Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-07-16
TALES OF THE TIMES.
A Budget OF stories About Men OF whoua
You Have Heard.


You Have Heard.
Ouickness and delicacy of compliment
are much rarer and finer gifts than bril-
liancy In rcpartee or keenness of sarcasm.
Those who know Joseph III. Choate only
as a suave but merciless GROSS examiner Oh
the adroit and vigilant advocate play De
surprised at this story
Mr.. and Mrs Choate were mt dinner
party one evening, and tho conversation
turned on great men. In the course OF the
talk one Of the guests asked:
"Now, Mr.. Choatc, II you could not Dc
Yourself. who else In all the world would
you rather boy'
The distinguished lawyer hesitated a
moment, his mind apparently running
over n catalogue of great names, and then,
his ewes falling upon his wife, who was
looking at him across the table, quiet hu-
NOR and curiosity In her face, he said gen
tly: ~
.sIf I could not be myself would like
In he Mrs. Choate's second husband"
Lord Salisbury, the new British premier,
Is n conspicuous instance Of energy, talent
and indomitable industry overcoming the
disadvantage of birth, for 1t is a great dis
advantage In English politics now to In
herit peerage. The short lived ministry
of Lord Rosebery Is striking Illustration
of the slender hold that even the most pro
gressive and popular of peers has upon the
political forces OF the country.
When Salisbury (then Lord Robert Cecil)
inherited the marquisite, one of the most
ancient and illustrious in English history,
it is related that his wife, the constant IN
III. ~ 10 l.
tion, burst into tears.
"They have sent Bob to the lords He
will never be heard of again" sobbed the
involuntary marchioness.
Even she did not appreciate the power OF
intellect, the flrmness of will and the force
of character which were to make her hus-
band, first, the most notable and trusted
lieutenant of the great Disraeli, and final
" the acknowledged chief, through many
vicissitudos Of fortune, OF the great Tory
party.
Bismarcks nerve and determination
never failed him. One evening at social
function Baron Prokesch, the Austrian
minister, who was something of a bully,
took vigorous exceptions to Bismarck q
criticism Of certain evasive and equivocal
AusUrlau protooOi ooooAAAhe "'eAJ, sN~~
baron exclaimed:
"If that were not true then 1, in the
name of my imperial master, should have
been guilty of lying"
Quietly returning his gaze, the chancei-
lor replied, with polite but cold bow:
Precisely so, your excellency."
The, group surrounding the two states
men were struck dumb. Prokesch moved
away, but later, at the supper table, he
came over to Bismarck with a glass OF
champagne and said:
"Well, let us make peace.
"Assuredly," said Bismarck, "but the
protocol must be altered.
And 1t was.
Besides being one of tho greatest OF liv-
ing Hellenists and master OF all classical
lore, Gladstone has an idiomatic knowl-
edge of a number of modern languages.
He has made several after dinner speeches
In French, which have been praised by the
Partisan press as models of eloquence and
wit. Several years ago he happened to be
staying at country house in Wales, where
he met the Italian ambassador. The two
took long walk together over the estate
and on their return the diplomat expressed
privately to his host his amazement and
admiration at Gladstone's marvellous
knowledge Of italian.
"For three hours" he said, I'VE have
been discussing the most intricate subjects
In heaven and on earth-subjects bristline
with technical terms-and never once hai
Mr. Gladstone been at o loss for word
nor has he used single word that did moi
express his meaning with perfect clear
ness"
W. w. Story was lawyer before he wal
a sculptor. The following story is told IL
Illustrative Of his quickness and ingenuity
Story was counsel for the prosecution ir
the case of woman accused upon oircum
stantial evidence Of numbering her hus
band. Counsel for the defense adduced, as
a fact tending to show his clients limo
cence, that at her husbands deathbed sht
exclaimed, with much feeling:
"Goodby, Georgel"
Story at once interrupted with the re
mark that attendant circumstances point
ed to the assumption that what the woman
really said was:
"Good, by Georgel'-Chicago Post.