The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-02-26
FROM A NOTE BOOK.

YES" said the woman with the sharp
eyes and self-complacent manner. who had
talked about herself and her children all
the afternoon at the "thimble party:" "yes.
j am old-fashioned enough to keep a diary
mot the kind, though, which tells that it
rained to-day, was warm yesterday, and
the days are growing longer. do not care
for weather statistics just keep record
of family events. never mention family
affairs in general conversaron-other peo-
pie are not interested in them, OF course.
and besides it isn't weil-bred to intrude
personalities. So i keep little book and jot
down the interesting occurrences of every
day and reflections growing out of them. It's
surprising. zoo, how many interesting and
important things do happen where one has
q husband prominent In public life and
bright children"
That's not bad plan if you have time"
remarked the placid little lady in gray. as
she threaded her needle with pink en-
broidery silk. Its better than that of
friend of mine who takes delight In keep
ing record Of her varying mental oondl-
tions. Yesterday she was sad and gloomy,
the world looked dark and civilization
failure; to-day existence is. perhaps
tritte more endurable. and tomorrow, with
her improving digestion. will appear quite
sunny. photograph of my moods would
afford no satisfaction TO me at ALL
"A diary has this advantage" broke in
the young woman noted Tor her lack of
tact; 1T allows of unlimited egOts;n. lie
can never be the kind of bore defined By
some one as q person who wants TO talk of
himself when You want TO talk of your
self"
At this moment the hostess asked the la
dies what they considered the best meth
Cd of doing MP" embroidered teacloths
and center pieces, and the talk drifted into
other channels. j
Dialect stories are trying enough at their
best, but with explanatory foot notes
added are simply exaspersting. Every
foot note in a novel detracts from it's inter-
est and artistic merit; especially so when
the notes refer to words you are entirely
familiar with. and say nothing of the
really strange expressions. In the
Little Minister" 1t is carefully ex-
planned that glib" means laxative
AS If every American reader. at
least, did not use the term every day of his
life! But when someone "snibs' the door
and ''unsnibs" the shutters we arc left to
guess at the meaning. The latter way is
preferable liz dialect is incomprehensiOie
without an accompanying glossary 1t Is
unsuitable for use In novel, and should
be dispensed with. But the context will
usually explain without aid of annexation.
For instance. in the same Little Minister
Master Birse. commenting on the
pastors denunciatory sermon on
women. and answering the wonder
ing surmises of "Auld Lichtv
brother as to where the unmarried and
nscetic shepherd had learned so much about
the dangerous sex. declared that. Its in
the original Hebrew this KNOWLEDGE of
women.) You can howk any mortal thing
ont o. the original Hebrew. the which all
ministers have at their finger ends.D You
doubtless never heard the word ''howk"
before. but you know what 1t means now,
just as you understand about the shark
when he .chortled through the rulgy wood
and burbled as he came Some language
needs no translation.
f
Renan says the idea which Jesus forms of
man is not the humble idea which cold
deism has introduced. "ln his poetic con-
ception of nature one breath only pene-
frates the universe; the breath of man is
that OF God; God dweIls in man and lives
BY man. even as man dwells IN God and
lives by God" In this thought Renan has
in mind THAI passage of Scripture where it
is said that God "dweIleth not
in temples made with mems hands,"
and that He is mot far from
everyone of US; for in Him we live and
move and have our being; as certain. also.
of your own poets have said" As certain.
also of our modern poets have said; for
what else Is the higher Pan.helsm."
where renny son sings of the vision of Him
who reignsi
Glory about thee. without thee; and thou full
nllest thy doom
Making Him broken gleams and stifed splen-
dor aud gloom.
spake 10 Him thou. Cor lie hears. and Spirit with
Spirit meet.
Closer is lie than breathing. and nearer than
hands and feet
=
The pianist was lamenting the lack of
fine music IN indianapolis: I'VE give les-
sons. and We hear the crude efforts of our
pupils but We do not hear the music we
snjoy except at rare intervals There are
good individual Observation-Disclosures
ists and singers-but they don't get to-
gether. There Is no orchestra. no opera,
and only an occasional hIgh-olass concert.
All. foreign city. German city. IL the
pIacs where there is n mns.cal atmosphere,
where We live and breathe music. where