Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-08-06
ONE OF OUR MALADlES
eomo Lessons For Autograph Writers and
Autograph Hunters.

eomo Lessons For Autograph Writers and
Autograph Hunters.
Among the many maladies Of this gen.
Grafton Is that of the autograph fiend,
evinced in the hunting and persistent Pc
titioning for detached signatures of all
sorts of persons of more or less contempo-
rary fame. In jealously guarded albums
these Jealous collectors will paste their
names on musty leaves for keepsakes. In
this species is, Of course, not TO be included
the honest autograph gatherer, who, for
literary or historical research, shelves autl-
graphical manuscripts of the celebrities of
the past or present for the benefit of stu.
dents These have their peculiar intrinsic
value of authencity and biographical, his.
torical and scientific import. And what
can there be more attractive or venerable
than the yellow sheets, with their paling
characters Of the handwriting of the great
spirits Of mankind, in which they willed
to posterity their thoughts and feelings,
their discoveries and theories, their joys
and sorrows, their hopes and fears2
There has just been published in fac.
simile the testament of Ludwig Won Bee
thoyen. 1t is impossible to scan these pa.
thetic and tremendously ponderous lines
and letters of the great master without
emotion OF compassion. With the key to
bis oft misunderstood life, they give US the
key to his art, however much both may at
the first sight appear to stand In mex
plainable contrast Under date of Oct 2,
1902, when be was only in his thirty-seo-
ond year, and about the time when he COM
pleted his cheering and melodious sym
phony in d major, while himself in de-
spair over that incurable trouble which
obscured his whole existence, the young
composer made his will. He had closed
with this life, but not with his art, which
only fruited and ripened through the high.
est efforts of which music Is capable dur.
ing the succeeding 90 years that "envious
fate had still for him in store
Most touching strains Of harmonious
resignation, won after the most gallant
struggle for O noble soul whose depth.
those near him never fathomed, echo from
these melancholy and affectiopate notes ad
dressed to his brothers and heirs From
the first lines, expressing his grief at tht
world misconception Of himself as being
"morose, stubborn and misanthropic, .
without its knowing the heart and the ir
reparable condition of the health of man
of q fiery and vivacious temperament anG
fond of the pleasures of society,"" as he
writes, who by dire necessity in early life
was forced "to spend his days in lonelines:
and to live es one banished from home, -
Beethoven continues the elegy Of his last
will to this concluding adagio patetico
"Oome then, death, whenever thou wilt
POlHlU fpflt IN fr,Qot fhoo FaHoxvan hwoAh
ersl Do not wholly forget me That havt
not deserved Of you, for in life I evel
thought of you and strove to make yor
happy. Be itp' The most unsentimenta
readers eyes might moisten at the sight o.
these tear stained notes of this great ant
yet so unhappy genius.
A story from London, containing o les
son from both autograph hunters and au
tograph writer's, Is as follows:
IA we'll known public man, who has ar
excellent opinion of himself, received moi
long since we'll merited rebuke 1t haG
been stated that his celebrity knew how tt
make most excellent cup of coffee Al
epicurean country gentleman wrote to hin
courteously asking for the recipe. This re-
quest was granted, but at the end of The
letter was the following unique manifesto
ton of splendid self conceit, 4 hope this 1!
genuine request and not surreptitious
method Of securing my autograph II
this the country gentleman replied: 'Ao
cept my thanks for the recipe for making
coffee wrote In good faith and in ordel
to convince you of the fact allow me to re-
turn what it is obvious you infinitely prize
but which is of no value to me-your auto
graph "--Baltimore Sun