The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-10-30
a Rambler's Observations on
Things in General
GRAND OLD MEN OF TO-DAY.
Anecdotes Of Tenuysou-Preschsrs and ssr'
monB-Humsn Arimality in Lush
Privileges Of Peers.
written for THE MORNING CALL

We 60 back 10 patTlarchai ages lew lHefo Oe
who can compare with Sir Henry ParRes'
the veteran statesman of Australia. de is 10
his seyenty-eighth year aud he has Just hsd
thrust upon him the honOrs, cares ana re-
spoDSbiiities of enlarged family lie, an
other son and heir having been porn 10
him. What nonsense it is TO talk OF the hui
man race falling into decsdenca through TOO
much luxury and highly polished civiliza-
ton. When that fsrcical Eglinton tourRa-
ment was held and modern men appeared as
knights of old. and swung battle axes or
tilted with the lance. fair ladies iu ancient
finery looking on, il was actually found that
the srmor which served to mail warriors In
Plantsgenet times was altogether too mar
row to ft the bulky bodies Of Well-fed yeo-
men and gentlemen OF to-day. The assist
ance of tie smith had TO be called In to
widen the armoT and the wonder Is how
puny men could do any fighting under such
eumbrous loads only invented to ward of
blows ST Harry ParkeS' triumph is also
anOtherproof Of the superior vitality of the
modern race If all the Australians were
as he is the country would not languish in
trade as unfortunately it does in every
colony save Western Australia.
Anecdotes about Tennyson. another grand
old man, are row in circulation, and some
of them reflect a curious light upon his
character. He was excessively shy and had
q horror Of being bored by the numerous
tribe Of curiosity visitors. 1t is related that
one day while sauntering along the shrubbeTy
walks with Mary Anderson he suddenly,
without one word of explanation, darted off
like deer from the side of his Ompanion
and disappeared The cause of this eccen-
tUicty was his discovery that some nurse
maid was peeTing at him through the shrub
berry. Yet he had doubtless no particular
aversion to a woman looking at him, as had
that queer scientific member 0f the CaYen-
dish family who shares with PTiestley the
renoWn Of the discovery of oxygen Lord
Henry Cavendish could not bear the sight
OF a woman. II he met one accidentally in
the corridors he screamed and fed. his
meals had to be smuGgled into his rooms
with secrecy, aud be dined alone. Yet this
eccentric was q very distinguished member
Of the Royal Society, and great men came
from abroad expressly to meet him and
universe with him on science.
IL American visitor seems 10 have been
thorA in Tennyson's flesh. Americans
would cone to see him and il they could
not get ACQUISITION to his house TO hear him.
peTchsnee' sead a poem or to pepper him
with question: on obscure lines, they at
least were glad to get a peep at him on lis
walks, and doubtless in these latter DAYS Of
The snap camera they added him in various
interesting poses to their Photographic col
lections. But Tennyson hit upon device
when served these sDobhjsh tuft-nunters
rightly. II hen he found cut that most of
his visitors we're content TO see him walk in
tie garden he would occasionally dress
one of his lab0Ters up In the historical
sioueh hat and velvet coat The rustic
Wouid saunter olcng the garden paths as
Stunning as dreamy an expression IS ms in
teiieciuA condition would admit and the
visitors would gaze with reverence az him
from men station Oh the higbrcai or else
where" The vain people WHO have thes5
photographs Of the rustic may now smile at
their own folly. Other people certainly
will.
Another story connects the Prince Of
Wales with Tennyson rather cOmically.
The Prince, erybcdy knows, did not at
tend the poets funeral; but certainly that
lack Of good breeding did not arise from
want Of respect for the laureate. The story
goes that 'Lord Tennyson had engaged q
Rew pagebOy who knew nothing OF royal
personages and was Of suspicious nature.
Just about this time the Primes took it into
his head TO walk over from Osborne to see
the poet He gained the entrance, which
was OF Itself nc easy task, and knocked at
the door. Masters not in he was told.
The Prince, detecting that this was a pro-
miscuous answer which 1t was the page
boys Instructions TO give to all corners, said
VIII You kindly tell him the Prince of
Wales wishes TO see himP The boy eyed
the visitor with an irritatingly knowing
look. and replied. 'WalkerP" Tennyson
happened to overhear the conversation. and
the pageboy came to learn that Walker"
was not The correct word to employ On all
occasions.
Tenuvsop was an eTcantion IN fba rpIa
that a poet is not a practical man.
However dreamily be carried his bead in
the air. he did not find the composition of
verse Incompatible with dairy farming
Did the taste come TO him from his early
rustic life at Somerby Rectory? The milk
and butter from the Freshwater Dairy are
famous all over the Isle of Wight. where
there Is more than enough Of custom for all
that can be produced. Mrs. Hallam Jenny
son, the poets daughteT-in-law, superin-
tends the dairy operations, but Tennyson
himself took an active interest in the dairy,
and his name may have had Its share in
making Ii famous. Dairying is now one of
the pet industries Of the English aristoc-
raey. The late Speaker Of the House Of
Commons, Lord Hampton, made il profit
able hobby.
discussion has taken place at the Eng
Hsh Church Congress on sermons and why
they do not attract the multitude. The
answer seems to be a cOmmOB-sense one
improve the style OF sermon not only In
matter, but In method of delivery Make
1t dramatic, stirring and fascinating, so
that no one In the congregation is permitted
10 go 10 sleep. The Scotch preacher who
complained 10 a parishioner that he should
avoid going TO sleep by taking pinch of
snph, was well answered with the retort.
lou should put snuff in your sermonr'
IL IS OIL no avail to suggest short sermons.
III they are vapd, pointless and bad, they
are not mended by brevity, and if they are
good they are not marred by length.
BeecheTs sermons were masterpieces Of
thought as well as art He had the knack
OF entertaining, as well as OF impTessing.
he had not single prosy sentence, and be
understood consummatelV the art OF emo
honalism In speech. The parson who
neelects the study of eiocution and gesture
omits 10 employ some aids to his calling
highly necessary.
The late Mr.. Spurgeon was preacher
who fascinated certain order Of society by
The force OF his style. and he could always
muster congregation Of FIVE or six thou
sand. His tabernacle was full eyerv day
be preached. That he did not neglect earn.
estness in the message he thought II his
duty to deliver may be inferred from the
following passage, which assumes q good
zeal OF knowledge direct and unequivocal
on TIE matter OF future punishment: When
thou dlest thy soul will be toTmented alone.
that will be bell for it. but at the Day of
Judgment thy body will join thy soul, and
thou wilt have twin bells, thy soul sweating
drops OF blood and thy body suffused with
agony. In fierce fire, exactly like that we
have on earth, thy body will be asbestos
Ike forever, uneonsumed; all thy veins
roads for the feet Of pain to travel upon;
every nerve string upon which the devil
shall forever play his diabolical tune Of helI's
unutterabe lament" All this would be
uttered with dramatic gesture and In
voice which could be heard In the remotest
corners OF the tabernacle.