The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-08-24
MISCELLANEOUS,

How to mix and serve all kinds of
cups and drinks is the theme of George
j. Kafpeler's book. Modern Ameri-
can Drinks" which Is published by
| the Merriam company, New York. The
recipes number nearly 1000 and are
| carefully compiled.
From The same finn IS received a book
| Of shrewd. quaint. or fiippant obserya-
lions on men and things, grouped to-
gether by II. S. Wells under the odd
tNle. Select Conversations with an
Uncle" Here are portions of a CON
versation' on THE Theory of the Per-
peual discomfort Of Humanity" which
will afford tolerably fair idea OF Mr..
Wells book as a whole, since the other
conversations are for the most part
In similar vein:
ne nad been sitting with his feet uuon
the left janb OF my mantel, adm.r,ng the
TIPS OF his shoes In silence for some time,
Georse. he said, dropping his c!gar-ash
hougnliuiiy INTO my inkstand. In order,
imagine, TO save my carpet, have YOU
ever done pioneer work for Humanity"
Never ! said. How do you get that
sort Of work."
Il don't know. / met a man and a wo-
man though. the other night, who said
they were engaged in that kind OF thing
ard 1t makes the hair very untidy. They
do 1t chiefly with their heads. 1t consists
so understand. Of writing stun In a
hurry. rushing about IN cabs. wearing
your ha.r in some unpleasant manner, and
holding disorderly meetings."
THE lady asked me what 1 thought OF
the condition of the lower classes, and I
told her | was persuaded, from various
things j had noticed, that a lot Of them
were frtghtfully hard up. And with that
she started or to show whose fault Il
was
"Enterta,n!ng?"
"A little. One thing she said
struck me very much, though It
could hardly be called novel. 1t was that
the fads OF one age were the fashions OF
the next: that while the majority OF peo-
pie were engaged In Their little present.
day chores. persons like herself are maxi
Ing the laws and preparing the customs
for the generation to follow"
Poor generations to follOwv ! said.
Yes. but there Is a lot Of truth In It:
and do you know there flashed upon me ali
at once great theory. the Theory Of Per-
petual Discomfort Of Humanity. just let
me explain 4 to you. George" he said.
bringing himself round so that his legs
hung over the arm Of his char. ~ think
you VIII see have made very great dis
covery, gone to the root of the whole OF
this bother Of reform movement ADVANCE
ment Of humanity, and the rest OF IT," He
sucked his cigar for a moment. Each
age" he said. has its own Ideals Of what
constitutes human happiness"
"A very profound observation" said l.
Looking down the vista OF history, one
may generalize and say that we see hu-
man beings continually troubled by the
conditions under which they live. I can
think OF no time In the world when there
was not some question or other getting
fused about. Hence reform movements.
Now, reforms move slowly, and by the
time these reforms come about, the peo-
pie whom they would have made happy.
and who fused and encountered dislike
and satire and snubbng. and burning and
boiling IN oil. ard suchlike discourage
ments, for the sake Of them, were dead
and buried and mere sanitary problems.
The new people had new and quite differ
ent needs. and the reforms for which Their
fathers fought and,ded more or less un-
comfortably. and got into debt with the
printers. 40 soon ss there were printers 20
get into debt with. were about as well
come as be,ated dinner guests. You take
me? Ireland, when home rule comes home
to II. will simply howl with ind,gnat.on.
And we are living In tho embodied d,sco--
tent Of the senghteenth century. Adem
Smith. Tom Psine and Prestiy would
have looked upon this age and seen that
Il was G0od--dev.lish good: and ~ YOU
know. George. TO ~ z swell, q BIT OF n
nuisance anyhow. However. most peonie
are like myself. and try to be Rs comfort
able ~ .ths> can. and no doubt the next