The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-11-16
WniMS OF GREATNESS.


Daniel Webster had curious fancy for
painting the faces of his cattle. One week
the poor beasts would walk around with
blue faces and the next would appear
with red ones. On his farm he kept many
head OF cattle. and some of them became
SO fond of the great eXpounder that they
would follow him about like dogs. Among
the number were several that resented
his friendliness. and in order to punish
these and distinguish them from the rest
he painted the face Of each beautiful
blue.
The effect was so moved that it pleased
him, and from that time forth he changed
the color whenever he had a few min
utes to spare and would laugh heartily
at the astonishlnrnt of his friends vhc!
they saw the queer looking beasts on his
premises.
Napoleon occupied al his idle moments
In making up puzzles and indulging I in
trigues. He said 1t relieved q mans mind
when tired. lie would sit for hours trying
to devise puzzle that his comrades could
not solve. When tired of this he loved
to- fight mimic battles, and becan,,. ang.y
when he lost. He had his garden con-
structed in the form of a miniature field,
with forts, trenches, water ways and
dummy soldiers. by means of which he
fought sham battles with his officers
Peter the Great had fashion for be-
ing carried about in a wheelbarrow, and
for hours at a time to be wheeled around
his estates. He said he liked the motion.
After campaign he would return home
with number of guests and at once Or
der wheelbarrows to be got I'm readiness
Peter on more than one occasion visited
the large cities in this strange equpage
William the Conqueror said he derived
more pleasure watching dogs fighting than
anything else besides winning a battle
His subjects all over the kingdom sent
him dogs by the hundred. From these
he would select the tiercest and sit for
whole days watching the fights. He had
special retinue OF servants and attend
ants who did nothing but arrange the
contests.
George washington's principal diver
sion was training baby foxes. He was
fond of fox hunting and would pay well
for litter Of young Reynards. He took
the animals home and trained them in
tied to friends. He used to say that the
fox had more brains than any other ami =
NAL.
President Cleveland likes to paint the
children's toys and little odds and ends
of household furniture. This is not al
tistic, to be sure. but more than one pat
crfamilias knows how much real diver
sion there is in working with paint pot
and brush. Seated on a stool, with the
youngsters Of the white house around
him. the president will amuse himself for
hours embellishing their toys In the live
liest shades.
Gladstone employs his spare time in
wood carving, and he Is said to produce
some very fine work. He learned the art
when a boy, and has as complete a wood
carving shop as any carver in England.
Some of the decorations of his home are
his own work, and II he made a business
Of 1t he would be a success.
Kaiser william finds more amusement
in curling his mustache than in almost
any pastime. On every appearance In pub
lie his mustache has diffrenet curt. All
Of these are original, so much SO. in fact.
that before his admirers in the German
empire have caught on" to the new
style" he appears with another.
Speaker Thomas B. Reed has a pastime
that Is truly his own. He stands I'm an
open window and recites poetry by the
yard. He is especially partial to Longf fel-
low. Mr.. Reed recites Tennyson and
Whittier also. but he Is strong on the
breezy western poems that have a ring Of
defiance in their lines.