Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1893-02-09
NOT EXACTLY NEWS.
A Few General Remarks and Familiar
Reflections.

Reflections
Much is being told of Mr.. Blaine's
wonderful memory for faces and the
names attached to those faces, which is
by far the most wonderful parto memo
ry. Many people can remember faces, but
cannot possibly recall the name of the
person. The man who never forgets a
face is very common, but the
man who infallibly recalls names is
extremely rare. In this Mr.. Blaine is
said to have been as expert as was that
great General of antiquity to whom each
soldier in his vast army was personally
known, and who knew each soldiers
name.
When Mr.. Blaine was campaigning in
this State in 1884, among the tens of
thousands who uaily shook him by the
hand and were introduced to him, a
former citizen of this place was present
ed at Massillon, and grasped the hand of
the statesman, exchanging word or two
with him, and being swallowed up i'm
mediately in the crowd. A week or so
afterward Mr. Blaine held a meeting at
Bellaire, and our townsman again sought
to meet him. His surprise was great
when as he advanced Mr.. Blaine extend
ed his hand, called him by name, and
spoke of the time and place of his hav-
ing met him.
If ever speaker labored under annoy
noyance and difficulties, such was the
case with Miss Shontz at the Presbyte-
rian church Saturday night. Her per-
formance had hardly begun, when the
long wall of the whistle at the electric
light plant convinced many persons that
something was wrong,and sent them steal
ing out one by one to see what was the
trouble. Then every one fidgetted about
in his seat. Then the lights went out,
and the young people giggled. The jan
itor promptly lit the gas. Then those
who had gone out to the fire, returned and
stole in like culprits. Just in the crisis
of thrilling recitation, the electric lights
suddenly famed out making the scene
as brilliant as day. Then the economical
janitor produced another stage effect by
turning out the gas lights. Miss Shontz,
however. did not get nervous, and con-
quered her audience despite her diff
culties.
An estimable citizen who was one of
the committee attending to the lighting
of the Presbyterian church, had dream
"A night or so before the electrical current
was turned into the new burners, to the
effect that three of burners would not
work. Hearing of the dream, the electri-
cialI when the test was to be made cut out
tnree bulbs, and had the rest of the com
mittee on hand ready to laugh at the
dreamer. The current shot through the
wires, the lights famed out, but in the
midst of the brilliancy three burners
were cold and dark. MY dream! did
not say it, exclaimed he of the vision,
upstarting, and growing pale wi5s the
thought of his foreknowedge. The rhirth
of his fellow committeeman alone con-
vinced him that he had not been like the
olden time prophets, the subject of
sleep warning of the future.
Mr.. Gladston has indicated that there
will be no poet laureate appointed by
him, but he has not given his reason
The laureateship is reminiscence of
Greece, transmitted through Rome,
the Middle Ages in Germany,
Spain and Italy to England, Tasso and
Petrarch wore the laurel And since the
time of Ben Jonson, if not since Chaucer,
there has been Laureate in England
Several of the names have been great
ones, as Dryden, 'Southey, Wordsworth,
Tennyson, but the remainder of the list
in its mediocrity. No orepublic-
an will care to see the office go. 1t was
but an empty honor, and to the minds of
the free people of this country, the ac-
ceptance of the honor by these great
poets was belittleing.
Council.