The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-05-03
SOME ANECDOTES.

Showing the Eccentricftfes Of Prominent
Individualitfes.
Men Of great learning may fairly claim
the right to be absentminded. They live
in q world of ideas and naturally are more
or less Oblivious of things of time and sense.
Theodor Mommsen, the famous historian
of Rome, had not only the appearance but
the manner of a scholar. No man perhaps
was ever more absentminded than he. lie
walked the streets of Berlin like some
stranger from another world, not seeing his
most familiar friends unless they stopped
him by force and explained to him who
they were.
Once during the half hours drive from
Berlin to Charlottenburg the car in which
the professor rode went badly of the track.
The rest of the passengers alighted. the
horses were removed, and the stranded can
was left until help could be found.
Mommsen remained. reading his book
An hour passed, and the sound Of levers
and jacks and the plunging of horses hoofs
aroused him from his reverie
With no sign of discomposure he rose
from his seat and went to the door.
All" said he, I'VE seem to have come To
a standstillP'-Youth's Companion
Bob COOK AND THE BURGLAR.-Return-
ing home late one night Bob Cook, the exc
Yale oarsman, found his wife and servant
girl breathless with alarm and praying for
his arrival. They were sure they heard
burglars up stairs, where the baby was
asleep. In his usual fearless manner Mr..
Cook went up to investigate The women
heard him moving around for moment or
two, and then all was still The agony in-
creased. Mrs Cook was sure that the bur
glars had made away with her husband,
and she was too overcome with terror to
give the alarm. In vain she called upon the
servant to call some one or 20 up stairs her
self. For an hour they sat there trembling
and growing gray. until at last, with the
solve of desperation and shutting her eyes
to what might be before her, Mrs. Cook
started up the stairs, taking the servant
with her. Slowly they made their way
through the upper hall to the family bed
chamber, and there they found Mr.. Cook
fast asleep in his bed. Having seen no bur
glar, he had forgotten to report back to his
wife, but had quietly turned in for the
night, all unappreciative of the terror of the
women.-New York Advertiser
TELEGRAPHTC BREvITY. Victor
Hugo published the ''A1iserables,'' he was
anxious to know how the sale was progress
ing and forwarded to the publisher a tele-
gram thus: 80" To which the latter re-
piled in the same style with ''P'-Diction-
naire d'Anecdotes.
THEIR OWN OPINIoNs.-There is no class
of persons of whom one may say that
knowledge puffeth up" more truly, &C
cording TO James Payn, than our classic
al scholars. There is something in the
dead languages which causes those who
make them their study to have, as the
Scotch say, "A guild conceit of theirsels."
OF Whewell it was said that science was
his forte and omniscience his foible." Pro
fessor Donaldson used modestly to admit
that he knew nothing of botany. but the
whole circle of the sciences was, with this
exception, supposed to be at his fingers
ends What do not know" said Jowett
for. though somebody said it for him, it
comes to the same thing), sis not knowl-
edge" The last utterance of a well known
classical authority is said to be as follows.
'Tennyson dead, Browning dead, JOwett
dead. feel almost alone. ''-Argonaut