providing himself with
good things for his palate? Every conceiv-
able animal and vegetable, creeping, crawl
ingand flying thing, native of the earth, the
sea, the sky, all the parts thereof, even to
the Unmatched young, have been made CAP
tive to mans all devouring nav Thou
sands of these millions of good things to
eat and drink are prepared in hundreds of
different ways, so that the resulting va
riety is as indescribable as the unknown
hereafter and the unllnowable heretofore.
Probably more human ingenuity has been
expended in catering to mans appetite,
and every day of every year more energy
is expended therein, than in any other pur-
pose of human activity. Eating and drink
ing, therefore, is the most tremendous
thing in the world except thinking; and l
will never forget a bright thing that Sena-
tor Ed Wolcott, the brilliant young Colo
radoan, said last winter on the floor of the
senate.
1t was one of the last nights of the ses-
sion, and there were innumerable lunch
cons in the restaurant down stairs, and
farewells and good wishes over pledges
solid and liquid. Wolcott, always good
liver, was so popular among his colleagues
that quite us often as any one he visited
the delightful subterranean region, where
delve the most skillful of cooks and the
most artistic compounders of things dis
tinctively American and cheering 1t thus
happened that along toward midnight Mr..
Wolcott while entirely in control of him
self, was feeling as if he owned large part
of the United States. The copyright bill
was under discussion, and l don't remem-
Der whether Wolcott was for it or against
it, but he made a speech which turned out
to be a little gem. whether it costs us
much or costs us little," said he, 1--WE want
to give to every man as an encouragement
to high living and good thinking the benefit
of every good thing that he says or does"
The trouble with Mr. Blaine is that he
has been doing too much good, thinking
and not enough high living He is afraid
to eat anything but the simplest diet, and
he permits himself but little of that. The
result is that in the opinion of one of his
intimate friends his fear of the govt and
of indigestion prevents him taking prop
er quantity of nourishing food. A strain
comes, us SUrdlnS 90 come TO all machines,
human or other, and there is as result
an unnecessary amount Of weakness and
detection of body and spirits.
Another interesting man, of whom not
much is heard nowadays, but whose name
few years ago was on every ones tongue,
is Joseph Holt, ex-judge advocate general
of the army, the executioner of Mrs. Sur
raft, now on the retired list as brigadier
general, and living at an advanced age on
Capitol hill. General Holt tells many sto-'
ries of his experiences with Abraham Lin
coin during the war. AS judge advocate
general of the army it was his duty to take
to the president orders for the execution
of military offenders for the executives
signature. One day he presented to Mr..
Lincoln the death warrant of a couple of
young men from Massachusetts, who had
been charged with throwing down their
arms in the face of the enemy and fleeing
from the field of battle, found guilty and
condemned to death.
''This is a very clear case of cowardice in
the face of the enemy, Mr.. President" said
the judge advocate general in presenting.
the papers, "and probably you will not
m re- to on into the dotails - Rnt Mr. Tn