The morning call., 1892-02-20
FADS AND FANCIES.
Cautiously Diverse Tastes of Well.
known People.
A List to Which Hundreds Might Be Added
Evid ence That 1t Takes Many Kinds of
People to Make Up World.

The word fad, as known in the American
language, is used to express Jealous effort in
some particular direction. Leta mandeViatt
from the beaten path which humanity treadS
from the cradle to the grave and devote bis
time to a certain line of thought and action
and we say Of him at once he has fad. y
Let him pursue this line of thought and
action with answering devotion, perhaps
with unusual zealOusnesS, and he is at once
dubbed a crank. Crankism and fadism are
therefore closely allied, the former express
ing an advanced stage or a full development
of the latter
Columbus as bly had fad. 1t was the
study of geography. Later in life. while
making the existence of the King and
Queen of Spain miserable with his unceas-
ing appeals for financial aid to discover a
Western world, he was a full-fedged crank.
Tie Scribes and Pharisees said Of John
the Baptist, when he went afOOt proclaiming
the coming of Christ. Surely this man hath
a devil"
When Calico dared TO advance the theory
that the earth revolyed around the sun in
stead of the sun around the earth, he was
called crank" GalileO had fad, it was
astronomy.
Edison sat in his workshop for unusual
periods of time, without food or rest. seek
ing new channels and discovering new pow
ers in the subtle and mysterious fluid which
is the wonder Of the world. Edison has a
fad; lie is crank. But unlike many cranks,
he has q method in his madness.
Cranks.
After all has been said, the fact remains
q W
thing to make tie world greater or better or
the lot of humanity lighter have been
crankS. a man who has not fad or who
does not follow it into crankism can be of
little use 10 any one, except those who are
dependent upon him Tor simply material
wants.
No man or woman is a bit the worse for
having hobby, and few persons with any
force OF character are free from the sus-
piclOn OF having lad" The personal
habits, tastes and predictions Of some Of
our representative citizens are so well
known that description of the peculiari-
ties at once suggests The name OF the lndi-
vdual.
OF all manias the collecting passion, in
some form or other, is the strongest. With
one 1t 5 butterflies; with another. postage
stamps; with a third, stuffed animals. while
of the bric-a-brac collectors the name is
legion. Pets aIe very Characteristic of in
dlvlduals. A very commonplace person
may be fond OF parrots or CanaTleS, but it
takes real force OF character 10 confess 10 a
Partially fer snakes, horned lOads and
monkeys.
Adolph Sutr0's ancient mule on the San
Miguel ranch is almost as famous as the
millionaire engineers collection of old
books, purchased al prices which would
never be paid for them again. The black
letter manuscripts, Illuminated miSSals and
rare copies Of classics repUsing undsturbed
n CHI yt.itb % IN mi pC
for guardians, sufficiently Indicate the bent
Of Mr.. SutrO'S inclnatlOnS IN his leisure
hours.
An Oriental Fad.
jeremiah Lynch has the oriental fad in
an aggravated form. The illustrious eX-
grand juror, statesman. fnancier and trav-
CieT, is never so happy as when reclining in
Eastern style with a Turkish cap on his
head a hOokah stem in his mouth, and q
royal mummy contemplating him internally,
as il were, as the sphinx Of the desert looks
on the visitors to tie pyramids Mr..
Lynch's bachelor quarters at Clay and
Leavenworth streets are revelation in
OrentalSm.
Every man, woman and child in San
Francisco who has visited North Beach
knows Warner Of eOOweb fame. The old
man himself is an interesting life-rellc OF
pioneer days, and his collection of animals
has amused more persons within the last
came 10 town. 1t is not a mere matter of
business or trade with Mr.. Warner 1t is
the mans conservative character finding
practical expression in the accumulation of
oddities.
A well-known druggist on Suffer street,
near Grant avenue, has for years sustained a
| sort Of morbid reputation by his collection Of
! live snakes exhibited in a front window
| They are not placed on view simply as an
advertisement. The pharmacist likes other
people to share his snakely joys and to
learn how the writing Of such romance as
Elsie Venner" 10y Oliver Wendell Holmes
became possible.
The gentleman in charge a cigar-stand
on Keauy street pTideS himself on having
the largest and most novel collection of
walking canes in San Francisco. They
range from slender wands to bludgeOns
| suitable fer ward primaries, and are strictly
| not for sale. In fact the loss Of one of the
| collection would cost the young man a
| weeks sleep.
| w II. Thornley,, the Custom house
| broker. is governed by the abiding cOnvc-
| tion that the apparel oft proclaims the man.
| 1t is his fad, you know.